One Punch-Gamer
by SaintInfernalNeos
Summary: He KNEW this was some sort of karmic joke. He shouldn't have laughed at other's seemingly 'silly' problem, even if said other was a fictional character. Now, he was forced to accept that, yes, ending everything with one punch could get frustrating, especially for a Gamer. Then again, when trapped inside a game where Death is very much real, that can only be a good thing...right?
1. Prologue: 'Very Easy' Mode?

Okay, so, hello again to those who know me, and hi to those who don't! Since I kinda lost most of my motivation for my other fic thanks to a combination of a MASSIVE writer block and real life problems and I have had it abandoned for almost a year, I decided that I needed to put SOMETHING here to try and see if I regain that 'spark'. Fair warning: If you're looking for a complex and serious story, then you should already get out of here and look for something else, but if you're in for some laughs, silliness, absurdly easy 'fights' most of the time, harem-antics and craziness then welcome aboard! Let's enjoy this =D!

 **EDIT:** SO, after several complaints from a couple of friends and readers, I was urged to add this bit: What was previously said it's not totally accurate because this is, in fact, an epic, awesome and over-the-top story! There, happy now :P?

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Prologue: Who asked for the 'Very Easy' Mode…?**

Fate is a flickering thing…and it also has a very twisted humor sense.

The slightest, minuscule change in a determined chain of events can make it so that things become completely and utterly different than how they should be. This phenomenon is what creates what some call 'The Multiverse': All possibilities are possible.

And yet, sometimes, SOMETHING ELSE also helps to push things in unexpected ways…

 **November 1st, 2022. Kirigaya Household, 17:30…**

Kirigaya Kazuto sighed contently as he got back home.

Just 5 more days and he would be able to go back to that world that he had enjoyed for a short time, as one of the 1000 Beta Testers. Aincrad.

Sword Art Online.

Already, his own copy of the game was on his hand, one of the very first to have been sold, an advantage of his status as a Beta Tester. He was about to eagerly run up to his room and install it on his Nerve Gear when an unexpected sound caught his attention.

The living room's television was on.

Curious, the boy walked towards the other room, only to find an unusual sight: His 'little sister', Kirigaya Suguha, was sleeping on the couch, wearing her favorite red jacket and blue shorts.

Ignoring that small and bitter part of his mind reminding him that the girl WASN'T really his little sister and that 'their' parents weren't HIS parents, the boy walked closer to her with curiosity, glancing at the TV for a moment, which showed the credits of some old anime about samurais. It was WEIRD, not only because he knew Sugu wasn't really one to see much TV, but also that she had NEVER fallen asleep while watching it.

"Maybe she was tired from kendo practice…?" he vaguely wondered even as he let his copy of SAO on a nearby table and sat at the girl's side, softly trying to wake her up. "Hey, Sugu…you can't sleep on the couch, c'mon…"

"Munya…Onii-chan…?" slowly, the girl's sleepy eyes opened, staring at him in dumb confusion for a couple of seconds before they opened wide, she immediately shooting away from him towards the opposite end of the couch…which wasn't really much distance, to be honest. "Onii-chan?! Whe-when did you get home?!"

At seeing her uneasy reaction, a part of the boy felt tempted to just tell her that it didn't matter and go up to his room instantly…but the other, minuscule one, that one which someone could call his 'conscience' reminded him that he had been a really shitty brother to her for the last 4 years since he discovered 'The Truth', and that some minutes of friendly talk wouldn't really hurt him.

"Just a moment ago…did you fell asleep while watching anime?"

"Eh…?" confused, the girl blinked towards the TV, seeing how the announcements between shows were already ending and a new one was about to begin. "Tha-that's weird, I could swear I turned it off before closing my eyes for a moment…" Suguha frowned while looking down. "Was I more tired than I thought…?"

"Uhm, well, as I was saying, you should try to not sleep in weird places like this. It will be bad for your back or something…" awkwardly commented the boy while glancing at the TV, where another anime (Apparently it was a channel that aired a lot of those from the last decade) had just begun, a beautifully animated and meaningless city and its inhabitants being displayed on the screen. "Are you going to see more or should I turn it off?"

"Ah, no, don't bother…" muttered the girl while standing up, walking towards it. "I will turn it off myse…"

And that was when both pre-teens froze upon seeing a random explosion happening on the screen, which quickly led to city-wide panic. That alone wouldn't have been much, if it wasn't for the fact that, barely 30 seconds after it, the source of the explosion was shown on the screen: a blue-skinned humanoid creature…that seemed like a blue rip-off a VERY known and much older character from a legendary anime.

"…is that Picco…?"

"No, it isn't." muttered Kazuto as a matter of fact, even as both teens watched the creature randomly blowing up the city and causing random destruction, with powers that seemed very much taken from the same anime that the being clearly seemed to be inspired on. "What the hell is this anime…?"

Slowly, Suguha sat back on the couch, both siblings now barely aware of each other even as they kept watching the strange events develop: Some kind of weird organization that seemed to be based on strange and weird-named 'Heroes' tried to react to the attack, or at least that was what the guy on the screen was saying…but the news reporter reporting that, as well as his team, seemed to get caught in one of the many explosions, most likely dying.

Even so, both boy and girl could feel SOMETHING on their attention shift when the back of what seemed like a bald guy watching the events on his own TV was shown.

 _'Guess I will go.'_ simply declared the man before moving.

And as his back, now clad in a VERY weird costume with a CAPE, started to be shown as he walked through a dark tunnel, Kazuto and Suguha let their eyes start to widen…

 **25 minutes later…**

Once the credits started to roll through the screen, replacing the title proclaiming 'The Strongest Man', the living room of the Kirigaya household exploded in a very unusual fit of childish laughter.

Something that had already happened several times in the last half hour.

Both Kazuto and Suguha seemed to be trying their best to control their laughter while they leaned on one another for support, the younger Kirigaya even holding back some tears from the extreme laughter that the bizarre show they had just seen had caused her.

"AHAHAH…God…'I have become too strong'?" managed to say Suguha between their laughing-fit. "Who, hahah, wh-who complains about THAT?!"

"I know, right? Hahah…but man, did you see THAT animation in the 'fight'? And that Opening?!" both siblings shared another chuckle at remembering that, despite the mostly humor-based theme that the series seemed to have (The only 'epic fight' in the chapter had been nothing but a dream of the MC), the anime had an impressive animation and an over-the-top liking for epic scenes, despite the main character's rather 'peculiar' problem.

"Heh, yeah, it was really…" Suguha trailed off, blinking in apparent surprise, and, after a second of confusion, Kazuto realized the cause.

How long had it been, since they had just laughed like this, after enjoying something together?

The suddenly awkward silence between the siblings, however, was interrupted when the strangely calm (For such a series) Ending song finished, sound and color showing on the screen that there was MORE. Both their heads snapped back towards the TV in time to see the disturbing sight of several dead and dry-looking cows…and of a weird blonde man with black, metallic limbs and black instead of white on his eyes, standing in the middle of them.

The Kirigaya siblings watched how he looked to the side and, slowly, started to walk towards the city…

'The Lone Cyborg' was announced as the next chapter's title. Both siblings blinked before looking at each other.

Finally, Suguha seemed to react and, offering one last smile to the boy, she stood up, starting to walk away.

"We-well, that was fun, uh? Se-see you later, Onii-chan, I have some homework to do…"

"Ye-yeah, I also have…" Kazuto's eyes fell over his copy of SAO, still on the table. "Stuff to do…"

At that moment, the boy 'should' have just grabbed his game, walked upstairs and spent the rest of the almost-week before the official launch looking up more info about SAO, and watching any and all kinds of news and articles about the game and its creator.

But…after having watched that weird but funny show and remembering the way in which Sugu had been laughing…how much both of them had enjoyed it…

Once again, that minuscule part of him that may have been his conscience spoke up, making him take a decision.

One that, unknowingly, would totally change the destiny of his world…and twist it in a VERY strange way.

"Hey, Sugu!" the young girl froze, surprised that he was actually calling out to her and wondering if she had forgotten something in the living room. His next words, however, surprised her even MORE. "Want to see the next episode?" her brother pointed upstairs, towards his room. "I'm sure we can find it online."

The shock of he not only WANTING to spent some time with her but also openly inviting her to HIS ROOM shook Suguha's brain to the core, which made her answer almost automatically and without thinking.

"Ye-yeah, why not? I want to see if he also beats that cyborg-guy in one punch!"

And with that declaration, both siblings went up to Kazuto's room, any thoughts of homework or videogames forgotten for the moment, even as they prepared to keep doing the first thing they had enjoyed together in years.

Watch 'One Punch-Man'.

* * *

It was strange, to say the least, how quickly things changed.

In the 5 following days, Kazuto and Suguha found themselves spending more time together than they had in the last 4 years. Not only did they no longer ignore each other most of the time, but they even sought the other in any free moment they had, always to keep talking and watching the strange, epic and hilarious series that had caught their attention.

Even Midori, their mother, noticed how closer and more cheerful both of them acted when they ate together 3 days after the first 'event', looking in surprise how the siblings happily talked about someone called 'Saitama', a cyborg called 'Genos' and many more things.

In just four days, Kazuto and Suguha watched the entire series, sharing many moments of laughs, emotion and even a couple of tears. Watching the adventures of the man that was so strong that nothing was a challenge to him anymore was, without a doubt, the most fun they had ever had together.

They spent most of September 5th reading the manga on Kazuto's room, laughing and being even more amazed by the 'adventures' of Saitama, his cyborg disciple and the group of 'friends' that he made along the way.

They also marveled at seeing how, hidden between the hilarious 'plot' of the series, several deep and important things about life could be learned, more often than not being said and/or shown by, ironically, the aloof person that was Saitama.

That night, even as he went to sleep and idly thought about how SAO was finally going to start tomorrow, Kazuto couldn't help but smile at the memory of Suguha's happy face.

Yeah…maybe she wasn't his sister by blood, but, did that really matter? Even after years of delving into playing games and learning about computers, he didn't remember ever having as much fun as he had had those last few days with her.

With a nod, the boy decided that tomorrow, after Sugu returned from her kendo practice and he had spent some time enjoying the virtual world again, he would ask his adoptive sister if she wanted to go out to eat some ice cream or something.

It wouldn't make up for years of semi-cold and kinda-indifferent treatment towards her, but it was a start.

His decision taken, the black-haired boy smiled and closed his eyes, already imagining how great things would be tomorrow…

But not before saying a simple, meaningless statement aloud.

"But seriously…that Saitama guy…I mean, I GET what was the point of the series and what you were supposed to learn about it, but HOW can anyone complain about being literally the MOST POWERFUL being in existence?" with an amused smile, the boy started to drift into dreamland. "If I…was that strong…I wouldn't ever…get tired of it…"

Have you ever heard of the saying 'Be careful with what you wish for'? Well, Kirigaya Kazuto, apparently, hadn't.

His seemingly meaningless statement echoed in his empty room.

Then, somehow, it echoed through the Universe.

Thus, for some reason, it echoed into the Multiverse.

And in a final and improbable chain of events and causalities, his words echoed into the confines of the very Omniverse.

Sitting on its throne above Everything, FATE smiled.

IT looked 'down' towards Kirigaya Kazuto and, with less than a thought, warped the future of the boy even further than it already had…

* * *

 **November 6th, 2022. Kirigaya household, 12:58…**

"Well, I'm going, Onii-chan!" cheerfully shouted Suguha while finishing putting on her shoes, sitting on the house's entrance.

"Good luck in practice, Sugu!" smiled Kazuto from the base of the stairs, waving at her as the girl slung her covered shinai on her back, returning his smile. "By the way, want to go for some ice-cream after you come back? My treat!"

The girl's smile, if possible, widened even more.

"Really?!"

"Yep, really. I will be playing SAO most of the evening, but as soon as you come home you bet we will go get some! Will you be back around 6 or…?"

Whatever reaction the boy was expecting, it certainly didn't involve the girl running at him and hugging the life out of his scrawny self. Kazuto was vaguely reminded that, despite being a year older than her, Suguha practiced a serious sport regularly while he barely made any exercise at all, and spent most of his free time in front of a computer.

He had to contain himself from laughing when the idea of start doing push-ups, sit-ups, squats and running 10 km. every day popped into his head.

"Heheh, it's a promise then, Onii-chan!" finally releasing him, Suguha ran out of the house, the biggest smile she had had in years painted on her face. "See you in the evening!"

"Yeah…see you, Sugu."

Of course, even as he calmly walked upstairs, surprised but content that he didn't really mind much being 5 minutes late for the start of the official servers of Sword Art Online, the boy couldn't know that he not only would be unable to maintain his promise, but that his life was about to take a dramatic change…and a VERY weird and bizarre one at that.

Neither could Suguha know that, when she returned home that evening, she would no longer be happy or smiling…

But none of that had happened yet, and as such, it was with a soft grin that Kazuto put on his Nerve Gear and spoke aloud the words that would return him to the world ruled by swords and monsters that he had enjoyed some time ago.

"LINK START!"

Also, even as he was unable to notice the strange glow that covered his headgear for an instant, the boy was unaware that he wouldn't be able to use a sword anymore either…

* * *

The first sign that Kazuto, or, as he was called in game, Kirito, got that something 'weird' had happened was after the 'Welcome to Sword Art Online'-message vanished from his view.

For an instant, he had felt a strange sensation of vertigo and disorientation that he had never felt before when he Logged In during the Beta, and he could also swear that he had heard someone LAUGHING at him on the background, but the instant had been over before he could be sure it wasn't his imagination, and now he was standing on the Starting City, his appearance being the only thing that had carried over from the Beta Test.

He was about to start moving and head towards the grinding spots outside the city when something that was clearly WRONG caught his eye.

First, he didn't have the simple beginner's sword that his avatar was supposed to carry anywhere on his person. And he wasn't wearing the initial equipment of the game, neither his old equipment from the Beta, which would have been understandable in case of a Bug or error.

He was wearing…a very silly-looking black jumpsuit, with white boots, white gloves, and an equally white belt.

Slowly, disbelief giving way to a strange feeling of dread, the boy looked at his back.

Yep, he was also wearing a white cape.

Immediately, his hands shot up to his head, and the gamer released a MASSIVE sigh of relief at confirming that his virtual hair was still there. Still, that didn't solve the most important question.

How the hell did he end up wearing a black-white version of Saitama's 'Hero Costume'?! Was this the GMs idea of a joke for the Beta Testers?! Then again, that they had been planning something like THIS when he had just watched THAT series with his sister the last days seemed like too much of a coincidence…

He was about to use the command to call for a GM and ask about it when an unknown voice called out from behind him.

"Hey, you!"

Turning around, Kirito found himself face to face with a red-haired man.

"Ehm, yeah?"

"You are a Beta Tester, right? I mean, look at that special equipment you're wearing, how could you be anything else?" the boy in black was about to retort that the equipment didn't really have anything to do with that when the older man grabbed his hand. "Name is Klein, and I'm kind of new in all of this…can you show me the basics of the game?"

Blinking in surprise, and after a bit more of begging, Kirito sighed and decided to accept, leading the guy named Klein towards the fields outside the city.

At least it would give him something to do while he tried to see WHAT was wrong with his avatar…

* * *

It had been several hours since he had been 'teaching' Klein how to play the game and Kirito was starting to get REALLY worried, even though Klein and his extreme ineptitude to defeat even a Level 1 Boar (He needed 3 HOURS to learn how to use a Sword Skill to do so) had nothing to do with that.

At this point, he was PRETTY SURE that whatever had happened to his avatar was a Bug and a serious one at that.

For starters, when he tried entering his equipment window to take off the silly-looking clothes, he had found that not only they were 'locked' in their respective slots, but also that the ones used for weapons and/or shields were grayed out, never mind that the item names and descriptions of his costume's pieces were countless '?'-symbols. Even more worrying, though, was that the same phenomenon seemed to have affected his level, stats, and even experience bar: Instead of the numbers they were supposed to show, only several interrogation signs were there to greet him.

Even the slots for using 'Skills' were grayed out for him.

He had forced himself to not do anything and simply stay out of the range of the Boars while watching the newbie learn, not wanting to try fighting without a weapon and with a bugged avatar.

He had only helped Klein out by throwing a 'rock' from the ground to one of the Boars when he got too bored, in hopes to see if gaining exp. would allow him to fix the bug on his avatar.

The disappointment at seeing that his exp. bar didn't change at all after killing the Mob prevented him from noticing that not only the 'Throwing Skill' hadn't activated, but also that the rock he threw flew out of sight at bullet-like speeds after effortlessly killing the boar. Klein was also too busy panting on the ground to notice it.

Even worse, he had been trying to call a GM to help him for the last hour and had gotten no answer. With a final sigh, Kirito accepted that he probably would have to Log Out that day without fixing the problem, given that the time for going out for ice cream with Sugu was approaching. Finally, after saying goodbye to Klein, he prepared himself to Log Out.

When he saw the button grayed out, he could only swear aloud, cursing the damn Bug affecting his avatar.

But when Klein reported that the same thing was happening to him, a cold and sinister feeling of dread started to spread from his stomach…

That was when both were engulfed by a sudden surge of light, forcefully teleported away.

* * *

In the utter silence that covered the Central Plaza of the Starting City, after Kayaba Akihiko's 'Tutorial' had finished, Kirito, now 'wearing' his real face like everyone else, could feel how his early dread became outright terror, even as the hollow avatar that the creator of that world, now essentially the kidnapper of the almost 10000 remaining players, vanished from view.

He barely paid attention to how the people around him lost it and started to scream, too lost in the implications of the horrible revelation that had just taken place.

People had died, people would die for real if they died in the game, they couldn't get out unless they cleared all 100 Floors of Aincrad…

Even as the horrible realization that Sugu and his mother probably already knew of his current and sinister situation added to the rest of the madness on his mind, it didn't change the main horror that he was facing.

He was DEAD for sure.

With…whatever the hell the Bug that had affected his avatar was, essentially blocking him from changing equipment or leveling up, he was stuck in what probably was a level 1 character with equipment that probably didn't even protect him in the slightest.

There was NO WAY for him to even get out of a Safe Zone without risking certain death, much less try clearing the game. He would be forced to spend the rest of the game, as much time as that was, sitting inside the city, praying that someone could get them out.

It was THAT realization, summed with the one that he was essentially powerless to try to get back to his parents or Sugu, that was the last straw for his mind.

Terrified and barely paying attention to what was going on around him, the boy ran away, eyes closed.

It was because of THAT that he didn't realize how suddenly several people in the area screamed in confusion when a BLUR of movement sped past them and threw several ones to the ground. The mysterious event was also accompanied by Klein realizing that, from one second to the next, his newest friend had suddenly vanished.

A couple of seconds later, Kirito blinked, looking around with extreme confusion and wondering HOW he had gotten to the fields outside the Starting City when he could have sworn that he had just been running by less than 5 seconds. Maybe he was SO out of it that he hadn't realized how long he had been really running…?

Sadly, the boy's musings were interrupted by the sudden growl of a Wolf mob, which spawned not far from him, the virtual beast starting to run towards the suddenly paralyzed and silly-looking gamer.

All his short life seemed to shot through Kirito's eyes in that instant. From all of that, the moments that stood out the most were the happy last days he had shared with Suguha, even as both watched that absurd yet great series about a guy so powerful everything was boring for him. Same one whose outfit, though in other colors, he was wearing right now.

With a scream that was at the same time rage, despair, and frustration, Kirito decided that, if he was going to die, he would do it giving his all. And so, the boy reared back his fist…

And PUNCHED.

In that moment, on the real world, Kirigaya Suguha cried on her mother's arms even as the paramedics carried her brother into an ambulance.

In another place, Kayaba Akihiko nodded softly to himself after looking at the current data of the SAO servers, preparing to Dive once again into the game, this time as just another player more.

In the core of the Cardinal System, the main program that ran and supervised every aspect of Sword Art Online, a sudden warning about a detected anomaly popped up for a second, before the Artificial Intelligence dismissed it, having detected nothing out of the ordinary in its latest scan of the players' data. Even so, a currently unable to act sub-program known as MHCP-001, codename 'YUI', looked at the warning and tilted 'her' head, something akin to curiosity running through her main data streams.

Back on the fields outside the Starting City…Kirito was STARING.

Up.

The Wolf mob was already halfway to the 'ceiling' that separated the first Floor from the second one before the system realized that it was already dead, and thus made it explode in a shower of polygons.

Ever so slowly, the black-clad boy looked back down, towards his still extended fist. Several seconds of utter silence passed.

Finally, Kirito was able to let out a single, all-encompassing declaration.

"…you have to be fucking kidding me…"

* * *

 **SaintInfernalNeos presents…**

 **A One Punch-Man x Sword Art Online Crossover…**

 _When all it takes is just one punch…WHERE is the real problem?_

 _Who knows…but he's certainly going to have to learn it…the HARD way._

 **One Punch-Gamer**

* * *

So, yeah, I just wrote that. The beginning may have been a bit more 'dramatic' than intended, but as anyone who knows OP-man can tell after that last bit, I'm pretty sure you can guess that that's not going to last much more. Anyway, what did you think of this craziness? Again, I'm not sure where I'm going to go with this, how far I'm planning on taking it or how usually I'm going to update, but if you liked it or at least got a little smile on your faces reading it, then you can bet I will do my best to get back.

Next chapter! Kirito faces the dilemma of being an 'anomaly' in Kayaba's master plan, encounters and unexpected development ensue, and things start to get…very silly. Don't miss it!


	2. Chapter 1: A Gamer playing Hero for Fun?

Well, here I'm again, and I must say that I'm surprised, I wasn't expecting this thing to be so liked and as fast as it has :D Once again, I still have NO IDEA of where I'm going with this, but as long as you still want to enjoy the ride, then come with me. Let's see in what 'troubles' someone who is stronger than anything can get XD!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Just a Gamer who plays as a Hero for…Fun?**

 **December 2nd, 2022. Morning, 3:30…**

The poor player ran, scared, uselessly screaming for help while running through one of the many forests of the first floor.

Behind him, several Wolf mobs lead by an 'Alpha Wolf' chased after him, quickly shortening the distance between them each second.

Suddenly, the random guy's eyes widened, even as he saw the end of the forest, hope filling his heart…until he stopped after exiting it, despair overcoming his mind once again at seeing the end of the floor, the infinite virtual sky of Aincrad's still darkened early hours greeting him.

Why did he think it was a good idea to sneak out of the Inn very early just to get some levels above the rest of his Party?! He should at least leave them a message or something, dammit!

And now, even as he turned around to see the angry mobs emerging from the forest and start surrounding him, he knew he was going to die.

Taking several steps back until he was at the very edge of the Floor, the guy closed his eyes and wondered if he would see his long-dead cat on the 'Other Side'.

Then, the sudden sound of whimpers/squeaks coming from the wolves and a sudden rush of air made him open his eyes in shock.

He did it just in time to see several wolf-limbs flying everywhere in a shower of angry-red polygons (That would have been very gore if they weren't inside a game-world), and some sort of black-white blur speeding past him.

He could also swear he hear the words 'Who the hell is stupid enough to run around alone at THIS hour?!' echoing for an instant, but he was too shocked to know if it had been his imagination or not.

The rest of his party would find the guy half an hour later, still sitting wide-eyed in the same spot and telling him that one of them had woke up early to get some extra potions and realized he was missing.

When he had, between half-choked words and happy sobs, explained to them what had happened, a random Beta Tester between them had frowned before sending a message to someone else.

It seemed that the mysterious 'anomaly' of SAO was still active.

* * *

Barely some minutes after the 'miraculous rescue' had happened, the same black and white blur that had just been at the other side of the Floor could be seen leaning against the side of the 'Tower' that was the dungeon leading to the second floor, a mix of annoyance and tiredness on his face.

"Goddammit…why am I STILL doing this?" muttered Kirito to no one even as he looked to the fake-sky/ceiling.

It had happened in a VERY strange and confusing way, the events that lead the previously not-very-social boy to where he was.

That fateful first day, after getting over the shock of what had happened, Kirito had decided to test if he REALLY hadn't gone insane, and had proceeded to try and punch another nearby mob, telling himself that it wasn't really tempting fate if he had just accepted his death some moments before.

When the Boar had exploded into polygons in contact with his bare fist, having also flown back several meters through the air from the impact, he had still been in denial and had tried to punch another one. When the SAME result was obtained, he tried again.

And again. And again. And again. And again…

One hour of punching any Wolf or Boar that were between the Starting City and the nearby village of Horunka later, Kirito had been forced to accept that no, he apparently hadn't gone insane, and THAT was really happening.

Another dosage of shock overcame later, he had decided to test something he just had an inkling of and, looking into the forests surrounding Horunka with a half-hearted determination, the boy RAN.

He had stopped once he arrived to the edge of the floor closer to Horunka, barely 20 seconds later.

And he knew there were almost 3 Km. separating that distance.

Almost robotically, he had turned around and, still a bit out of it, he had once again RAN in the opposite direction.

2 minutes later, he was standing on the other opposite edge of the 1st Floor, silently watching the virtual clouds in front of him and the tower leading to the next floor not far behind.

The young gamer had been trying to process that, even running through forests and more than one mob (Which had been mostly destroyed the moment he ran THROUGH them), he had somehow ran at a speed that was impossible to reach not only in the real world, but also in SAO. He was pretty sure that, besides using a GM-account or something like a hack (Which was essentially impossible thanks to the marvel that was the 'thinking' Cardinal System created by Kayaba Akihiko), there was NO WAY of doing what he had just done.

Even more, he was pretty sure even a Game Master COULDN'T run like he had done. In one of the many articles that he had read, written by that bastard of Kayaba himself, the man had stated that even those accounts 'Stats' would be limited by the maximum quantities that could be reached inside the game, which in itself wasn't a problem because they would have far more useful things than being faster or stronger that other players, like being able to inflict status effects or directly teleport anyone to where they wanted, not to mention the advantages of turning themselves into 'Immortal Objects'.

Once, during the Beta, he had been curious about how much their stats were translated into he 'speed' and 'strength' they had in game, so he had asked Argo if there was a way to calculate the maximum limits the players could reach within the game limits.

A week later, the girl nicknamed 'The Rat' had answered him that, roughly and if one were to reach the max level AND only focus in one stat for the whole time (Meaning, just an hypothetical scenario), a player would be able to run at almost twice the speed of the greatest Olympic champions, be a little stronger than the best weight-lifter in the world. As for endurance, they could in theory take a direct hit from something the size of a car without losing their entire HP…once.

He had been amused by the idea, especially because of how impossible it was. No one but a GM, and they really wouldn't have a reason to do so, would be able to be 'super human' even in SAO, then.

Of course, realizing that he essentially broken ALL those records (Except the endurance one, which he wasn't willing to test), and he had still felt as if he could punch HARDER and run FASTER had left him very shaken…until yet another little detail had popped into his mind again.

Aincrad's 1st floor, the wider of them all, was 10 Km. in diameter. So, he had essentially just run 10 Km. without really noticing.

He had broken down laughing and sobbing at the same time from the 'coincidence', wondering if he was going to wake up the next instant on his bed after having spent too many hours watching One Punch-Man with Sugu the last night.

When he had come to his senses some hours later, vaguely aware that there were some plant-type mobs surrounding and attacking him, despair and depression had filled him once again at seeing that no, he was still trapped inside Aincrad, and he was still dressed in probably the silliest superhero costume ever.

Then, he had deadpanned at the mobs, before STARING at his bugged HP bar.

Not a single sliver of green was dropping, despite the fact that they had been probably trying to kill him for an hour or more.

Slowly standing while being aware that, despite trying to push or pull him, the man-eating plants were unable to make him even bulge a cm. if he didn't allow it so.

Then, he had punched them, one by one.

When the last of the mobs whose name he was TOO stressed to even remember had died in an absurdly and slightly gory (Virtually, at least) way, the black-clad boy had sighed and RAN once again through the floor, letting his mind wander until it led him to the edge of the Floor closer to the Starting City, trying to sort his thoughts and decide WHAT he was going to do.

For good or bad, the…'Bug' that had screwed with his character had essentially turned him into some sort of 'virtual super human'. His mind was still sane enough, though, to bring ALL the sinister parallels to Saitama as facts. As far as he knew, things in the floor could still be able to kill him or maybe the Cardinal System would detect him as an error and 'fix' the Bug sooner or later, leaving him as a Level 1 character with no equipment in the middle of a group of angry mobs. Or worse, it could just ERASE his account all-together, which most likely would result in his death.

Still deep on his reflections and trying to decide WHAT he was going to do, Kirito had only became aware that a group of players screaming at another one were some hundreds of meters from him only when said guy, with a slightly crazed look on his face, had stopped just at the edge of the floor, looking down to the abyss with hopeful eyes.

The young gamer had realized WHAT the unstable player was trying to do when he already had one foot over the endless void.

Barely thinking and moving more by instinct than anything else, Kirito had done the only thing he could think of.

He RAN and, just as the idiot threw himself off Aincrad, he had grabbed him from the back of his light armor and thrown him back through the air. All of that in less than an instant.

The other players were still blinking and trying to realize WHAT had happened when Kirito's eyes had widened at seeing the screaming player flying more than 20 meters high through the air in a direct collision course against the walls of Starting City. Screaming and once again acting instead of thinking, the boy had once again ran and JUMPED after him.

Only when he had already caught the screaming player and was spinning over himself through the air, cape flapping behind in a very 'cool' way, had he realized that yes, he had jumped the height of a building without any effort.

Then, he had crashed back-first against one of the walls, a crunching sound and the display of an 'Immortal Object' pop-up appearing even as he slumped to the floor.

The no longer screaming guy that he was STILL holding was just babbling senseless things when he stood up and let go of him, looking with dread to his HP bar.

No, it hadn't gone down in the slightest. And, despite he clearly knowing that 'Pain' didn't really exists in SAO, he hadn't felt the 'numbness' that came when being damaged in-game either.

He had been adding 'falling down from several times a sure-death height' to the list of weirdness the Bug had caused when he had remember about the guy he had just 'saved' and turned towards him with an annoyed face.

Said guy, for his part, was still too busy staring at his currently red HP bar, and as such not looking at Kirito, while hyperventilating, any thoughts or 'brilliant' ideas he had had about being disconnected from the server by jumping off the floating castle long-forgotten thanks to the sheer terror he had just felt when 'flying' through the air. He was now more than willing to believe that he would REALLY DIE if he tried something like that again.

Then, an angry voice had called out to him.

"Don't FUCKING ever try to do something SO stupid again, you heard me, idiot?! Next time, I'm NOT saving you!"

The guy had just turned around in time to only see a white-black blur sped away to parts unknown, even as several confused and wide-eyed players ran towards him, shouting and asking if he was okay.

Unknown to Kirito, the guy he had just saved was named 'Arvin' in game, and by saving him he had prevented what would have been the first in-game death of Sword Art Online had things gone as they should. He had also stopped countless 'suicides' committed by deluded and desperate players that would have followed Arvin's crazy example after he jumped off, and also started a round of wild rumors that would spread through Aincrad like fire in barely an hour.

But as previously said, the boy had no way of ever knowing that, and as such, it was with an annoyed and tired look that he arrived once again to Horunka village. Not even wanting to try and do the special Quest he knew could be done there, seeing as he had no way of equipping the 'Anneal Blade' even if he obtained it, the boy had marched to the village's Inn, paid for a room with his noticeably increase funds of Col and fell sleep.

The next day, when he had woken, still unable to even take off the damn jumpsuit and cape to even SLEEP and seeing that he was STILL trapped inside a videogame, the boy had once again wondered WHAT he should do…until a 'simple' question that, if he had never seen that crazy anime, he would have never even considered struck his mind.

 _What would Saitama do?_

And so, for the next days, people left and right started to report and talk about the several sightings and intervention of 'The White-Black Blur' or 'The Anomaly', as the Beta Testers started calling him.

Several times, and in places too far way for any normal player to reach in such a short period of time, the mysterious 'blur' would appear, saving players that had been cornered by mobs or that had wandered too far away from the areas suited for their levels, moving too fast and killing the monsters too easily for anyone to be able to properly see him.

Even though sometimes someone reported that they heard him swear or muttering something or another, which was led to people at least 'knowing' that it was a 'him'. Player or something else, though, no one was sure, even though the Betas KNEW that it was impossible for any player to be able to do that.

It also didn't help that Kirito's slightly anti-social behavior hadn't improved really much since his mad situation began. Yes, he would go out of his way and run around 'saving' people, but he only did it because he had NO IDEA of what else to do. If he had still had a 'normal' avatar, he most likely would have done his best to grind like crazy, get his level up and try to clear the game, trying to relate as little as he could with other players when he didn't need to.

His current and 'uncertain' situation, however, had made essentially unable to level up and had basically made it so that getting equipment was totally pointless for him. He was glad the he could at least still HAVE the items in his inventory, though. One never knew WHEN those would be necessary, for whatever reason.

And so, he had decided to do like the guy who he was still trying to deny he hadn't 'become' into had done on his series, and turned into some sort of 'hero'.

He didn't do it for glory or any 'righteous' purpose, though (He wouldn't make sure that no one could clearly see him every time if that was the case). He wanted to live, after all, and with no way of knowing if he wouldn't suddenly find himself 'powerless' in the middle of a 'fight', he would have never been stupid enough to do it for such silly reasons.

He did it…because he COULD do it. Because, even if the reason for which he had gained these 'powers' wasn't clear and he didn't know if they would go away, simply doing NOTHING would make him go crazy way faster than not using them.

After all, if he could stop someone or another from dying with barely effort at all, why shouldn't he do so?

With an annoyed tic, Kirito returned from his recollections of the past month by remembering something Saitama himself had once said:

 _'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'_

He DIDN'T want to be a Hero (Not that anyone had called him such, at least that he knew), but he was essentially doing the job of one, saving people left and right from dying for stupid reasons like being overconfident or overestimating their limits and/or knowledge of the game, and in a way he WAS doing it to NOT get 'bored'…

…that didn't turn him into a guy just being a 'hero for fun', right?

With a slowly hardening gaze (Mainly to banish the disturbing idea from his mind), the boy turned to look at the only place he hadn't entered in the whole month, the Tower against where he was resting right then.

"…well, I guess now is as good as any other time." muttered the boy before slowly heading towards the Dungeon's entrance.

The main reason why he hadn't tried clearing the dungeon by himself was simple and once again the same one why he originally didn't want to risk things with his uncertain situation: Death.

He wasn't God or anything like that. Nor was he a 'real' superhuman, neither did he believe himself a superhero or anything else. And even if he did, he still had limits, mainly that he needed to rest from time to time, lest he fell unconscious from mental exhaustion, and that, like Saitama, he wasn't omniscient. He didn't had any 'power' that let him know where someone who needed help was, and even with super speed the 1st Floor was still a massive place.

More than 500 people had already died since the game began, and that scared him, thinking that, if he tried to enter an area of the game that was 'important', either the Cardinal system would finally erase him, return him to 'normal' or that his apparent powers would prove themselves useless against the stronger mobs inside the tower, never mind the Floor Boss.

Of course, even as he entered the tower while taking a DEEP breath and readying his fists, Kirito once again had no way of knowing that, if things had gone like they should have, TWO THOUSAND people would have already died by this point in time, and that the level of the average front line-players would be lower than it was. Neither did he know that much more people than it should have had either started to leave the Starting City to try and clear the game or at least do SOMETHING, either inspired or hopeful thanks to the rumors of the 'Black-White Blur', which would lead to countless changes and many crazy things on the already very messed-up future…

But again, he had no way of knowing any of this, so it was with careful and hardened eyes that the boy took his first steps inside the Dungeon, ready to punch anything that came his way and cursing being up when it wasn't even 4 in the morning.

Even as he walked deeper into the dark-stone hallways, Kirito thought about Sugu, sadness and worry filling him while wondering what his sister would be doing.

The boy had no way of knowing that said girl was currently staring at the ceiling of her room with reddish eyes, unable to sleep and her insides an emotional mess after, the previous day, her mother had told her the 'truth' about their relationship with her currently trapped 'brother'.

* * *

The anomaly had entered the 1st Dungeon.

As always, the MHCP-001 watched him, wondering what he would do next, like she had been doing for the past month.

Ignoring that 'her' own cognitive processes and many more complicated things were changing and growing the more she kept looking over the strange player that, despite the clearly IMPOSSIBLE things he did, Cardinal didn't recognize as an error, and that had changed the original despair-filled atmosphere of Aincrad in very bizarre ways, the AI known as Yui softly raised her right hand, never stopping staring at the screen showed the caped boy with her empty eyes.

Slowly, she made a strange 'Fuuum!' noise while closing her virtual fist and punching at the air, her eyes never leaving the boy's image.

A dreadful chill ran down the backs of several people around the virtual world, for some reason.

* * *

BAM!

"Okay…guess I can still one-punch the mobs inside here…" commented Kirito while seeing how the last of the 'Kobolds' he had been fighting against exploded in polygons after painfully crashing against the wall. "Good to know."

Also, he had been talking alone out loud for the last 10 minutes, since the first wave of Lizardmen failed to do anything more than annoy him. Even so, he guessed it was just more a way to cope with the growing feeling of boredom that was invading him than a sign that he was finally going insane.

It was wrong, he knew it. People were in danger every day they spent inside there and many had already died because of it. He SHOULDN'T be feeling bored when people's life were at stake!

…and yet, the only thing that had stopped him from starting feeling that way after his 700th kill since he began 'playing Hero', his fear of dying, was slowly vanishing the more he went inside the Dungeon, the only place he had 'feared' to venture into.

Kind of like how someone grows irritated while playing an old RPG and getting countless random encounters while traveling from one place to another, the boy was slowly getting tired of simply walking/running around and punching things, which was how he had spent the last 20 minutes after, unconsciously, getting sure that he wasn't suddenly going to get killed, at least for the time being.

He was about to call it a night (Or at least a bit of a day, he guessed) when, after turning around a corner, he came face-to-face with an unusual sight.

A hooded player, clearly a girl even if the hood covered her head and obscured her face, was rampaging in the hallway, impaling lizardmen left and right with one of the rapiers that the NPCs sold in masse on the Starting City.

If he was still his 'old self', Kirito would have stopped to admire the impressive speed and grace with which the girl executed the 'Linear' Skill and killed the mobs with an impressive speed…but after a month of running up and down one-punching all kind of monsters through the Floor and going at speeds that made the girl seem like a snail, the boy was able to notice others, more important things.

Mainly, the fatigued look on the girl's face, the almost robotic way in which she just kept spawning the same Sword Skill again and again, and the slight, almost unnoticeable, suicidal way in which she fought.

The girl called Asuna stumbled back as her weapon broke as its durability reached 0, feeling herself about to lose consciousness after days of endless fighting without any break, lizardmen surrounding her panting form with an evil glint on their eyes…

…when SOMETHING shot into the hallway, making the wide-eyed mobs crash against the walls and explode into polygons in a very virtual-gore way, all in less than an instant.

Just before losing consciousness, she could have sworn she felt someone holding her falling body and a resigned voice speaking out loud.

"Why do I seem to find someone in troubles everywhere I go?"

When her eyes opened again, she was 'moving' through the forests outside the Dungeon.

On the arms of an unknown boy wearing the weirdest costume she had ever seen.

Kirito blinked and offered her a tired smile when he noticed her eyes opening.

"Hey there. You woke up. That's good."

Asuna slapped him.

The next instant, she regretted doing so when the numb feeling of not-pain spread through her arm, a sliver of her HP going down from it. The blinking boy in black just sighed and cursed with annoyance.

* * *

There were many kinds of players in SAO.

There were the Beta Testers, who clearly had the most knowledge of the mechanics and content of the game, at least to a certain extent. Then, there were the ones who liked playing videogames and had bought a Nerve Gear and SAO to experiment the next level of gaming (Which were divided in those who had played MMOs before and those that hadn't). Finally, they were those who were simply 'curious' about how the Virtual World was and how would it feel to experience it through the revolutionary technology of the Nerve Gear. This last group was, mostly, people who had NO IDEA of anything videogame-related or experience with any similar thing beforehand. But even then, most of those people had AT LEAST read the game's manual and the box.

The girl he had saved, Asuna, was apparently from the last, sad group that hadn't even done THAT, and only knew how to play by their own means.

Meaning that, despite having a clear talent for fighting, she was a total noob. Kirito almost felt like crying when (After convincing her that no, he hadn't done anything except getting her out of the Dungeon for her sake) he had realized that the girl didn't even know how to assign the Stat-points that were obtained when leveled up. Neither did she know WHAT a stat-point was.

Also, she seemed to have a slightly depressing and resigned view of things, which included the surety that they were all going to die sooner or later, hence the reason why she had decided to 'go down on her own terms' by fighting to death inside the Dungeon.

The old Kirito would have probably fallen silent after trying to reason with her and using logic to show her WHY she was wrong in thinking like that.

The current self of the boy had just LAUGHED for several seconds before, to the shocked girl's outrage, calling her an idiot.

He had then half-dragged her to the nearest village, Tolbana, forced her to accept enough Col to pay for a room in the Inn and told her that, if she had enough time to be thinking and acting like that, she should use it to go to the 'Floor Boss Strategy Meeting' that was being held there tomorrow evening. He had decided to take the shock on her face after knowing about said events as his cue to leave.

He was already 10 meters away from her when Asuna had spoken again, still seeming a bit angry…but more confused than anything else.

"Why?" asked the hooded girl, a bit more emotion than before in her previously cold voice. "Why did you save me and…did all of this for me?"

Not turning around, the boy seemed to think over her words for an instant before suppressing a resigned chuckle and thinking 'What the hell!' before muttering the words that would become something that many people would hear from then on.

"That's just what I do…You see, I'm just a Gamer who plays as a Hero for…fun."

And before Asuna could say anything about his words, he was gone, his white cape flapping on the wind the last thing she was able to see.

In the silent streets of Tolbana, the girl seemed to frown while trying to understand the meaning behind those words.

"A Hero…for fun?"

Not really far from there, in the room of the house he had kind of 'rented' to spent his time on the small city, Kirito let himself fall down on his bed, no longer bothered enough by the cape or the jumpsuit to be unable to fall sleep, especially after having been 'awake' for almost 20 hours.

Why had he said those words? Yeah, they weren't a 'lie', but they weren't exactly the truth either…Maybe he was starting to emulate Saitama a bit too much?

At that thought, his hand shot by reflex to his head and, after once again making sure that his hair was still in place, he looked around with hard eyes, as if daring anything to happen.

When no mysterious race of super-powered monsters with the need to destroy him broke through the walls, Kirito nodded to himself with satisfaction and let his mind drift towards the usual dreamless sleep that one could get in SAO, wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Still, the meeting with hat weird girl had made him take a decision: Tomorrow, he would go the First Floor Boss strategy meeting. Whatever happened would happen and if anyone recognized him as the mysterious 'blur'…well, he would cross that bridge when it came to it.

What mattered was that, even if wasn't sure how his 'powers' would do against the Floor Boss, he COULD do something to at least help the other Front Liners when they headed into battle, and he may be able to take care of the Adds that he knew would spawn together with the Boss.

So, even if it meant he would have to renounce to his semi-comfortable 'anonymity', he WOULD go and see if he could help. Who knows, maybe he would even see that strange girl again, and he also needed to send another message to Argo in the morning with his latest excuse about why he was still too busy to meet with her and that he really didn't need any of her info at the moment…

Besides, what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Hello everyone…this is Asuna. I don't really know why I am here or WHY couldn't anyone else do it, but I'm supposed to give you a 'preview' of the next chapter, whatever that means. Anyway, let me read this…yeah, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Rage of the Kobold Lord!'. Can Kirito's fists really help everyone around him or is his unclear path doomed to end in the face of the First Boss? Also, he will meet with someone who will change the unsure path he's walking down? And the decision he will make will affect everyone in Aincrad! Don't miss it!...wait, Kirito…maybe that's the name of that guy with the cape and-?"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

"HEY!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Wep, here you have it, another chapter of this weird madness of mine, done. Hope you enjoyed it, though there was little more than world-building in this chapter, I promise that once the story starts going for real you will get more 'laughs', and next chapter there will be some 'epic' action XP! Also, as you can see and for those who don't know it/got it, I'm using the same format that the One Punch-Man anime uses at the end of each episode to give a 'Preview' of the next chapter, with one character that appeared in the episode (alive or dead) giving it XD Well, hope to see you all next time if you're still reading this!

Also, to the reviewer Haziq47, sorry but no, that's not gonna happen. Besides Saitama's and Kirito's situation being VERY different, people in SAO isn't as 'stupid' as the ones from the One Punch-Man's world. Of course, that doesn't mean that Kirito is going to be a hero that everyone loves, no, in fact as you will see next chapter he's going to be very distrusted and even hated by some when his 'secret' comes to light, but that doesn't mean he will become public enemy number one. About the other thing, well, as Saitama would say, I'm doing this for fun, not to create a 'complex' story or turn Kirito in a 'relatable' character (Even more, he's currently a very unstable one, as everyone can see; his mind is warped halfway between his usual self and Saitama's attitude). I hope this doesn't make you stop reading the story, but if not then I hope you can keep reading this piece of madness that I call story.

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	3. Chapter 2: Rage of the Kobold Lord!

Hello there everyone, it's me once again, with yet another chapter of this madness. As always, leave any serious thoughts or tension out of your heads and enjoy this piece of weirdness that came from my mind. Also, if you haven't done it yet, go and watch One Punch-Man. Your life will be much better after you do so :P And thanks everyone who bothers to leave a review after reading, that motivates me a lot to keep writing this =) Now, let's go!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Rage of the Kobold Lord! Punch, Gamer!**

Kirito was expecting many things when he woke up the day of the First Floor Boss Strategy Meeting.

Finding Tolbana suddenly FULL of players wasn't one of them.

Shocked, the wide-eyed boy had to stop himself from gaping at the sight of the dozens of people going through the streets, most of them chatting with each other, and even some of the first, most simple types of player-handled 'shops' (Barely a mantle on the ground with the goods over it) filling the main street.

It seemed as if everyone who was actually doing SOMETHING in the game currently (Be it try to fight on the Front Line or other 'minor' things) had gathered there for the event. He didn't remember ever seeing the city as full and lively as it was right now, with people moving left and right, all of them with purpose on their eyes.

And among all those players going everywhere around, he obviously…still stuck out like a sore thumb.

Okay, maybe that was exaggerating a bit, but he certainly drew way more attention than he liked while walking through the crowd. Then again, he was very sure that it was more because people were either staring at him in disbelief or trying very hard not to laugh because of how 'weird' (Stupid) his 'costume' looked.

The only ones who could be TRULY able to tell that there was something stranger to his clothes than their silly looks at first glance would be other Beta Testers, and if any of them had seen him and suspected something, he couldn't tell. Again, he wasn't omniscient.

Still, he had to accept it was curious on its own way, to see so many people gathered there, even if probably only a few of them were really going to participate in the supposed Raid against the Boss. The mere fact that there were so many people curious or brave enough to come here despite not going to fight meant that there were HOPEFUL enough to do so. It meant that utter despair or resignation about dying in the game, like what that girl he met yesterday (Whose name he never asked, now that he thought about it) felt, hadn't taken root in as many players as he thought.

That realization brought a small, almost non-existent smile to his face…and it also distracted him enough to not get out of the way when a hurried girl of shoulder-length bluish-black hair crashed onto him.

The obvious result was…him blinking in confusion even as the girl squeaked and fell down on her ass, as if she had run into a brick wall. Thankfully, no damage to her HP was done, seeing as they were inside a Safe Zone, but that didn't stop Kirito from feeling awkward and offering his hand to the stunned girl.

"Ah, sorry about that, I was kind of lost in thought. You okay?"

"N-no, I-I'm the one who should be apologizing!" the words rushed out of the girl's mouth even as she did several hasty bows towards the black-clad boy, who sweat dropped at that. "Ple-please, forgive me! I'm just in a hurry and I didn't want to lost sight of my frie…!"

"Sachi!" a sudden voice calling out through the crowd made the girl squeak again and Kirito to look towards the brown-haired boy that had called out to her, other 3 boys looking their way too, though the gamer couldn't tell if they were looking at their friend or at him and his ridiculous attire. "What are you waiting for? We need to hurry!"

"Ye-yes, I'm going guys, sorry!" quickly replied the now identified Sachi before bowing one last time towards the blinking boy. "So-sorry again, goodbye!"

"Ah, goodbye then. You and your friends take care." muttered the boy even as the girl smiled awkwardly and rushed towards the rest of her friends, who quickly assailed her with questions about the 'weird guy with the cape'. With a sigh, Kirito just turned around and kept walking down the street, not really bothered by it.

It wasn't as if he was going to see those guys again…

* * *

They say that you don't really appreciate what you have until you lose it. Kirito could testify that a truer thing hadn't ever been said.

In the first place, for him, it was his sister. He felt even guiltier at thinking that, if it wasn't for the random event that led both of them to watch One Punch-Man together, he wouldn't really have even spent any time with Sugu before getting trapped inside this deadly virtual world, too focused in getting more info about SAO. Only now, after having shared those joyful moments together and reconnecting with her thanks to that strange but great show, did he realize how unfair and distant he had been with the girl and his parents since he discovered he was adopted. It made him miss the smiling visage of the girl calling him out to breakfast more than anything.

In second place, though…was A FIGHT. A real one.

As much as it pained him to once again to accept yet another parallel he now seemed to share with Saitama, and even if it went against all logic to wish for things to be HARDER when trapped in a game where dying was for real, it didn't change the fact that the boy, at his core, was a gamer, and one who had enjoyed the exhilarating world of adventures that was Aincrad during the Beta Test, before Kayaba turned it into a deadly trap.

And as such, he missed the rush of actually FIGHTING the mobs with his own efforts and Skills of those old days too. Mainly because the 'awesomeness' of punching monsters into nothing and see them flying through the air after you rushed at them at superhuman speeds became REALLY boring after doing it more than a thousand time.

Even running through the Floor at an inhuman pace or jumping higher than a building to orient himself after getting lost on the deeper parts of the forests lost its charm after having been doing it for almost a month.

In the end, however, what he missed the most of that was actually wielding a weapon. And it was exactly that what had led him to wander around and vaguely look towards the few blacksmith players that had set their impromptu 'shops' on the street, hoping to sell something to the coming Front Liners or at anyone else who wished and could afford for either a weapon or an Enhancement to their current ones. Even though Kirito knew that nothing really 'rare' would be on display (Not only you could only get the most basic ingots in the 1st Floor but there was no way for anyone to have gotten their Blacksmithing Skill too high in just a month), the weapons made by players were still generally better than the ones dropped by monsters, so anyone looking for a good weapon (Except him) that wasn't a Beta Tester would probably get something useful here.

And it was looking at swords with melancholy what led him to the second 'curious' event of his day: a clearly worried girl that looked no older than 12 was standing in front of one of the 'shops', her pig-tails and big eyes making her look incredibly cute even as she looked from a One-Handed Sword to a Dagger, as if trying to come to a very difficult decision. Looking awkwardly at her, the blacksmith (Who was also the first girl the Beta Tester had seen of said profession), scratched her brown hair while closing her dark pink eyes and offering the younger player a hesitant smile.

"So…come to a decision yet?"

"Hauu…I'm sorry, it's just that I'm having troubles with this…" muttered the younger girl in an extremely cute tone while looking from a weapon to the other and biting her lips. "Even though I decided to fight, I'm still not very familiar with the game a-and I'm not sure if I should start using a dagger or go with a sword like most people does…"

"Well, if you want my opinion, I think the dagger suits you better." both girls blinked at the unexpected voice, the pigtailed one looking to her side and trying to hold back a squeak at the unexpected appearance of the black-clad boy, who was looking from the weapons on her hands to the few others that were 'exposed'. "Stats and game-style aside, SAO is mainly a game where we play with 'our' bodies (Now more than ever), and you would be less-pressed in a fight and having an easier time dodging and counterattacking with a smaller weapon…"

"E-eh, re-really…?" muttered the young girl, her shock overcome even as she stared hard at the dagger, blinking at seeing Kirito kneeling down to grab the sword and looking it over, even opening the status-window of the weapon with an slightly impressed look.

"Woah, it's a very good piece, especially when you take into account we're still in the 1st Floor." commented the boy while the blacksmith girl smiled with pride. And he wasn't kidding, no other sword that could be obtained on the Floor (Except for the Anneal Blade, but that one was the best and the most difficult to obtain in there) was as good as the one he was looking in that moment, even if only by a small margin. "You have talent for this…"

"You really think so?" the girl seemed happier at the idea, the smile on her face widening at the words. "Because I was kind of thinking about dedicating seriously to this! I'm not really much into fighting, but I think I really like working with…"

Kirito forced himself to smile and nod as the girl continued talking, biting his tongue about how he was 'joking' because you couldn't really have 'talent' for a Skill that could be simply leveled-up and done through pre-set motions and random chances of success based on percentages. He wouldn't be able to look himself on a mirror if he crushed the sudden good mood of the newbie blacksmith.

Suddenly, the younger girl seemed to finally arrive to a decision after hearing what the blacksmith was saying, her eyes wandering one last time at the weird-looking boy before nodding to herself.

"Okay, I'm taking the dagger!"

"Oh, really? Okay then, that will be…!"

Just as the girls completed the sell, Kirito suddenly felt a chill run down his back and looked behind him.

No one was looking at him and everyone seemed busy with their own business…at least as far as he could see.

What had THAT feeling been about, then…?

"Well, thanks for buying, Silica-chan!"

"A-ah, no, thanks to you for your hard work, Lisbeth-san!"

"Heh, you can just call me Liz, if you want. We're friends now!"

"Re-really…?"

"Yep, you're my first client, after all!" suddenly, the girl's gleaming eyes turned towards the distracted boy in black. "And what will you be getting, mister superhero?"

"Wait, what?!" asked Kirito while turning his heard so fast that it seemed to blur at doing so, making both girls blink. "Ho-how did you call me…?"

"Uhm, well, that equipment you're wearing isn't supposed to be some of superhero-joke?" questioned Lisbeth with a raised eyebrow, looking the boy's clothes up and down. "Though now that I look closer, does that thing even protect better than light armor or…?

"I-I will take, uhm, that rapier you have there, hahahah!" quickly laughed the boy to try and stop the conversation he had been dreading to have with anyone, throwing down the sword and grabbing the modest-looking rapier farthest from where he was standing to try and get the girl's attention away from his silly and 'locked' costume. "How much for this?!"

"Ehm, 600 Col, but…"

"Here you go!" quickly traded Kirito, giving the girl a thousand of the currency instead of what she had just said, eager for getting out of there. "You can keep the change; consider it my contribution to a future impressive blacksmith! Bye!"

As soon as he had finished those words, Kirito quickly ran away from the two blinking girls, still holding the rapier by the edge and being careful to not go 'super-speed', but still fast enough to turn a corner and get out of sight in less than 5 seconds.

"…what a weird guy." muttered Lisbeth before looking back at her recently acquired money with a smile. "But I guess this is a sign that I will be a great blacksmith!"

"…I think he looked cool in that costume." shyly muttered Silica while the other girl deadpanned at her, making the younger player blush.

The blacksmith was unable to contain a chuckle at the adorable sight and, still smiling, stood up and looked at her with crossed arms.

"Hey, want to go eat something? My treat, I got money to spare!"

"A-ah, yeah, thank you!"

And that was the beginning of a beautiful…and veeery dangerous friendship…

Not that Kirito knew that, though. He was currently too busy sitting against a wall on an alley and STARING at the rapier that he couldn't equip and didn't even LIKE as a weapon.

"…what the hell do I do with this now?"

Well, at least he could be glad that he probably wasn't going to see those two girls ever again…

* * *

Hours later, at 17:30, a resigned Kirito walked towards the amphitheater-like area on the center of Tolbana, having stored the useless-for-him rapier on his inventory and then stayed out of the city until the moment for the meeting arrived.

He was vaguely aware that, besides the almost 50 people gathering and siting on the meeting area itself, a significant amount of 'watchers' were around, probably players that wanted to know what was going to happen but weren't actively participating in the fight.

Kirito didn't really paid much attention to it and just sat down on one of the higher rock 'benches', resting his shoulders on his knees and putting his chin on his crossed hands while looking at the gathered Front Liners, his eyes wandering especially at the blue-haired guy near the center of the gathering.

He was idly wondering WHY a Front Liner would waste any time in looking for the materials needed to create an item to change your hair color when a familiar hooded figure sat at his side, serious hazel eyes staring at him in silence.

"Oh…it's you."

"Yeah, it's me." muttered Asuna while staring at the weird boy that had saved and helped her the day before, as if trying to solve a difficult puzzle. "Why do you look so bored, Hero for Fun? Didn't get to save more damsels in distress before coming here?"

Kirito ignored the frankly childish jab in favor of sighing and looking down, seeing how the guy he previously noticed, Diavel, started to give some sort of speech.

"You wouldn't believe the real reason about why I am bored…"

"What?" the surprised girl blinked, not only at the lack of reaction from the boy but also at his cryptic words, vaguely aware of how the guy declared how he and his party had found the Boss Room and how they should organize for it. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well…"

"Wait a moment, please!" someone suddenly said while standing, catching both teens' attention in time to see an annoying-looking guy with the WEIRDEST hairstyle they had ever seen (It looked like a fucking cactus, for God's sake!) jump down at the center of the area. "I want to say something!"

What followed was a very stupid and hate-filled speech in which the guy, named Kibaou, basically blamed the Beta Testers for all the deaths and problems everyone else had had since the game began, and also ORDERED them to stand out, apologize and give out any valuable things they had.

At least that's what Kirito more or less got. He honestly started to tune out the guy's voice after his first 20 words, in favor of trying to count how many non-Front Liners were there.

All the while, Asuna observed his seemingly uncaring attitude from the corner of her eyes, only seeing a small chuckle escape from his lips when an imposing bald man called Agil basically put the annoying hater on his place by showing him the 'Game Guide' that was distributed for free by practically all NPC shops on the Floor, and that had apparently been made by the Beta Testers (Kirito knew that Argo was the main person behind it, though, and that she herself had been the one spreading the latest 'Update' that included info about the Boss).

Finally, after the somewhat tense and awkward moment was over, Diavel called out to everyone to get organized in parties for the Raid, and that they would gather there tomorrow to go and face the Boss.

It was at that point that Kirito seemed to return to (Virtual) reality, looking around at how everyone started to get together in groups, pointedly ignoring the strange (And weirded out) look that Diavel sent his way.

"…eh, well, it's not as if was really expecting working with anyo…" the sudden feeling of a hand on his shoulder made him look to the side to see Asuna looking seriously at him. "…something wrong?"

"…how do you form one of these 'Parties'?" at the boy's deadpanning look and ensuing silence, Asuna was forced to look to the side as an embarrassed blush appeared on her face "I don't know anyone else here but you."

After suppressing the urge of facepalming and vaguely wondering why he wasn't as opposed at the idea of forming a party with someone he barely knew as he would have been a month ago, Kirito calmly opened his menu and invited the hooded girl to join his party.

…well, at least now he knew her name was 'Asuna'.

"Okay then, guess I will see you tomorrow." declared the boy while standing up and stretching, seeing how everyone was already leaving and many excited chats had started between the onlookers. "Maybe I should take a bath tonight to be relaxed enough for the battle…?"

Sure, he wouldn't be able to take off his thrice dammed 'clothes', but even with that it seemed like a waste to keep not using the full bath that the room where he was staying ha…

A new, much stronger, grip on his shoulder forced him to shift his full attention to the girl at his side, an unnatural gleam on her eyes as she seemed like a hungry predator that had suddenly found his prey.

"Did you say…BATH?"

Less than 20 minutes later, Kirito was sitting on his bed with a blank look on his face, Asuna's sounds of relaxed bliss at finally enjoying a proper bath since she got trapped in that world somehow echoing through the room for a moment. Which should have been impossible, what with the door to the bathroom closed and the partially sound-proof property that all doors in SAO had.

Several minutes of absolute silence passed for the unmoving boy in black.

"Well…" muttered the boy for no one while, for once, trying his best to imitate Saitama, or at least his usual 'No Fucks Given'-face. "At least there is no way this can get any more awkward."

Of course, it was in that moment that the door to his room was kicked open and a grinning girl with whisker-like marks on her face and a grey hood appeared there.

"Hey, Kii-bou!" the amused Argo greeted her wide-eyed friend/client, the self-proclaimed best information broker in SAO entering the room as if she was on her own home. "I hope you didn't REALLY think you could fool me with false excuses forever, ri…? Wait, what the fuck are you wearing?" the girl interrupted herself with utter confusion at seeing the 'costume' of the boy.

"…there is a perfectly good explanation for both things." swore Kirito while slowly standing up.

And, of course, it was in that moment that Asuna exited the bathroom, a blissful smile on her face and touching her hair as if she thought it could still be wet (Which wasn't, because, you know, virtual world).

"Ahhh…Kirito, thanks for letting me use…uh?" the chestnut-haired girl blinked, frozen mid-way to open her menu and reequip her hood at seeing the other girl in the room, who was looking at her open-mouthed. "Uhm…hi?"

"…that…also has a perfectly good explanation…kind of…"

"…woah, Kii-bou, you sly dog." mirthfully muttered the info broker while crossing her arms. "I have to said, I didn't expect you to be 'busy' in THIS way."

Kirito vaguely wondered if it would truly be too stupid and/or pathetic if he revealed himself as the Black-White Blur by running out of there at super speeds just to get away from that mess.

When Asuna's face burned crimson, exploding in utter denials while Argo started openly laughing, he settled for simply facepalming with both hands.

* * *

 **December 4th, 2022. Between Tolbana and the 1st Dungeon, 10: 30…**

"So…did you and Argo become friends?"

"Shut up."

And with that, Kirito once again was reminded that his people Skills still sucked, Saitama-powers or not.

Even so, the boy still wanted to try and say SOMETHING to the girl, if for nothing else than to make the atmosphere less awkward, even as both of them walked at the back of the group of Front Liners.

After all, it would take the group a bit more than TWO HOURS to reach the Boss Room, give or take, and he was discovering that he no longer liked walked absurdly long distances without using his equally absurd speed. He wanted to talk with the girl if only to kill the boredom.

Sadly, Argo's attitude and over-the-top jokes the past day had apparently annoyed Asuna a bit too much and she didn't seem to be in any mood to talk. As if that wasn't enough, the Rat had clearly told him that, after the Boss Battle, she wanted a COMPLETE explanation about WHY he had been avoiding her and about his strange equipment. He wasn't looking forward to having that talk.

…at least the surprising cheering that the group had received when they departed from Tolbana half an hour ago had been something good. It had not only raised the morale of the clearers, but also given them all the Hope that they could REALLY clear the game. And if they won this battle, that same hope would spread to everyone else, even those that still didn't come out of the Starting City.

He was going to make sure that they won, of course, and without any casualty if he had any say in the matter.

He had taken the decision of, at least, trying to hide his 'identity' as the anomaly of Aincrad unless it was strictly necessary. His and Asuna's 'assigned job' as a group that would deal with the Boss' Adds actually helped with that. He had no delusions of being able to One-Punch the Floor Boss, and even if said craziness was possible he sure as hell didn't want to try it out in front of the clearing group.

Well, it didn't really matter at all. Unless something unexpected or catastrophic happened, he wouldn't really need to reveal his 'unnatural nature' as…

"Why are you here?"

The unexpected question made the boy blink out of his inner thoughts and look at Asuna, who wasn't facing him but still talking his way.

"…to help beating the Boss?"

"No, I mean, WHY are you here?" the girl's eyes seemed to have some deeper meaning hidden in them as she turned to face him when asking that question. "Are you really just here to 'play Hero'? Are you going to fight in this battle for 'Fun'?"

Her words said, Asuna glared at him, as if expecting him to just ignore the question or simply answer that yes, he was.

She wasn't expecting the boy in black to suddenly gain a melancholic look on his face as he stared forward, his eyes wandering towards the fake sky of the Floor.

"No, I'm not."

Those simple words, despite not explaining anything, had such weight behind them that Asuna couldn't keep looking at him. Staring at her own feet as they kept walking at the back of the group, the chestnut-haired girl suddenly found herself talking to the strange boy with a slightly cracked voice.

"I…I have an older brother. The game, the Nerve Gear…there are his. He was the one who bought them, the one who was interested in this. But…he had a meeting from work the day of the launch, and so he couldn't use it." Kirito's face was totally blank as he stared at the whispering girl, as if to remind her that talking about the Real World was a kind of 'taboo' in there, but she didn't seem to care. "It's…it's stupid, you know? I have never liked this kind of things…games, meaningless 'fun' like that…my mother taught me that was a waste of my time, that I could spent it doing better things, like studying…but, that day, I felt kind of…curious…and, in an impulse, I put on the helmet and decided to try out how it was." a mirthless chuckle escaped from her throat even as she clenched her fists. "If I hadn't been stupid enough to try this…'waste of time', then maybe I wouldn't be…!" all strength seemed to fade from her already low voice. "I wouldn't be…"

"Yeah, maybe you wouldn't be here." the 'strange' and sudden tone on the boy's voice made the girl look at him with surprise. "Maybe you would still be studying or doing something else…but we can't live thinking about 'What Ifs', you know?" suddenly, Kirito's gaze seemed to wander beyond her, at something only he could see. "…I have a little sister myself. And for…personal reasons, I have been being a horrible brother with her for years. Five days before this happened, we…reconnected, you could say. I realized how much of a jerk I had been to her, and even to my parents to an extent. I…wanted to make it up to her for all the lost time, wanted to get to know her better again…but now I'm trapped here." his eyes returned to her, a strange 'flame' seeming to burn deep within them. "The reason I was 'playing hero' was for 'fun'. The reason I'm HERE today and why I'm going to fight is because I want to get out of here and hug my little sister, then go out and eat some ice-cream with her." his gaze once again becoming blank, the boy walked forward a bit faster, making Asuna realize that they had started to get a bit behind the main group. "Instead of wondering about 'What Ifs', you should be wondering WHY are YOU fighting here today, Asuna: Only to survive? Or for something else?"

After saying those words, Kirito quickly opened a Trade Window and, without hesitation, put the rapier that he had bought the past day there before continuing on.

Even as the boy clad in black kept walking forward, the chestnut-haired girl's eyes never left his white-caped back.

For a moment, she stopped, thinking about his words. That 'depressive' idea of her had almost fully vanished since she met him. She no longer was as hopeless about their possibilities of actually surviving this madness, sot hen…

WHY was she really fighting for?

Suddenly, Asuna's arm rose and she pressed the 'Accept' button of the window, quickly equipping the new rapier and giving the weapon an unreadable look.

'Something' seemed to start burning in her eyes too before she hurried after him.

* * *

 **In front of the 1st Boss Room, 12:40…**

"Okay then, here we are." declared Diavel while staring at the massive and unnecessarily dramatic door that separated them from the Boss Room. "Everyone, remember your roles…and above all that, let's win this fight without a single loss!"

The cheers of the Front Liners were a good distraction for Kirito, who was frankly wondering if he should be worried about Asuna's silence for the last two hours or if Kibaou's 'sinister' threat of some moments before was REALLY worth worrying for.

Honestly, he had totally forgotten about the Last-Attack Bonus until the cactus-headed jerk threatened him about it, he had been too busy thinking about many things and trying to not go insane this last month to care much about that. HOW the idiot knew that he was a Beta Tester was something that should have worried him more, but being honest he couldn't care less about it at that moment.

He had no real intention of facing the Boss himself in the first place, unless something improbable that forced him to test his 'crazy' nature against it happened. He was only there to make sure they WON and that NO ONE fell.

It was with those thoughts that he faced forward, looking how the gate opened and let them see into the, now that he really thought about it, exaggeratedly dramatic Boss Room. An even more theatrical animation of the torches on the walls suddenly turning on and illuminating the darkness also allowed them to see as their enemy materialized, a familiar visage greeting him once again.

The 1st Floor Boss.

Illfang the Kobold Lord.

And with an unholy roar, his first wave of three 'Ruin Kobold Sentinels' also materialized, the armored beasts rushing forward to aid their leader in battle, the 4 HP bars of the imposing beast filling even as it raised its massive bone-axe and leather shield.

Diavel's shout marked the start of the deadly battle, even as the players rushed into the fight. Everywhere in the room, even as the main group crashed against the imposing beast, one could feel the deadly tension and the brutal seriousness with which everyone faced the battle…

Except by a certain black-haired boy, who seemed more concentrated in looking from a part of the battle to next, trying to judge and analyze if he would need to move to try and help someone.

Asuna's shout at his side made him fully aware that, as he had vaguely noticed, one of the Sentinels was rushing at him, swinging one of his very stupid-looking weapons.

The boy dodged it with no effort, even as the girl that was rushing to help him froze in shock when he proceeded to grab the monster's weapon, take it out of its hands and then slam the beast with it, throwing it backwards and against the totally bewildered Asuna.

"Asuna, Switch." he simply declared, not seeming really worried even as the girl impaled the mob with one of her deadly 'Linears', the monster bursting into polygons as if it already had been about to die before she attacked.

"…HOW did you do that?! And now that I think about it, WHY don't you have any weapon?!" demanded the girl with a tone that he couldn't know for sure if held anger or worry.

"That's just how I fight. Don't worry; I know what I'm doing."

Kirito really hoped that his voice when saying that sounded as confident as he thought it did.

Because really, it was SCARING him how easily he was becoming utterly bored and nonplused while in the middle of a fight where the slightest mistake could meant someone's death.

Asuna didn't had enough time to even mutter an answer to his words, because in that moment the first HP bar of Illfang vanished and 3 new Sentinels spawned, rushing in to help their fellow Kobolds.

Without any hesitation, Kirito shot forward. After less than an instant of doubt, Asuna followed him.

* * *

This was going WAY better than Kirito had expected.

Not only were they winning, they were almost DOMINATING the fight, and he hadn't even needed to do anything that would 'reveal' his 'secret'!

Between the flawless way in which Diavel organized the teams and how easily Asuna adapted at him restraining any Sentinel that came their way with no effort while she finished them off, the 3rd HP bar of Illfang was about to vanish, and not only had no one hit the red in their HPs even once, but the morale of the group couldn't be higher.

Certainly, he was sure than more than one had already noticed the 'silly-dressed guy' was fighting weaponless and holding back the Adds without apparent effort, but as long as he didn't try to truly punch any of them he should, after the fight, be able to downplay what he was doing with an excuse and say that it was Asuna who was truly dealing the critical damage.

The chestnut-haired girl would probably demand a real explanation and maybe one or two of the Beta Testers that he was sure were fighting there too, but he wouldn't really stick around to answer them once everything was over.

All in all, it seemed that things were going to go perfectly and without complications…when Illfang's 3rd bar totally vanished, leaving him with only one left, and also making it roar and throw his shield and axe away, the animation that indicated he was about to swap weapons.

That was when shit hit the fan.

"Stay back, I will finish this!" suddenly shouted Diavel to his group, grinning with confidence as he charged past the confused players and rushed to the roaring Kobold Lord while charging a Sword Skill.

If he had bothered to pay attention to Diavel's face, Kirito would most likely had realized that, besides being a Beta Tester (something he had already deduced without much effort), the guy had also been planning from the beginning to get the Last-Attack Bonus and had most likely been the one to warm Kibaou about him to make sure he didn't get it.

But his gaze was currently fixed over the handle of the blade that Illfang was starting to unsheathe, quickly realizing that something was WRONG.

Not even a quarter of the sword had been pulled out when his mind let him realize that it wasn't a Talwar, the Indian curved-sword that the Boss had possessed in the Beta Test and against which everyone had prepared.

He could recognize the weapon too easily, maybe faster than anyone else, because, besides being Japanese, he had seen THAT exact type of blade several times in those happy days he spent watching the crazy anime that started it all with Sugu, on the exact same position and (He dared to think) being unsheathed in the exact same way, by a certain super-fast ninja.

It was a Nodachi. A katana-type weapon.

Which meant, Katana Skills. Skills which, unlike the Curved-Sword ones, were much faster and deadlier.

"SHIT!" he screamed out loud while Asuna finished the latest Sentinel they had been 'fighting', the girl turning to look at him in confusion even as the last 3 Adds spawned and, to Diavel's shock, Illfang wielded the now shining weapon and started to jump around the Boss Room like a fucking kangaroo. "GET OUT OF THERE!"

Even so, Kirito knew it was already too late. Everyone was frozen in horror by the sudden and totally unexpected movement of the Boss and, even as the wide-eyed Diavel looked how the massive beast fell down at him, no one would be able to reach him in time to save him.

No one except…

"…damn it all."

What happened next would spread through the whole of Aincrad like fire, would be told out loud, whispered with skepticism, laughed at with disbelief and spat out with hate, each one that told it twisting the exact events that happened more and more, for no one on the room could be sure of what EXACTLY happened…

Except for the rapier-user called Asuna.

In an instant that seemed much longer for her than it really was, 'something' seemed to change within the boy she had been fighting with. Suddenly, his 'weird' and 'silly' clothes stopped looking like that, gaining an impressive and almost otherworldly look to her eyes and (Something that she would repeatedly wondering if it had been an illusion or not) seemed to highlight impressive and toned muscles that she was sure the boy DIDN'T HAVE a second ago, his face seeming to be covered in shadows as his eyes became nothing more than two white spots of Nothing.

And then, he MOVED.

Asuna wasn't an expert about anything game-related, nor was she especially prideful, but she had been aware of how much faster she had been than everyone else in the room.

So when Kirito shot forward so fast that his image literally BLURRED out of sight and the floor where he had been standing showed the 'Immortal Object' display, she had been SO utterly shocked that she didn't even notice that her hood was blown away and destroyed by the sudden rush of air, letting her long chestnut hair free.

The rest of the players weren't able to properly understand what was happening when the boy ran like a missile through them, several people still falling to the ground from the rush of speed even as he reached the charging Ruin Kobold Sentinels.

With barely a thought and less than a second, his fists shot around him three times, never stopping moving forward.

The Kobolds were still flying through the air while the Cardinal System realized they were already dead when he reached Diavel's side, the self-proclaimed 'Knight' starting to turn from the incoming death incarnated that was Illfang to look at him when the boy JUMPED.

His fist shot forward in front of him, PUNCHING.

Illfang's Nodachi didn't so much as explode as it disintegrated, the polygons of data that made up the weapon being unable to conserve their form after impacting against the incoming impossibility.

The boy's fist impacted against Illfang's head, smashing it into as much 'gory'-look the game could allow before the rest of the body flew backwards, all momentum it had not only lost, but inverted several times over as its arms crumbled like tissue paper into red-angry stumps of damaged data.

The mighty beast that had been the Kobold Lord crashed against the ceiling of the room, caused the 'Immortal Object' message to pop up once again and, finally, fell down with a massive 'BAM!'

All of this had happened in less than 3 seconds.

It took two more for the game to give up in showing the depletion of Illfang's last health bar and simply let the monster explode into polygons.

Even when the 'CONGRATULATIONS!' message and the victory music celebrated their victory, none of the shocked players made any sound, all of them STARING at the crouched boy of the white cape.

Slowly, he stood up, still giving his back to them.

Then, after what seemed like an internal debate, he turned around…and glared at Diavel.

"That…was something VERY stupid." declared Kirito while pointing at the blue-haired man with an annoyed tone. "Next time you want to try and 'look cool', think about the risks to your life first, okay?"

"…uh?" was the intelligent answer that Diavel gave.

That seemed to be the cue for all hell to break loose.

"WHOA! What the hell?!"

"Di-did he really…?!"

"He's not even using a weapon! How…?!"

"Did any of you see him MOVE?! It's him, the Black-White Blur!"

"No shit, for real?! I thought that was just a rumor!"

"Amazing, it just took one punch from him to send that thing flying and…!"

"YOU!" Kibaou's angry voice seemed to break through the shocked and excited voices of the Front Liners, the cactus-headed man walking past the still dumbstruck Diavel to glare at the boy in black. "Why didn't you do that before?!"

Kirito stared at him with an impassive look, arms crossed over his chest, as if he had been waiting for that question.

"I saw how you were stopping those Kobolds before, and we ALL saw how you effortlessly killed those last three! If you could do something like that since the beginning, then WHY didn't you do so?!" not even giving him time to answer, Kibaou pressed on, seemingly getting angrier by the second. "And HOW are you able to do THAT in the first place, for that matter?! It's some kind of secret from the Beta Test, right?! You're a Beta Tester, and you have playing around all month with that crazy power without sharing how to get it with others!"

Confusion started to give way to realization, and several distrusting and doubtful stares were now aimed at the still silent boy.

Kirito could have said many things, in that moment. He could have talked about the weird and unexplainable Bug affecting his avatar. He could have told them how he had no idea how it had happened and as such he had no way of showing anyone how to attain a similar state. He could have tried to explain to them that he had been scared by countless uncertainties about the limits of his 'powers' and that's why he hadn't tried directly interfering with the battle, and that that was also the reason why he had been avoiding people despite going around saving them.

He also knew that it would be a waste of time, and that most of them would probably not believe him. Especially if he mentioned the part that his clothes and 'abilities' seemed to come from an anime that he had watched just some days before getting into the game.

So, instead of trying to do any of that…he once again decided to do what seemed like the 'easiest' route.

Do what Saitama would.

"No, not really, this isn't a trick from the Beta. In fact, I'm pretty sure that any Beta Tester could tell you that." the boy shrugged without any apparent care, not letting the taller man say anything else even as he LOOKED at everyone there. "In fact, I think that Beta Testers should be more careful from now on. After all, Illfang's last weapon was different than in the Beta, and that almost lead to someone dying today. Next time, things may not go as good as today."

Even though he seemed to be telling that to everyone, Diavel just KNEW he was specifically referring to him.

"Wait, are you saying that you didn't obtain that ability with some knowledge from the Beta?!" Kibaou now seemed to be torn between anger and greed, as if wanting to know HOW to become as powerful as the boy in front of him. "Then how did you do it?!"

The entire room seemed to hold their breath…and the boy simply shrugged once again.

"I just trained really hard."

Utter silence was the answer to his words.

And then, the expected explosion.

"That's total BULLSHIT!"

"Yeah, do you take us for fools?!"

"No amount of leveling up could have made you like THAT, much less in the First Floor!"

"Don't tell me…he somehow hacked the game?!"

"Really?! Then he's not only a Beta Tester, but also a Cheater!"

"Yes…he's right! This guy is a Beta Tester and a Cheater!"

"He's nothing but a dammed Beater!"

"How can you act so carefree when people are DYING and others are risking their lives, Beater?!"

"I bet he isn't even worried because he thinks himself about everyone else with that damn power of his!"

"GO TO HELL, BEATER!"

"…you're all wrong." everyone once again fell silent at his words, many glaring at him with a mix of rage and hate, only a handful of them actually seeming worried. "I'm not a 'Beater'…"

A lazy smile appeared on the boy's blank face.

"I'm just a Gamer playing as a Hero for Fun."

Shock, confusion and bewilderment seemed to be the answer to his words.

Then, he turned around, his cape flapping epically behind him as he calmly started to walk towards the other end of the room, even as more angry shouts as his seemingly 'sarcastic' or 'uncaring' words started.

"HEY! Where do you think you're going?!"

"To the 2nd Floor. Someone needs to open the Teleport Gate to let people know the Boss is dead, and seeing as no one else here seems too worried about that…"

Kirito didn't even need to turn around to know that Kibaou was running towards him, sword drawn, shouts of shock and surprised gasps erupting from the crowd.

"STOP LOOKING DOWN ON US, BEATEEEERRRR!"

The boy in black closed his eyes. His hands shook slightly, a part of his mind idly noticing that Asuna was shouting for him to move. It would be pretty easy, really. He could dodge the attack and then run out of the room and into the 2nd Floor before anyone even realized what had happened.

That was what Saitama would most likely do, not even bothering with a loser like Kibaou was unless he had no option…

 _Yes…that was what Saitama would do…_

Sugu's smiling face appeared on his mind.

 _…but he was NOT Saitama._

The boy stopped.

More than one screamed or closed their eyes when Kibaou's 'Vertical' Skill slammed against his head.

The sound of virtual metal breaking echoed through the room.

The cactus-headed man blinked, confused, then looked down at the handle and half blade on his hands. It quickly broke into polygons, vanishing.

Slowly, the unharmed boy turned around, his eyes and upper face covered by an ethereal darkness as he raised a hand towards the suddenly wide-eyed and terrified man.

He put it on his shoulder and softly 'pushed' him back.

The screaming Kibaou was sent flying backwards, crashing into the slowly standing Diavel, a quarter of his HP vanishing from the impact.

"That was an utter waste of a perfectly useful weapon." deadpanned the boy as he looked at them, the hate and rage replaced mostly by fear, the small gesture having suddenly put back on their minds that they were in front of a player with the power to send something like Illfang flying like a ragdoll without effort and move faster than a speeding car. "Now then, if that's all, I'm going to the second floor. I'm tired, hungry, and I REALLY want to get out of this unnecessarily dramatic and over-the-top designed dungeon."

With that last jab at Kayaba said, Kirito turned around and started to walk to the stairs. No one said anything else to him or even muttered a sound as he did.

He was halfway through the stairs, not bothering going faster than a normal person just for the heck of seeing if anyone really tried to follow and attack him, when a shouting voice made him blink and stop.

"WAIT!"

Turning around, the surprised boy watched as a panting Asuna stopped just behind him to try and recover her breath. He refrained from telling her that she didn't really need to do something like that in a virtual world in favor of asking something more important.

"…what?"

The fierce look on the girl's eyes truly surprised him.

"I'm coming with you."

"…what." repeated the boy, but this time more of a statement than a question.

"What you told me before. You told me to think about WHY I was fighting." she looked from her hands to him, determination filling her. "I want to survive, yes. But I also want to get back home…and I want to change things. I want to be able to look at my mother and not be afraid of talking with her. I want to apologize with my brother for grabbing his stupid game without asking him…and I want to choose my OWN life by myself."

The dramatic speech seemed to be highlighted when she pointed at him, her hair somehow flapping behind the girl at the same time his cape did…despite being no wind in those stairs.

"And I just KNOW I can do that by following you!"

"…so, uhm, didn't you hear the part where everyone accused me of being a Cheater bastard?"

"Are you?" shot back the girl with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course not, for fucks sake. Probably the greatest minds of the country, and maybe the world, have been trying to get us out of here without success for almost a month. I'm just a 14 years old boy who likes computers and videogames. HOW in Hell's name would I be able to hack a game that can manage THAT?"

Down in the Boss Room, several people wondered why they felt as if their intelligences had been insulted.

"There you have it! So, what do we do next?"

"…you…I don't even…" Kirito sighed and facepalmed, turning around. "Fine, follow me if you want, but don't expect for me to wait for you if you get left behind. Me? I'm going back home to share that ice-cream with my sister." his fists slammed against one another as he said that, sending a small shockwave around him. "Even if I have to punch a hole through this Floating Castle to do so."

That said, he started to walk once again, debating if he should really try and left the girl behind when they reached the next floor or…

"…hey, I have been wondering. How did you KNOW my name? I never told you."

"…really? I mean, are you REALLY telling me that you haven't seen that 'small' new part in your vision where the status and names of the members of the Party are shown since YESTERDAY?!"

For all answer, Asuna just stared a moment to the corner of her vision before her eyes widened.

"Oh, so your name is Kirito!"

"…this is going to be a LONG Death Game to be trapped in…"

"Hey now, don't say that!" joked the girl while they finally arrived to the end of the stairs. "You will see, I'm going to show you just how much determined I am with this, Sensei!"

The boy froze, standing stock-still, as if someone had just thrown a lightning bolt at his head. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the confused rapier-user, a nervous tic having appeared on his eye.

"How…did you just call me?"

"Uhm, Sensei? It was, you know, kind of joke, seeing as how you literally taught me how to really play and whatnot…"

"Just…don't call me that again, please. Like, ever."

"Aww, what's wrong? Don't like being treated with even a bit of respect, Kirito-sense…HEY! Where are you going?!"

Kirito would end up stopping half a kilometer later and waiting up for the angry girl, still too scared/shocked to care for her shouts…but yes, that did it.

If Asuna suddenly showed up with robotic limbs or if he saw someone ridding a bicycle around, he was throwing himself off the edge of Aincrad.

There was just SO MUCH shit his sanity could take before he gave up.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"He-hey, hello there everyone! This is Diavel and MAN, for some reason I feel REALLY grateful to be alive! But, ehm, anyway, let's go with this preview quick…and that's not because I want to go find somewhere to curl myself in fetal position for hours from the fear, of course not!...ANYWAY! Next time on 'One Punch Gamer': 'The Value of my Punches!' Will Kirito finally take the decision of taking the game head on?! What will be the consequences of doing so?! And what's going to happen with his new 'disciple'?! And also, in answer to his actions, the Creator himself makes sure that…! Wait, what, this guy got a 'disciple'? What the hell does that mean? I mean, what is he even going to teach her that-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Ahhhhh…man, writing that felt SO GOOD! Really, I'm not sure why but I felt as if I got a weight off my shoulder after writing this chapter, and I had a lot of fun doing so too! Also, hope you enjoyed the little 'cameos' of the rest of the cast, and that you could laugh at the 'irony' in Kirito's thoughts. Small changes become great ones and things will certainly get very 'fun' in the future, that's for sure XD

So, to the reviewer Alice, I think you can get your answer after having read this chapter: Kirito's real reason for not trying to do what he essentially did at the end since the beginning is that, even if he's trying to act a bit like him for his own sake, he's NOT Saitama. He's still just a teen that had been thrown into a Life-or-Death situation and that, unlike his canon counterpart, doesn't has the 'certainty' of his own strength and stats to back up his bravery, just these weird 'powers' that he has no control over and that he doesn't fully understands. He was not scared of losing them for the heck of it, but because doing so would mean sure death for himself at this point. Unlike the fearless Caped Baldy, Kirito is a boy who's fighting each day against insanity and emotional problems…so, how he will act now that he has kind of, even if not fully, 'accepted' what he can do? Well, you will have to read the next chapter to know it! (Also, hope that those who know One Punch-Man enjoyed the Asuna/Genos joke at the end…expect that to become a running gag, maybe :P)

Oh, and if anyone is interested in knowing, I get most of my info directly from the SAO Light Novels, not the anime (Which omits and changes A LOT of things), so if some things are unclear or seem confusing to those who had only watched that, it may be because of it :P I'm trying to stay as true to canon in the 'background' facts of Aincrad at least, but I will made small changes if needed for the heck of the story (The 'bigger' one in this chapter was the presence of blacksmiths, because in the 'Progressive' Novels those don't start appearing until the second floor, but I decided it wasn't really too important of a thing to not change just in favor of showing a bit of Lisbeth XD).

Well then, I think that's all for now. See you all that still read this craziness next chapter, and please review if you have time! Even a couple of words about what you thought of the chapter motivate me greatly for writing more!

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	4. Chapter 3: The Value of my Punches!

Man, I can't believe it, this silly and small thing has already got over 1900 views, and in less than 4 days at that O.O Again, thanks to everyone who reads this, hope you keep enjoying this little piece of craziness of mine…anyway, without more delay, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Value of my Punches! Burning Bravery!**

On one of the many rocky hills that littered the 2nd Floor of Aincrad, an imposing figure stood, watching over it all. His pose was heroic and his majestic cape flapped at the wind in an amazingly epic wa…

"Sensei, what are you doing?"

"…I told you to NOT call me that."

"I know."

"…then WHY are you still doing it?!"

"Eh, what can I say…it's kind of amusing to know it's one of the only things that I can do to ACTUALLY make you lose your 'cool'."

At the answer of his self-proclaimed 'disciple' (He still cringed at remembering how hard it was to resist jumping off Aincrad when she first said that), Kirito sighed and turned once again to look towards the rocky scenery before him, not letting Asuna's smug grin get the better of him as he stared at the nearby handful of the cow-type mobs that were the native population of the 2nd Floor.

It had already been 3 days since the 1st Floor Boss was defeated, and things had been…eventful.

Okay, they had been WEIRD. I mean, the boy was expecting things to not be exactly 'normal' while trapped inside a Death Game, even more so after he discovered his 'powers' and more or less came to terms with what he could do. Hell, he was even expecting some things to be harder for him after his 'reveal' in the Boss Room, and that was why he (And Asuna) had quickly hid on a nearby alley after activating the Teleport Gate in Urbus, the first city of the Floor.

Seeing the cheerful and celebrating players coming out from the gate, some rushing for the nearby buildings and others hugging their friends after watching with wide eyes the new Floor, had made him smile softly and Asuna to hum with a small grin, making him feel as if things had started to go right.

Then, not even ten minutes later, Argo exited the Gate running like a possessed, towards the nearest exit of the town.

Followed by ninjas.

Yes, that's right. Two god dammed NINJAS, wearing the dark-grey cloth armor, bandanas and mouth-covering cloth masks. They were armed with scimitars and moved in that silly-running-style so famous nowadays.

The guys even TALKED with an old Japanese accent and finished their sentences with 'gozaru'.

Of course, Kirito knew those were just a pair of idiots belonging to a guild that had been a bit TOO MUCH into role-playing as 'ninjas' in the Beta (And that somehow had managed to KEEP that going even when they were trapped and fighting for their lives), but still, he had to REALLY resist the urge of screaming damnation to the heavens when he saw them, trying not to think about THE ninja that had been a constant annoyance to Saitama.

That was when Asuna had asked him if they shouldn't try to help Argo.

What followed had been a very annoying and time-consuming chase as they ran after the guys (He forcing himself to stay at Asuna's speed while doing so), who had quickly cornered the info broker on the nearby rocky cliffs and then demanded from her to hand over the info about the location of the Quest to obtain the 'Martial Arts' Extra Skill to their guild, Fumansomething.

Argo didn't even had time to formulate a sarcastic response to their words when he and Asuna revealed their presence, then proceeded to basically kick the guys asses (He quite literally did that with enough strength to send one crashing against a nearby rock wall while Asuna pointed the tip of her rapier to the other's neck), scaring them enough to retreat while swearing vengeance, calling them members from an enemy clan or something.

At least he had been able to verify that, thankfully, the Cardinal System apparently didn't acknowledge his 'bugged' punches or kicks as 'real attacks', something that he had already suspected when he pushed Kibaou earlier and his cursor hadn't turned orange.

That had been a great relief. He didn't want to be forced to spent time outside the cities (Even if HE wouldn't really be in any danger) just for teaching a pair of idiots a lesson. Incidentally, that reminded him that the cactus-head's cursor HAD turned orange after his failed attack against him, so he would probably be spending the night out on the fields of the 1st Floor.

He was still debating with himself about the morality of laughing out loud about that when Argo had remembered him of her presence (She had apparently been thanking Asuna until that moment), and had proceeded to demand her own explanation.

With a tired sigh, he had forced himself to tell the girl everything that had happened since he Logged In to the Boss Fight (Something that Asuna also heard with rapt attention), even going so far as to jump to the top of the 10 meters tall rocky cliff behind them just to prove it.

He would always treasure the memory of seeing the usually grinning and know-it-all Rat open-mouthed and speechless.

He would also always regret the smirk that he had put on in that moment, because it had led to Argo tricking him into going to see if he could get the Extra Skill that those guys had been looking for, which had ended up with an old monk panting whiskers on his face before he could react and then telling him that he wouldn't be able to take them off until he broke a goddamn giant rock with his bare fists.

The part of himself that had always been curious about HOW did Argo end up with her whiskers in the Beta Test had agreed that knowing the truth hadn't been worth it, especially when he had seen both girls trying to not fall down to the ground laughing after seeing his face.

He hadn't had a mirror on hand, but Argo calling him 'Kiriemon' (In reference to a certain cosmic cat) before collapsing in another laughing fit, Asuna joining her, had been enough to tell him that he DIDN'T want anyone else seeing him with that face.

At least both of them had stopped laughing when he not only shattered the rock but also send the remains flying through the air all the way to the edge of Aincrad. With just one punch, of course.

He could have gone without Asuna's 'Sugoi, Sensei…' or Argo's 'How can I exploit this'-look, though.

Kirito had felt so relieved when he had gotten the NPC monk to remove the damn whiskers from his face that he didn't really care that the 'Extra Skill' bugged the moment he tried to equip it.

He hadn't gotten it to work in any way, and he wasn't even sure if it would DO anything in his current state, but hey, at least he had it equipped and not grayed out like all the others. Even if it was just a mess of interrogation signs.

After that, they had parted ways with Argo, but not before she made him swear that he would send her a message if he got any idea of how that 'Bug' of his had happened or if he discovered something else about it.

The boy had just been glad of being smart enough to not share with her his 'theory' about how both his clothes and 'powers' seemed weirdly similar to those of an anime's character he had watched with his sister just before the mess began.

That aside, he had decided that he would be better not staying in Urbus that day, and had decided to head to the next city immediately.

Sadly, Asuna had still decided to follow him, and he couldn't find it in himself to just leave the girl behind with his super speed…not to mention he was pretty sure she would find him just to make him regret it if he tried.

They had arrived to the city they were currently staying in late that night, and had been there since then.

He had decided to not be idle, though, and, even if just to find SOMETHING to do, had decided to make good of his promise and teach Asuna 'how to survive'.

Unlike Saitama's problem with Genos, Kirito was glad to know that he ACTUALLY had things that he could teach to the girl. Her natural talent for fighting aside, she was a total newbie in all things game-related, and even more in Sword Art Online. Seeing as he had been a Beta Tester (And that he now didn't have to worry about grinding himself), he had decided to put his knowledge and power to good use and had started to show Asuna everything she needed to know about the game, its mechanics and the 2nd Floor specifically.

He had also helped her level up at an insane rate. Of course, when you were being helped by someone who could essentially hold the mobs in place for you to kill them without any danger or that could directly leave them without almost any HP left by just flicking them with his finger, that was quite easy. Not to mention that he knew about several of the hardest and more Exp.-rewarding Quests in the Floor and that Asuna could complete them easily thanks to him watching her back.

She had the talent, and he was going to help her get the stats and skills she needed to back it up. Polishing it beyond that was up to her, of course.

"…what did Argo-chan tell you, Sensei?"

"DON'T call me that…and well, to be honest, things seem to have gone better than I expected. Looks like disbelief and denial can go a long way, especially when people are actually starting to think we may have a chance of getting out of here."

What the boy was talking about was, obviously, the reaction of the general populace of Aincrad to the reveal of his 'identity' as the 'Black-White Blur', or the 'Dirty Beater' as some had taken to call him.

As Kirito had said, things had gone way better than he had expected: Argo's 'report' said that most of the players either didn't really believe he existed beyond wild rumors (The number of players that had actually 'seen' him when doing his hero shtick were relatively low compared to how many had stayed in Starting City, if still much more than one would have originally expected), were skeptic about his supposed 'abilities' or didn't really care about his supposed existence, good or bad.

The small minority of the actually active players was split between those who hated or blamed him for something or another, those who said he was a HERO for going around saving lives all the time, even Diavel's in the Boss Fight (Argo said that the tall guy named Agil was kind of the one who 'led' this idea) and those who were neutral on the matter, not willing to take one side or the other either for fear or distrust.

Seeing as Kirito had kind of expected to become public enemy number 1 after his little stunt in the Boss Room, he was in fact slightly grateful that things hadn't turned out so bad.

He would still do his best to avoid places where most players gathered unless it was absolutely necessary, though. He didn't want to push his luck, especially when he knew that sooner or later someone would realize that he NEVER changed his stupid costume and identify him would become kid's play. And talking about changing equipment…

"Uhm…it's something wrong, Kirito-sensei?" innocently asked Asuna when he turned his narrowed eyes towards her once again.

"…you aren't wearing it." he flatly stated while trying to suppress the tic that hearing her calling him THAT caused.

"Ugh, I already told you I'm NOT wearing that thing!" the girl stubbornly crossed her arms and looked to the side, pouting in a way that seemed out of place in a girl her age (In Kirito's opinion). "It makes me look like some sort of villain from an old anime, and the color makes me look WEIRD!"

What Asuna was talking about was a certain item called 'Coat of Midnight', which had been the Last-Attack Bonus that Illfang had dropped and that Kirito had given to her because he was unable to equip it.

The boy didn't know what hurt the most; if the regret of being unable to put on the badass black coat after seeing how it looked when the girl equipped it to test it or that Asuna DIDN'T want to wear it because of something as stupid as looks and color.

She didn't know how lucky she was (From his viewpoint) of being able to equip other things that weren't a stupid jumpsuit with cape, gloves, boots and belt as extras.

"What do you have against black?" muttered the gamer while looking once again to the side, a depressed cloud of regret over his head at once again remembering that he couldn't change his silly looks. "It's a cool color."

"Maybe for you, sensei, but I doubt that applies for me or a lot of other people." answered the chestnut-haired girl before crossing her arms.

"Okay, forget one moment about the color, please? That coat is probably one of the strongest equipment you can get in this Floor until someone is able to starts crafting heavy armor, you know?! Many players would give anything to get their hands on it!"

"Hmm, you may be right…" commented Asuna while putting a hand on her chin, as if deep in thought, making a grateful smile appear on Kirito's face. "…you think we can get a good deal for it if we use Argo-chan's connections to sell it?"

And like that, the smile vanished from his face even as he facepalmed for the tenth time that day. That girl was going to be the end of him.

"Asuna, please, tell me there IS a reason why you came to interrupt my 'meditation' that doesn't include dismissing unique items because of fashion sense."

"Actually, yeah, there is." suddenly, the girl's face was all serious, her hazel eyes fixed over the boy with an unyielding determination on them. "Sensei, let me fight you."

Kirito blinked once. Then twice.

Then, he blinked once again and slapped himself, confusing Asuna even as he turned to look at her.

"…can you repeat that, please?"

"I said that I want to fight you! I mean, I know I'm no match for you right now, probably ever if what Argo-chan said about the limits of the game and how this 'buggy' thing of yours seems to screw with them, but I WANT to know how much better I have become, okay? No offense Sensei, I'm glad for all your help and everything, but if I'm just letting you help me all the time then how am I going to know if I'm really becoming stronger?" with that said, the girl stepped back, unsheathing her 'Graceful Needle' rapier and adopting a battle stance, her hand quickly moving over her menu and pushing something.

A window announcing that Asuna had just issued a 'Duel' at him with 'First Hit' as victory condition appeared in front of Kirito. It was clear that the girl only wanted to test if she was skilled enough to be able to land an attack on him, seeing as there was no way for her to reduce his HP.

The boy, however, didn't move to accept it. In fact, he didn't seem to be even blinking or breathing right then (Not that he NEEDED to do that in the virtual world, but being able to suppress the reflex-reactions was still impressive).

 _"Rocky and mountain-surrounded place far away from anyone, sudden determination to see how far she has gone, eyes that said she won't accept a 'No' for answer…WHAT THE HELL?!"_ mentally screamed the boy while resisting the urge of trying to tear his virtual hair out. _"Why is Asuna showing SO MANY parallels with Genos all of a sudden?! Is this some sort of divine joke or something?!"_

"What are you waiting for, Sensei?!" shouted Asuna with narrowed eyes, the grip on her rapier tightening. "If you don't accept, then I will just have to attack you regardless!"

Kirito's eyes widened for a moment, and then narrowed. Of course, thanks to his 'teachings', the girl now knew that trying to attack another player outside of a Duel would immediately turn one's cursor orange, identifying them as 'criminals' and, among some other minors setbacks, would impede someone from entering a city without being attacked by the 'Guards' NPCs.

Slowly, the boy in black raised his hand and accepted the challenge, a countdown appearing between the two of them. Asuna's face blossomed into a fierce smile.

"Ready or not, here I come, Kirito-sensei." whispered Asuna with a slightly mocking tone. As she expected, an annoyed tic appeared on the boy's left eye.

"How many times do I have to tell you to NOT call me tha…?!"

The countdown reached 0.

Asuna SHOT forward like a living missile, air rushing around the girl and actually sending several rocks flying as she screamed and put her everything into a simple but devastating 'Linear' Skill.

It hit nothing but air, though, as Kirito MOVED to the side in the last instant, the girl's arm and hair actually brushing against his chest as he dodged the attack by using the minimum movement needed.

For him, it had been simple. And yet, even as Asuna stopped several meters away, the boy had to accept that it had been impressive. He was sure that no one else would have been able to dodge an attack at such speed, and even though Asuna had tried to distract him to try and win the 'battle' immediately that just spoke of her ability to think quickly about what to do in a 'hopeless' situation…

He wasn't afforded any more time to think, however, as Asuna had recovered from the second-long 'delay' state of her Sword Skill and was already upon him, her rapier blurring like a deadly stinger and reaching straight for his head.

The boy evaded it. Asuna growled and, without missing a beat, used her empty hand to grab at his shoulder and throw herself over him, twisting her rapier as she jumped to try and skewer his head or shoulder.

Another thing that she had seeming 'learned' from watching him was that people in SAO rarely used their (If they had one) empty hands for anything other than balance. Absurd strength and reflexes aside, he had showed that one could also use their hands for leverage or to put a mob out of balance in a fight, even though it would be very dangerous for any 'normal' player to try, seeing as a slight mistake when doing so would let them wide open to receive a deadly attack from their enemies.

Asuna, with her insane speed and natural talent, had managed to do it perfectly on her first try after only having watched him do it from the sides a handful of times.

Even as he threw himself forwards at speeds that would boggle the mind in the real world, doing some sort of reverse-Matrix-movement and evading the attack by a hair-breadth, a small part of the boy couldn't help but feel slightly proud.

That was when Asuna landed and, in a stance totally different at how he had seen her attack till then, let her rapier glow as she glared at his standing form, Kirito's eyes widening in shock and surprise even as she shouted and unleashed the new Sword Skill.

Despite being only 8 Hits in total, anyone watching from the side would have seen as if the chestnut-haired girl had suddenly unleashed a massive barrage of super-sonic thrusts against the black-clad boy.

For his part, Kirito just smiled…before effortlessly weaving through the barely-noticeable gaps that the Skill left on its path, Asuna's rapier and arm brushing against his jumpsuit and cape several times but never truly touching him.

When the last of the seemingly endless wave of thrusts ended, Asuna's face changed from shock into resignation, her hazel gaze going up while the 2 seconds of 'frozen time' that came from executing the Skill started.

Gently and without rushing, Kirito softly 'pushed' against her forehead with one finger.

The girl was sent skidding backwards 5 meters before she finally was able to stop her momentum, but the deed was gone. A sliver of her HP gone and a sudden ringing sound accompanied the system's announce that proclaimed the black-haired boy as the winner.

"Yeah…I can tell, you REALLY have improved a lot. Way faster than I thought possible, too."

"You say that, but I wasn't able to even faze you despite catching you with your guard down at the beginning…" sighed the girl while sheathing her rapier once again. "I would have been satisfied if I would have at least managed to touch you with my rapier…"

"C'mon, don't say that, you did pretty good…" declared the boy before adopting a curious stance. "But…when did you learn how to do the 'Star Splash' Skill?"

It honestly surprised the boy, because he was sure he WOULD have to tell the girl that she could execute more Skills other than just 'Linear', but it looked as if she had been more driven than he thought.

"Yesterday, I spent the night trying that and some other ones out after seeing them on the menu of my 'Rapier Skill Tree'." answered Asuna while frowning. "But really, 'Star Splash' seems a bit of a silly name for such a deadly-looking attack…"

"Heh, then why don't you call it something like 'Machinegun Needle' or something like that?" joked the boy, finding the slight similarities between the Sword Skill and Genos' 'Machinegun Blow' to be very funny. "You can even scream it out loud before unleashing it to make it look even deadlier!"

"…woah, that actually sounds awesome, Sensei!" Asuna's sudden declaration and shining's eyes make Kirito freeze and go pale. "I don't know about the shouting it out loud part, but I'm SO calling the Skill THAT from now on!"

"No…wait, it was just a jo…!"

"Anyway, we should get going, sensei. It's getting late." with that said, the chestnut-haired girl turned around and started to walk away, leaving the boy to facepalm and sink on his despair. "…by the way…"

"…what now?" tiredly muttered the boy, still looking down.

"If there is something worrying you, then you should say it out loud, Kirito-kun." the boy's head snapped up, both from how the girl had called him and WHAT she had said. "If you aren't sure about something, then you shouldn't do it, but…it may be worse if you don't do it and just keep thinking about 'What Ifs', you know?"

Kirito's eyes never left the rapier-user's back even as she walked away, wondering if she had known from the very beginning WHY he was standing there alone.

Slowly, his eyes moved towards the form of the imposing Dungeon Tower that connected with the 3rd Floor, maybe a Km. away from the small city they were staying in.

"…it will be Christmas soon." softly whispered the boy, his eyes not looking at the tower but to something beyond. "I have never thought about it, but…this will be my first Christmas away from my family." his fists clenched even as he looked to the fake sky. "Sugu…"

Later, when the night had once again fallen over the Floating Castle, Kirito was still awake, silently staring at the ceiling of his room on the Inn where he and Asuna were staying (She on the room across the hall).

The words of the girl once again echoed on his mind. Part of those had been his words, the ones about worrying on 'What Ifs'.

A look to one edge of his view told him that it was already past midnight. It was officially December 8.

"Seventeen days left for Christmas…I remember that dad even promised to be home this year to celebrate it with us…"

The memory of Sugu hugging him that fateful day, happy about his promise to go and get ice-cream together, played through his mind once again. His fists clenched again.

He had taken a decision.

5 minutes later, a figure could be seen standing in front of the Dungeon of the 2nd Floor, his white cape flapping from the wind his speed had created.

With one last determined look to the heavens, he entered.

* * *

The dark room on the tallest and deepest part of the Dungeon suddenly lit up.

On the gate, standing alone and with his eyes covered by the ethereal darkness that the glow of the torches caused in the Boss Room, a boy stood, clad in black and white.

He had barely taken a step inside when a pair of unholy roars filled the area, two imposing figures materializing, similar yet much more deadly-looking than the minotaur-like monsters that he had found in the Dungeon.

The blue one stood 2.5 meters tall and was armed with a massive two-handed hammer. It was 'Nato the Colonel Taurus' and it was the 'Sub-Boss' that aided the twice as tall and stronger beasts standing behind him, this one of red skin and wielding a golden hammer much bigger than his subordinate's, shining with a dazzling light.

That one was 'Baran the General Taurus' and any Beta Tester would remember it as the 2nd Floor Boss.

Lacking any other objectives with which to split or prioritize as target, both beasts roared once more, 3 and 5 HP bars filling themselves respectively as they charged against the lonely figure opposing them.

The scene would seem like something both epic and terrifying…for anyone who didn't know how many times the boy had crashed into walls for the past hour while searching for the Boss Room.

Super speed, he decided, sucked balls inside closed and labyrinthic spaces.

"…what the hell am I doing?" idly wondered Kirito, his eyes never leaving the forms of the two incoming monsters or how they make the room shake with their combined charge.

It has been his worry, his fear, since the moment he 'realized' what he 'could' do, that his sanity or common sense would slip for a moment and make him do something extremely stupid that put his life at risk.

He was someone RATIONAL, and even if wasn't any genius he was SMART.

There was no logical reason to believe his 'powers' were absolute, nor that they could protect him forever. Common sense said that he shouldn't take stupid risks by believing himself all-powerful or invincible, that he should stick to what he KNEW and that would assure that he survived the madness that was SAO. For all that he knew, the two brutal monsters that were about to reach him would crush him without effort with their hammers, killing him.

He should try and get out of there while he still could, stick to the 'sure' way and keep trying to clear the game at a safer pace, which already thanks to his effort was much faster than it would have been otherwise. But…

 _The minotaurs raised their hammers, Boss and Sub-Boss moving like one and letting them fall over their lonely enemy…_

But…

 _"It's a promise then, Onii-chan!"_

Two hands shot upwards, catching and stopping both weapons effortlessly. The two massive beasts blinked.

"…I want to go home."

Kirito looked up.

Fear was not a concept that was programmed in the basic AIs of either Nato or Baran, and yet both bull-like monsters visibly flinched at the FIRE that seemed to burn within the eyes of the unimpressive-looking boy.

A roar both of defiance and fury exploded from the gamer's throat even as he pushed back, both beasts trying to regain their bearings and adjust at the impossibility of someone simply THROWING them on their backs.

On his mind, Kirito shout to himself to stop thinking and just ACT.

The black-haired boy shot forward like a living bullet and PUNCHED.

Nato's chest caved in even as the monster was slammed against the ground, exploding into polygons even as Kirito spun around and let his fist fly once again towards the recovered Baran. The General Taurus raised his hammer as if to block or intercept the attack.

He only managed to let it smash against his head and turn it into virtual red paste even as it exploded, his arms twisted back in impossible angles as his body slammed against the ceiling.

Panting hard as the virtual adrenaline left his body, Kirito stared from the vanished Nato to the disappearing HP bars of Baran. Slowly, a not-very-sane laugh started to burst from his mouth.

That was when Baran's last bar became yellow, and a new and massive figure spawned out of nowhere just behind him, roaring with the rage of a primeval God.

Black as the night, even taller than the now dead General Taurus and wielding a hammer twice as big as his has been. Four horns and a long beard adorned his face while a silver crown stood on his head. His limbs were as thick as tree-trunks and dark-colored chainmail covered his body. SIX HP Bars materialized over him.

This was Asterius. The Taurus King. The true Boss of Aincrad's Second Floor.

A horrible 'surprise' that, if things had gone as they 'should', would have caught the Beta Testers by surprise and resulted in a near-catastrophe for the Front Liners. The sudden appearance of the massive beast alone would have been enough to make anyone scream in terror or be paralyzed by fear.

A month ago, Kirito would have probably reacted like that.

Now, even as the Boss charged his devastating 'Lighting Breath' attack and unleashed it upon him just as he turned around…the only thing the caped boy did was stop laughing.

The deadly attack, which would have been enough to deal serious damage and even paralyze an entire Party without effort, crashed directly against the gamer's face, almost at point blank.

He didn't even blink as the attack coursed through his body…and did absolutely nothing.

The terrifying form of Asterius seemed much less so when the Taurus King blinked in utter confusion.

"…I'm too young to deal with all this crap."

It was pretty clear that the boy wasn't talking about the fight…but about what he was about to do.

Even as the AI of the Boss tried to understand what had happened, Kirito reared back one fist…and the other.

The boy only said his next 3 words aloud because he was feeling REALLY tired. Mentally, that is.

He remembered to say goodbye to yet another bit of his sanity when doing so, though.

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

Asterius last 'thoughts' were ones of utter confusion and something akin to 'Oh Shit' when his entire upper body vanished in an explosion of red polygons under the simple 'combo' of punches.

The silence that filled the room after the end of the 'fight' was broken by the very out of place 'Congratulations' message and the change in illumination that indicated that the path to the next Floor had opened.

Kirito stood there without moving for an entire minute.

Then, slowly, the boy turned back and let his cape flap behind him as he walked towards the stairs…

* * *

Despite what many of the people trapped in SAO thought, Kayaba Akihiko wasn't omniscient. He couldn't 'see' ALL that happened in Aincrad all the time, both by human's limits and because his actual access to the game was in fact pretty limited outside of it.

Yes, he certainly had the only systems that allowed him to actually KNOW what had happened in a determined moment on one place of Aincrad or another, and yes, he was the only one with an 'special' account and who was able to Log In and Out of the game at will, but that still didn't make him into an all-knowing God. He couldn't go around watching what every player he wished to see was doing in any moment as someone would watch a movie, like many paranoid players seemed to believe.

When the first 'rumors' about the 'Blur' started, he was more confused than anyone else. He spent the entire month trying to discover WHAT exactly was happening inside Aincrad, without any success.

Cardinal wasn't reporting any error or Bug, and all the futile external attempts of cracking the servers were being as easily repelled as always.

Then, the 1st Floor Boss battle happened.

Since that day, the only thing that he had been looking over on two of the screens he had in his 'hideout' were the Status Report of the Cardinal System about the player named 'Kirito' and the exact moments of the fight when he had 'attacked'.

None of it made sense. Neither what he was actually DOING nor that Cardinal kept reporting that there wasn't anything wrong with his account. Especially when he was SEEING the countless interrogation signs that replaced the numbers of almost everything in his data.

There was a reason why the Cardinal System was probably Kayaba's greatest creation and why not even HIMSELF could 'hack' the system: The AI could THINK.

Not to a human degree, of course, but still, Cardinal could think and, above all else, EVOLVE. It was constantly changing and updating both itself and Sword Art Online, gathering info from the internet to create and generate new Quests and looking over every part of the Floating Castle to make sure that nothing that could threaten the balance of the game happened and, if it did, correct it.

No one in the world had been able to get past Cardinal's firewalls. He was PRETTY SURE that a kid that seemed to be no older than 14 or 15 hadn't done it even BEFORE the servers were online, not even if he had been a Beta Tester.

The most frustrating part, however, was that he couldn't do anything about it 'easily'. After all, only Cardinal could 'erase' an account, which was what it was programmed to do in case of someone's HP hitting 0, and he couldn't override the system's orders from where he was. He would need to access directly to the servers of SAO, where Cardinal 'physically' was, to do it.

Said servers, currently under the care of RECT Inc. after the Argus Company went bankrupt because of the incident, were probably the most guarded things in the country right now.

The only other option would be to find the boy in game and use the benefits of his Admin. Account to destroy him. Kill him.

He didn't want to do that. It was still too soon for him to reveal himself. The stage hadn't yet been set and there were still many things to do before he could reveal his presence to the others players and he didn't want to risk it just because of one loose end…

…still, what he had JUST seen happening in the Boss Room of the 2nd Floor was not only mind-boggling, but beyond worrying, even more so when the boy kept moving forward but didn't activate the Teleport Gate before entering an Inn in the 3rd Floor's first city.

Kayaba now knew it without any doubt. Whatever had happened to the boy, it was probably something even beyond his own control, but he had decided to finally stop fearing it and go forward. If nothing changed, he would ruin all his efforts and destroy his 'dream' by destroying the 'balance' of HIS world.

And despite that, the man just smiled even as he stood up, ready to get back inside the game.

At the end of the day, inside Aincrad, he was still God. And if the boy thought he could oppose the Plan of the one who ruled that world, well…

"You're too naïve, Kirito-kun."

* * *

Kirito had allowed himself to sleep at least a couple of hours on the first Inn he could find before starting moving again. He didn't pay any mind to the forest-themed scenery of the 3rd Floor even as he jumped as much as he ran through it, his eyes always fixed on the Tower Dungeon to the next floor.

He totally skipped the small mountains and the passage (Guarded by a sub-boss) that separated the floor in two by jumping over them.

When he stood before it at 6 in the morning, though, the boy froze as he looked in shock to the tower's entrance, something that HADN'T been there in the Beta Test and that didn't seem to fit with the setting of Aincrad at all blocking his path.

There was a shining, translucent 'wall' of some kind of energy on the very entrance, denying anyone access to the dungeon.

Dazzled, refusing to believe what he was seeing, the boy walked towards the wall and put his hands over it.

Some kind of repulsing-effect took place and sent him flying back almost 3 meters before he overcame his shock and stopped his momentum by digging his feet on the earth. His eyes narrowed even as he roared and slammed a fist against the wall.

An absolute and hope-shattering message of 'Immortal Object' popped up in front of the boy, even as he was thrown back again, the shock making him to not even try stopping.

"No…" muttered the boy while standing up, looking at the damming message still hovering there as if mocking him. "No…NO!" with another scream, the boy shot forward again, unleashing punch after punch against the wall faster than was humanly possible, as if his arms had suddenly become machineguns of fists, making the earth shake around him and shockwaves to blow away anything that wasn't fixed to the surrounding forest's ground.

The wall refused to bulge, the pop-up appearing several times over each spot where Kirito's fists slammed.

When he finally stopped a minute after, the ensuing shockwave was enough to throw him backwards almost 20 meters, but he didn't even try to stop himself this time.

He just lay there, looking at nothing, feeling…defeated.

Clenching his teeth, the boy looked to the heavens and SCREAMED.

He could swear he felt the 'God' of that virtual world looking down at him with mocking eyes.

"…this isn't over…Kayaba."

Barely whispering the last words, Kirito's form blurred as he shot back through the forests, returning to the Floor's first city.

Back on the entrance of the dungeon, only one of the 'Immortal Object' messages remained over the energy wall.

What he hadn't seen, neither Kayaba nor even the Cardinal System itself…was that a tiny, almost nonexistent, crack had appeared on the message itself.

The only one who saw it was the ever-watching Mental Health Care Program 001. The truly world-shattering and terrifying meaning behind that seemingly meaningless thing ran through Yui's mind in a couple of seconds…and made a small smile, almost as nonexistent as the crack was, appear on her always-empty face.

For the first time since Sword Art Online began, the small AI spoke words that weren't pre-programmed system advices.

"One…punch…"

* * *

When the Teleport Gate to the 3rd Floor was activated, Asuna was the first one to step through it and appear on the city of Zumfut.

Then again, seeing as she had been standing in front of the Gate in Urbus for a couple of hours and opening the gate's menu time and time again, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

Giving only one look at the town around her, which consisted in three gigantic baobab trees hollowed on the inside, the girl walked towards the silent figure that was standing not far from her, looking out towards the massive forests that covered the entire floor.

"Hey, Sensei." silently greeted Asuna, her voice not holding anger or accusation, only worry. "I see you took a decision."

"…I did."

"…and what happened, then?"

The boy snorted, a bitter look fixed upon his face.

"Seems like 'God' doesn't like when someone breaks his rules."

Asuna wasn't totally sure of what he meant by that statement, but was able to understand the most important part of it.

"I see…what do we do now, then?"

This time, the boy didn't seem to show any doubt or opposition when she said 'we'.

"We wait. We make sure people don't do anything stupid…and I continue training you."

"Oh? And that sudden interest?"

"Kayaba probably doesn't want ME to get in the way of…whatever the fuck reason why he put us in here. But he most likely won't stop anyone else. And he can't stop me from helping someone else become stronger, better." his eyes shot towards Asuna, who felt a strange chill run down her back as his steely gaze. "I'm going to turn you into someone that can make sure that we can get out of here. Into someone that can not only survive, but that can guide everyone to victory when I can't be around."

A sudden burst of wind shot through the scene, making the cape of the boy and the hair of the girl to flap wildly at the wind.

Asuna felt the gamer's next word echo into her very soul.

"Are you ready?"

People started to get out of the Teleport Gate, many of them confused, wide-eyed or shouting for an explanation.

The chestnut-haired girl grinned, feeling once again that strange 'fire' burning inside her.

"I am, Kirito-sensei."

Someone looked at them. A voice rose while several hands pointed their way…or, more exactly, Kirito's way, more than one recognizing him and a couple understanding what most likely had happened.

"Don't call me that." he replied with his own, small grin. "And let's move."

With that said, he jumped off the city-tree, even as other players with unclear intentions stopped running towards them to gap in shock/horror.

Asuna just laughed openly before jumping after him.

"Whatever you say, Sensei!"

Two minutes later, when the shocked onlookers recovered enough courage to move and look down the deadly height and at the deep forests bellow, no one had any doubt that both crazy players had survived the fall.

And that was how a Legend truly began…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Nyahaha, hello everyone, this is Argo, the greatest information broker in all of Aincrad! Any info you need to know can be yours by a totally fair amount of Col! ANY INFO. (Evil laughter). Today, I'm here to give you the preview for the next chapter, while I try to think how to exploit Kii-bou's new superpowers for my…I mean, for EVERYONE's benefit, eheheh! Well, no worry about that, I'm sure Aa-chan will keep him from doing anything too stupid…I hope. Uhm, anyway, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude! 'Justice of the Heart!' Hmm, what's this? Kii-bou has a little sister? I didn't know that! And why is she riding a-?

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's note** : And done! That's another chapter of this madness XP If anyone is interested, all the data about the Floors and the Bosses comes from the 'SAO Progressive' series, so it's all canon. Don't worry though, to those who aren't familiar with the novels, next time we start going through the 'events' that happened in the anime…though with many and surprising twists, as it should already be obvious :D (Also, Argo will have a more active role than the 'background, then forgotten character' one that she has in the main series XP). And I hope you enjoyed the small 'Saitama vs. Genos' reference, even if it wasn't even a sliver as epic as the real one was (That battle is just SO GREAT in the anim…).

But first, as Argo already told you all, a small interlude with my favorite female SAO character and many direct 'references' to my favorite One Punch-Man character (After Saitama, of course). Because it's not only in the virtual world that things are changing in unexpected ways OwO!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!

 **PS:** If anyone is interested, I have been going through the previous chapters and fixing the several mistakes they had, be it awkwardly-written parts or grammatical ones, as best as I could. It may be not perfect, but as a non-native English speaker/writer, I'm doing the best I can (Also, fixed a written mistake in the first chapter, Kirito is only 1 year older than Suguha, not two, give or take some months because her birthday isn't specified). Anyway, see ya!


	5. Interlude: Justice of the Heart!

Here we go again :3! Enjoy this short interlude!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: Justice of the Heart!**

 **December 22nd, 2022. Japan, 16:30…**

It was a cold evening on the city, but many people were still out in the streets, preparing or finishing their shopping for the incoming festivities.

Yet, one could easily tell that the mood wasn't as cheerful as it usually was around this time of the year. In fact, one could notice the same in almost every corner of Japan.

As one girl currently sitting at the side of a hospital bed knew, that was because of the incident that had affected the whole nation.

Even now, almost 2 months since it began, the Sword Art Online Incident still affected everyone in the country and even the world beyond. No one had been able to find a way or clue about how to release the trapped players yet, and that was something that affected everyone's morale, though it was certainly harder for the families or loved ones of those trapped inside that virtual world.

And Kirigaya Suguha was one of such people. As she did almost every day, the young girl sat while looking at the unconscious form of her 'brother', that thrice dammed helmet around his head seeming like a physical curse in her eyes.

He was getting thinner and his skin had gone a little paler. It hurt her, seeing him like that, way worse than she had ever thought anything could hurt her.

She just couldn't believe that, just when they FINALLY had begun to reconnect, to stop being two strangers in the same house and to get to know each other again, when they had found something they could enjoy together…something like THIS had happened.

It almost seemed like a cruel joke of the world. The 'revelation' that her mother had given her not long ago didn't exactly help matters.

To think that she and Kazuto weren't really brother and sister…of course, she didn't think anything less of him just because he had been adopted, and technically he was still her cousin, but…

Suddenly, the strange and unexplainable way in which he had started to drift apart from her and her parents since 4 years ago made much more sense. The boy must have discovered the truth and, being only 10 years old at the time, it had affected him very badly. He had isolated and tried to distance himself emotionally from them because, suddenly, he didn't feel as if he belonged with their family.

She had taken it way better because, despite being just thirteen years old, she was also very mature for her age. Maybe it was because of how she had been practicing kendo since very young. Their grandfather had always been very strict and insisted that the sport needed as much mental as physical fortitude…

An old memory of the short time her brother practiced kendo together with her shot through her mind. That also brought back that day he told their grandfather that he didn't want to practice anymore, mainly because of his growing interest in computers thanks to the influence of their mother job on him. The man, who was someone deeply rooted in old traditions, had been outraged by that.

But then, Suguha had then gotten in the way and told him that she would train hard enough for them two of them, to calm down their grandfather, scared that he would end up hitting Kazuto with his shinai.

She remembered that the boy had been especially sweet with her after that…until he found out the 'truth', at least.

That had changed again when they shared that seemingly silly but precious moment, laughing and enjoying together the adventures of a man frustrated of ending every fight with one punch. That seemingly unimportant anime had managed to make them close again. Suguha couldn't remember being happier in a long time.

And now, because of a madman's whims, Kazuto was…

"Onii-chan…" muttered the girl while putting a hand over his. "I miss you…"

Closing her eyes, she tried to give some of the warmth of her hand to his, despite knowing it would be futile. Thanks to the 'Nerve Gear', no external stimuli could reach Kazuto. She could understand it better now, at least.

The first week of the incident she had spent many nights crying at his side, sometimes even shouting and asking him to wake up between sobs, even going so far of blaming him for breaking their promise just to see if he would react.

She felt the worst after having said those words, despite knowing he couldn't hear her.

A look at the clock made her aware that it was almost 5 in the evening. She would need to head home soon.

Through the first weeks of the incident, either she or her mother would sometimes spend the night in the hospital, she more often than not despite what her mother said.

Eventually, she had returned to 'normalcy', going to school and her kendo practices and trying to not let what had happened show too much.

With a final sigh, the girl let go of her adopted brother's hand, standing up and giving him one last glance before exiting the hospital room.

Even as she walked out of the hospital and into the cold night, Kirigaya Suguha couldn't help but feel very small.

"…there is nothing I can do for him…" she weakly muttered as she started her walk back home. "Onii-chan…I wish I…"

The girl closed her eyes, banishing that line of thought for her own good before looking at the passing cars. She shouldn't be feeling bad for something like that.

After all, she was just a teenage girl. There was nothing she could possibly do for…

 _'No one expects much…of me.'_

Suguha froze, those words suddenly shooting through her mind even as her eyes widened.

 _'It's not about winning or losing! It's about me, taking you on, here and now!'_

Suddenly, the girl was no longer walking, but running back home.

* * *

After watching One Punch-Man together with her brother, Suguha has been the first one in asking the usual question of _'Who is your favorite character?'_

Her brother, obviously, had answered Saitama, and refused to change it when she had asked who else BESIDES Saitama.

In his own joking words, why would he need to choose anyone that wasn't as cool as the guy who could beat everyone and everything (Even if that frustrated him most of the time) with no real effort?

That had ended up with her pouting and mock-hitting him, even as he pleaded between laughs for her to stop.

Then, he had asked who HER favorite character was, if it wasn't Saitama. Kazuto seemed to be sure she was going to say 'Genos', so he seemed truly surprised by her answer.

Because there had been a character who both siblings had laughed at, the first time they saw him. Whose character's name in itself was a 'joke' about a much more famous and older series of Japanese heroes. He was not only a side-character, but also a 'crappy' one at that.

He wasn't impressive in any sense, didn't had any 'cool' powers, equipment or abilities like others, much cool-looking, heroes had. He didn't seem to be more than a running joke.

And then, the Sea King Arc happened.

Even when the mighty monster had totally destroyed several heroes, all of them much more powerful than him, one being even an S-Class…Despite the fact that there was no way for him to do ANYTHING against it…that man had still faced it, stopping the Disaster Level-Demon monster from killing Genos.

Not even he believed he could slow down the powerful beast, much less win against it. He KNEW he was fighting a hopeless battle, that he was most likely going to die…

But he had still fought on. He had still used every ounce of his will to stand time and time again, despite his body being beaten and broken by the Sea King, who didn't even had to try hard to slam him away.

Because that's what a HERO had to do. Because he was someone who truly embodied that ideal. Because no matter how weak or useless he was, no matter how little he could do, he was ready to give it ALL to protect the innocents, all in the name of Justice.

His words had even managed to make the hopeless people BELIEVE in him and cheer him up, even when he himself had accepted he had no chance. His Will and Spirit were contagious, his Heart pure and righteous, even more so than any other character in the strange series except for maybe Saitama.

And in a way, his effort had been WORHT IT. Despite utterly losing, as it was clear was going to happen, both siblings had realized that, if he hadn't been there and done his best, Genos and all the civilians there would have died before Saitama showed up. The Strongest Man himself had been there to catch him when he fell, and tell him something that rang more true than anything else, before going to save the day himself.

 _'You did your best. Nice fight.'_

Despite Kazuto's denials when she called him out on it later, she would always know that even her brother had been moved by the speech of the one who called himself the Cyclist for Justice.

That was why Licenseless Rider was and would always be her favorite character.

Because despite seeming nothing more than a powerless guy that ran around failing, at the end of the day, he was much more of a Hero than many others, stronger ones.

He was someone who had a Heart of Justice.

And remembering his words had shaken Suguha to the core, making her wonder WHY she had felt so useless and just cried for so long.

Because even if she was small, just a simple teenager that had no way of helping her brother or doing anything about the SAO Incident, she could still TRY to do SOMETHING.

How could she just surrender and cry when she hadn't even tried yet? Hadn't Licenseless Rider taught her (Like many other hidden 'teachings' that the seemingly silly anime had) that one shouldn't give up until trying their very best?

And so, that's why she was currently sitting on her brother's room, the 3 monitors of his computer turned on as she finished reading what she needed.

The clock said that it was 7 in the evening. She had spent a bit more than an hour, but now she knew all that she could about the SAO Incident without being part of the government. She had gone through all the news and official info she could find, and even through some forums where people discussed everything about it, from theories about Kayaba Akihiko's plans to fundraising sfor the people whose families were trapped. She had even discovered that the daughter of Yuuki Shouzou, CEO of RECT Inc. (The company currently taking charge of the SAO Servers), was also one of the victims of the incident.

Smiling softly at remembering it had been Kazuto who had showed her what she knew about how to navigate through the network, while they had been looking for the One Punch-Man manga, Suguha closed the last window after finishing writing something on a paper and started to turn off the computer, thinking.

She gave another look to the clock, then at the small paper where she had written the address of the SAO Case Victims Rescue Force's building on the city.

Her mother was going to be late for work again that day and she didn't want to worry her, but she would never make it in time running, and she didn't had any money for the bus right then…

Suddenly, Suguha's eyes widened and, after an instant of hesitation, the girl ran downstairs.

Slowly, the door of the small garage of the Kirigaya House opened.

As if it was meant to be specifically dramatic, the light coming from it directly illuminated the object lying against the wall on the furthest corner of it, forgotten by time and yet seeming as sturdy and ready as ever.

Suguha could swear she was hearing a certain epic and very cool Theme Song playing on the background even as she looked directly at her brother's old bicycle.

Quickly, the girl walked towards it…and stopped, as if just remembering something. It was silly, almost stupid, really, and she needed to hurry, but…

"…where did mom put those bicycle helmets?" muttered the young kendoka while starting to look around for said items.

And as Suguha walked towards some of the boxes of the garage to search for a helmet she could use…she didn't see how the bicycle suddenly shone with an ethereal light, for a brief instant.

The next moment, she shouted in victory at having found an (Strangely of her size) soft-green and yellow riding helmet.

Even as the girl exited the house atop the bicycle, on its throne above Everything, Fate smiled once again.

It looked like things were going to get even more interesting…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Huff, wah, how long has it been since I rode one of these…? Uh? Oh, hi everyone, this is Suguha! Uhm, I'm not really sure of what's going on, but it seems I need to give you the preview for the next chapter…Kids, never do something like this while riding a bicycle, okay?! It's dangerous and you may get hurt! Anyway, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Inner Strength!' Kirito meets again someone he thought he wasn't going to see again, and he and his disciple suddenly have…followers? And what will happen when the wish of one for surpassing her limits grows stronger?! Don't miss it!...wait, what's this even about? Who is Kirito? Ahh, I don't have time for this, I need to keep moving! Don't worry Onii-chan, I will do my best for helping yo-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Ahh, done XP! Well, I know this was short, but that's because it's an interlude, yet I enjoyed doing it a lot because it's about two of my favorite characters of both series of this crossover. Can anyone see where this is going :D?

Anyway, if anyone is interested in knowing, the only 'major' change on the background-timeline that I made these last chapters was that Argus Company (The ones who released SAO without knowing of Kayaba's plans) went bankrupt a month earlier, that originally happened at the beginning of 2023. Not really relevant, so I changed it in favor of the plot O,O Anyway, don't miss next chapter, where Kirito and Asuna will meet some good characters that most of you should already know, but that are 'different' because of how things have changed…will our heroes we able to also change their tragic fates? Who knows!

Also, I'm having doubts about if I should add some sort of small 'Christmas Event' on the next chapter, because after all we're getting near that time of the year, and I'm also thinking about adding two characters a bit later that are original from the SAO videogame 'Hollow Fragment'. What do you think?

That said, thanks again for reading, leave me a review with your thoughts if you have time (And if you're a Guest Reviewer try at least to change the 'Guest' name if you want to ask a question, so I don't get confused about who I'm answering to), until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	6. Chapter 4: Inner Strength!

Hello again, everyone, and welcome to the next chapter of this thing! Well, it looks like more people than I thought like it, and that's always good OwO…oh, and by the way, do you think I should remove the 'Crack' bit of the story's summary? For me it still seems a bit cracky, but some people thinks that it's not so I'm not sure…anyway, for now, enjoy!

Oh, and I decided to add a small Christmas scene at the beginning anyway (Though it's not exactly Christmas-like, but eh…). Enjoy that too! (Also first 'serious' timeskip ahead XP!)

 **WARNING:** SO, I realized the next day after it, but for some reason the page didn't recognize my last upload as a chapter and didn't update the 'updated status' of the fic._. I did, in fact, upload a small chapter/Interlude in December 6, so if you have come directly to this chapter then please go back and read that first. I don't know how that happened…

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Inner Strength! Surpass your Limits, Young One!**

 **December 25. Somewhere in the 5th Floor. 00:01…**

Snow lazily fell on Aincrad, while, on a hill of the silent Floor, a boy and a girl sat and looked at the endless virtual sky beyond. One was clad in black and white and the other on some sort of red-brown winter coat made from the fur of some bear mob.

"…merry Christmas, Sensei."

"Merry Christmas, Asuna." replied the boy while putting the cup of some hot beverage that tasted kind of like tea to his mouth. "Got any wish for the festivities?"

"That the next Bosses are something less stupid than a living tree and a giant horse-sea." the girl smiled at the chuckle that came from the boy at that, especially given that he had been unable to join said battles. "…it's really shitty that everyone but you can enter the Dungeons."

"Well, at least I can still go into side-dungeons. It would have been annoying to be unable to at least take care of the Sub-Bosses…" the boy idly looked at his cup. "…is Kibaou still as annoying as ever?"

"Ugh, please don't remind me, you should have seen the scene he made when I gave the last attack to that dammed hippocampus…people could have died fighting that oversized sea freak and he was only worried of calling me a cheater because everyone knows I go around with you!" the girl shook her head, banishing those thoughts from her mind. "The idiot and his equally stupid followers don't get how much we really owe you, Sensei…"

"Eh, I just do what I can do, that's all. I mostly do it for fun, anyway…"

"Kirito-sensei, please, you know that that bull doesn't work with me anymore. If you did it only for fun then you wouldn't lost so much sleep over running through the Frontlines when you aren't helping me…" the girl looked up, towards the fake sky/ceiling that separated them from the next floor. "I wouldn't be as strong as I am now either if it wasn't for your teachings…"

"Don't say that. You have had the talent since the beginning, you were only lacking in motivation." the black-haired boy send a comforting smile to her while saying those words. "I'm sure that, even if I hadn't gotten involved, you would have still become a great player…"

"Perhaps…but I wouldn't be half as good as I am now. And in this situation, that wouldn't be good enough." Asuna looked down at her own, empty cup. "…still sad you can't spend Christmas with your family?"

"Of course." shamelessly accepted him before casting a worried glance her way. "You?"

"Heh…for me Christmas has either been long social gatherings where I could only smile or fancy meals where I had to pretend being interested in what the adults said for a long time. I can't even remember last time I had a TRUE Christmas Eve." the chestnut-haired girl gazed at the strange boy at her side. "Probably since my grandparents passed away…uh, what do you know? It's the first time I think about that in years. Makes me feel a bit bad…"

"I know that feeling. I just remembered, but some months before I started to…distance myself from her, I planted Salvia on a countryside land for my little sister." at the girl's blinking look, he just laughed softly. "When we were little she loved the taste of the flower's nectar. I also liked it, but she really loved the thing. Mother would get angry with her because she took too many…" his eyes wandered once again, as they sometimes did, to something beyond the virtual world surrounding them. "Then, on her birthday, she said she wanted to gather a lot of salvias to drink their nectar, so I bought some seeds with my allowance and planted them near an old shrine…but, later, I couldn't find the way back there, so I gave up. That was almost 5 years ago…I wonder if the flowers are still there?" the caped boy sighed and looked back to his cup, starting to drink what was left. "Maybe I will search for it again when we get out of here, to finally give them to her…"

"I see…" softly muttered Asuna before looking forward, softly tapping her empty cup. "…Sensei, are you a siscon?"

The rapier-user had to try very hard to not break out laughing when the boy did a spit-take and crushed his cup into vanishing polygons.

"COUGH, cough, wagh…WHAT?!"

"Well, is just that, the only thing I ever heard you talking about is your little sister, so…"

"Tha-that has nothing to do with…!"

"Is she cute?" Asuna cut him with a still wide smile, throwing the boy off balance.

"U-uh? We-well, yeah, I guess Sugu is really cute, but…!"

"I see…so Sensei is THAT kind of guy…"

"I'M TELLING YOU IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Kirito's outburst died pretty quickly when he saw the girl finally give up and start openly laughing, almost falling on her side while doing so. "…sometimes, I wonder if I wouldn't be better off just running away while you sleep."

"Oh, c'mon Kirito-kun, don't say that!" the change in the way with which she addressed him always managed to get the boy to calm down or forgive her rare jokes at his expense, sadly for him. "You know you like me too much for doing that…" she looked to the side, still smiling. "But not as much as your little sister."

"ASUNAAAA!"

"Ahahaha, Merry Christmas, Sensei!"´

"Yep, merry Christmas to both of you too! As cheerful as usual, I see."

"EH?!"

"Wha…?! Argo?! What are you doing here?! And how did you find us?!"

"Man, so cold, Kii-bou, is that the way to greet a friend in Christmas? Also, I have been standing here for a while, but I thought it would be better to not interrupt you."

"…uhm, and how did you find us?"

"Heheh, you are too naïve, Aa-chan, if you think there is a place in Aincrad where I CAN'T find you."

"…you DO know how sinister and ominous that sounds, right?"

And that was how their first Christmas of Aincrad went for our heroes…

* * *

 **January 20th, 2023. 25th Floor, 13:30…**

There was something in the air that was 'different' that day. One could feel it by just looking at the savage visage that was the Frontline, a complex maze-like land with plenty of pitfall traps throughout the floor, many of which led to poisonous swamps.

Sharing that same tension, on the city closer to the current Dungeon, a certain boy clad in black and white stood atop a house, his eyes shooting from the not-far-away Tower to his open menu.

He had been there for quite a while, and seemed pretty uneasy, but he could still notice perfectly when he was no longer alone in the rooftop.

"Hey Argo. Any news?"

"Geeze, Kii-bou, you could at least say hello properly, you know?" complained the info broker while crossing her arms and looking at him. "It's kind of hard for us common players to get to places like this…"

"Argo, please."

"…okay then, I see you're in no mood for jokes right now." sighed the girl after noticing the worried tone on the boy's voice. "They should be arriving to the dungeon around now, more or less. I'm sure Aa-chan already told you that she saw Diavel acting weird since the strategy meeting yesterday, and I already know why: Kibaou."

"Why does that NOT surprise me…?" muttered the gamer while putting a hand on his face.

"Yeah, well, it seems that he's not taking too well that Diavel has started to rely more and more in Aa-chan lately in Boss battles or that he takes her opinion about the Strategy in consideration." the Rat seemed to grin softly at saying that. "Can't blame the self-proclaimed 'Knight', though, you have made sure that she becomes an amazing player, and there is no denying that she's one of the stronger players right now, maybe even THE strongest…"

"Don't make it sound as if I did most of the work. Asuna herself is…"

"Yes, yes, I know, your beloved disciple is amazing because of her own efforts and talents, you don't need to tell me again…" the hooded girl's face split into a grin at noticing the tic appearing on the boy's eye when she added the 'beloved' part. "But anyway, things aren't looking really good with the Aincrad Liberation Squad because of that. If Kibaou ends up seriously disagreeing or challenging Diavel's authority then the guild could seriously split apart…"

"I just hope that doesn't make cactus-head do something stupid. Well, stupider than what he usually says, I mean." frowned the boy while looking towards the dungeon once again. "There is something that has been making me uneasy since the Front Liners arrived to the Dungeon, but I don't know what. I…have this sinister bad feeling, for some reason…"

"That's kind of ominous coming from you, you know? Especially because of how excited people is about this battle." Argo walked to his side, also looking towards the strangely ominous tower. "We have already come a quarter of the way, and in little more than 3 months at that. Not to mention that, thanks to a certain 'gamer playing Hero', the deaths have barely reached the 900…" the girl purposefully put a hand on Kirito's shoulder at seeing him grimace at that, as if to remember him that he couldn't' be everywhere all the time. "The hopes about getting out of here have never been higher."

"Yes, I know." the black-haired boy seemed to sigh at that, his shoulder slumping while her weird but reliable friend offered him a comforting smile. "It's just that…you know how absurdly hard this Floor has been. Not only the crazy-hard topography, but also the stronger monsters. Even losing three days of slept I failed to save more people than ever before in here, and that just for players to GET THROUGH the Floor. And to that we need to add the almost non-existent info about the Floor from NPCs." that part made Argo frown, for not even her had been able to find much info about the dangerous and hostile area they were currently in. "Who knows how things will be inside the Dungeon…I don't know, but maybe this is why I have this bad fee…"

Suddenly, the boy's eyes shot up, hearing the familiar ring of a message arriving. Ignoring Argo's raised eyebrow, Kirito quickly opened the message, seeing it was from Asuna and sensing his uneasy feeling growing.

 _'Sensei, we just arrived in front of the Dungeon, but something is wrong. Kibaou's group isn't here where they should have reunited with us…and the wall of energy is gone. You know it was here just yesterday, but when we got here it WASN'T. That…doesn't mean anything good, right?'_

"Kii-bou?" muttered Argo while the wide-eyed boy finished reading the message. "Was it Aa-chan? What did she sa…?"

The hooded girl wasn't even able to finish her words, because the boy had already JUMPED to the heavens like a missile, shooting towards the Tower.

He didn't paid any minds to the venomous swamp in which he landed or to the massive and deformed mobs that rose from it to try and sank him to his death. The black-clad boy simply shot forward like a bullet, almost blurring out of existence at doing so and throwing poisonous fang and shocked monsters away as he did so, his thoughts running wildly.

Since that day on the 3rd Floor, he had been unable to get inside any Dungeon thanks to the strange 'Light Walls' that blocked the entrance to them all. Even though their appearance had initially surprised the Front Liners, they learned to ignore them when it was clear that, apparently, they didn't block anyone's entrance in to the Towers…except for him, but they had only learned that when an angry Asuna had screamed it at them when Kibaou had called him a coward and tried once again to get everyone to hate him because he hadn't shown up in any Boss Fight since the 1st Floor and his 'supposed' solo-clearing of the 2nd one.

He had been honestly surprised by his disciple's outburst, especially because he had stated many times that he didn't care what the cactus-headed idiot or his followers thought, but he had still felt something warm on his heart at seeing that the usually calm girl would lost her composure for him.

It felt nice, to have a close friend. He couldn't remember ever having one, mainly because of his usually closed-in personality, which had only gotten worse since he discovered he was adopted.

But that aside, the point was that he had been unable to enter inside the Dungeons and forced into a 'secondary' role on the game, sticking to training Asuna as best as he could and running around making sure people were okay, not to mention always trying to take care of the occasionally annoying Sub-Boss that blocked the players path, ignoring Kibaou's complains of how he was trying to steal experience from them, the hard-working players.

That hadn't changed even when reaching this exceptionally hard Floor. Until yesterday, that wall of light had still been there.

The only reason for it to suddenly vanish would maybe be something like…

His train of thought ended abruptly when he found himself arriving to the Dungeon's entrance, the uneasy and discussing forms of the Front Liners there catching his eyes as much as the open way into the dark Tower.

Asuna and Diavel were arguing in front of the light wall-lacking entrance.

More than one player gasped or turned around when they noticed his brutal landing, Kirito ignoring the mix of awe and distrust being sent his way as he walked towards the chestnut-haired girl and the blue-haired 'leader' of the Front Liners.

"Sensei!" shouted Asuna at seeing him, her light armor and red-brown clothes flapping slightly as she turned around, the heavily armored Diavel gulping and reflexively patting his chest plate at seeing him.

She was also wearing armored boots and gauntlets that covered half her limbs, of a dark-grey color, but the boy's sanity had long-since gotten over the absurdly Genos-like look that that gave her on his mind.

"I'm glad you came, I was trying to convince them to wait for…!"

"Thanks, Asuna." he curtly said before looking towards Diavel, the girl not getting offended by the apparent dismissal at noticing his serious look. "How long since the wall vanished?"

"We…don't know. It was still here this morning, though, or someone from Kibaou's team would have reported it." his eyes once again turned to the open entrance, looking around. "Where the hell is he…?"

"Don't you think it's weird that it randomly disappeared?" the tallest person there, the axe-user known as Agil, spoke up while walking at them. "I may not be an expert on these things, but I know my way around games, and deadly one or not SAO has been a 'fair' one till now. It doesn't make sense for the wall blocking HIM specifically…" his eyes shot towards the deep-thinking form of Kirito at saying that. "…to just vanish without reason. It would need some kind of trigger or some…"

"The Boss." the words coming from the boy clad in black and white got everyone's attention, especially at noticing the dark understanding in them. "Kayaba himself put these walls to stop me. So, if he programmed them to come down at any moment and for any reason…" his eyes shot up. "Then I can't think of anything else but someone reaching the Boss Room and facing it."

The blue-haired man paled, noticing the implied meaning behind those words.

"…and that would mean…that this Boss is…"

He didn't get to finish his words, though, because Kirito had already shot past them, ignoring Asuna's cries for him to wait for them and promising he would apologize later.

Ignoring the annoying feeling of crashing against the walls for going too fast through an area he didn't know at all, the boy just prayed that Kibaou hadn't dragged 40 people to their deaths.

* * *

"…did you hear that?"

The sudden words of the brown-haired boy made the entire party stop, the small guild turning to look at their leader with confused eyes.

"Hear what, Keita?" asked the only girl of the group while gripping her lance tighter, her eyes shooting around while trying to put her back to her guild mates.

"I don't know, Sachi…but it sounded like a scream." the boy noticed the uneasy looks going through his friends when he said that, but he still turned to look at the one he knew could help in this situation. "Ducker, can you tell me if you get something?"

"Just a moment, 'Boss'." cheerfully replied the dark yellow-haired Treasure Hunter of the guild, mainly to try and disperse everyone's fear as he concentrated on his Tracking Skill. "…woah, I sense a big group of players just around that corner." the boy pointed towards a hallway opposite of where they were heading while frowning. "All of them seem to be running around, though…"

"A big group? Do you think it's the Front Liners?" asked Tetsuo while lightly tapping his mace on a wall. "Does that mean we're close to the Boss Room?"

"Man, then that means we're more lost than we thought…" sighed Sasamaru with a tired smile, the second spear user of the group looking back at their leader. "Maybe we should just call it a day and use the Teleport Crystals? The monsters here have been horribly hard and I think we shouldn't tempt Fate anymore…"

"Hmm, maybe you're right." the staff-user gave another look at the faces of the Moonlit Black Cats before nodding. "Okay then, we will get back to town and call…"

The now very clear scream that tore through the hallway made the words die on his throat and caused everyone to look at where Ducker had pointed less than 2 minutes ago.

A last, uneasy glance was shared between the Guild-members before they all ran TOWARDS the source of the scream, getting to the end of the dark hallway and turning around, speeding down the new and much bigger one before stopping in front of the opened massive gate that led to an immense circular room.

Inside, the scene was terrifying enough to freeze the 5 of them in place.

Keita knew that things had been going WAY better for him and his friends from the Computer Club than he could have ever hoped since they got trapped in Sword Art Online. Mainly thanks to the original rumors of the 'Hero' known as the Black-White Blur on the 1st Floor, he and his eventual guild had not only gotten enough Hope and Valor to venture into the world, but also to become much stronger than one would have expected if they had seen how scared they originally were that first day on the Starting City, Sachi most of all.

Now, they were strong enough to be grinding in the Front Lines, as long as they were all together, of course. The only reason why they hadn't actively joined the Clearing group was because of that small lingering fear for their lives and because Keita didn't want to risk the lives of his friends for any reason, hence why they never went anywhere if it wasn't the whole guild together and why they tried to delay as much as possible exploring the Dungeons for items, Col and exp. every time they arrived to a new Floor.

And yet…the scene they were witnessing right now wasn't like anything they had ever imagined about fighting a Boss.

Because the creature standing on the room not far from them couldn't be called anything else but a monster of nightmare. Standing more than 10 meters high and with a massive body that seemed to be made purely out of steel-hard muscles; the abomination didn't look like anything than any group of humans could ever face, at least not without expecting most of them to die horribly.

And then, as if that wasn't horrible enough already, there were the heads. TWO of them, parodies of humanity and hairless, the red eyes of the monster promising only death and destruction as its teeth were shown because of his double-roar

Blocking the retreating path of the scattered group, the massive two-headed giant swung one of his arms down and the scared members of the Aincrad Liberation Squad were barely able to get out of the way.

Then, fast as lighting, one of its feet shot forward and slammed into two of the players that were trying to stand, their bodies shattering into polygons without giving them time to even scream.

Kibaou screamed once again with a mix of rage and horror, his group of 40 having already been reduced to 30. Any sense of unity or hope had already abandoned them all and now it was just a massive mad run to try and get out of the room, to escape of the absurdly strong and deadly Boss that put all others they had faced before to shame.

"O-oh God…!" screamed Sachi while taking a step backwards, her eyes wide with horror.

"Shi-shit! The-they're all dying!"

"Gu-guys, we need to get out of here, like, RIGHT NOW!"

"Te-Tetsuo is right, let's get out before…Keita?!" Ducker's words made everyone look in shock how their leader took a step forward while gulping, gripping his two-handed staff while looking pale as a sheet. "What are you doing?!"

"Everyone, get back to town, NOW! Use the crystals! When you get out of the dungeon you should be able to send messages, so contact someone who can tell the rest of the Front Liners what's going on!" running while trying to tell himself to ignore his fear, Keita raised his staff high over his head. "I will try to get his attention to let them get out of the room!"

The screams from his friends to not do something stupid and for him to come back immediately ran through the guild leader's mind even as he arrived to the base of the distracted giant, his weapon shining as he unleashed a Sword Skill on the monster's feet.

One of its massive heads slowly turned towards him even as he began running away towards one of the room's sides parallel to the door, several of the Front Liners pointing at him with shock.

"RUN!" shouted the brown-haired boy even as he felt one of the fists as big as a car slam down just behind. Many of the players didn't need to be told twice and started a mad dash towards the exit, but some of them were still too shocked to move.

And others…

"Wha-what are you all doing?!" screamed Kibaou at seeing most of his group running away. "I-it's distracted; we should be attacking, not running like co…!"

"Fuck that! Are you insane?!" the unknown voice made the cactus-headed moron turn to the side in time to see Ducker throwing a small knife through the air, the Throwing Skill activating and making it hit the side of the giant's left head, doing laughable damage but managing to turn part of its attention off Keita. "Your people is dying here, you should be helping them get to safety!"

"Who the fuck are yo…!?"

"UAAAAHHH!" Tetsuo's scream echoed through the room as he charged against the Boss and slammed his mace against it, his small kite shield already rose as he started running back when its attention shifted once again. "Keita, let's go!"

"Tetsuo?! Ducker?! What are you doing?! I told you to…!"

"We're not abandoning you, man!" shouted Sasamaru while grabbing one of the shocked players, slapping him and pushing him towards the door, screaming at him to move. "What happened to that of never going off on our own?!"

"Bu-but this…!"

"They're right, Keita!" even Sachi, the one clearly scared the most of the situation, was there, urging the scared players to move while pointing to the exit with her spear. "We're in this together and we promise to get of this together, remember?! So don't go telling us to left you behind! You're not the one taking care of us exclusively; we take care of you too!"

"Sachi…everyone…" the boy bit his lips and tried to hold back his tears even as he once again ran and unleashed another skill against the Boss, who didn't even had time to shift his attention at him before the fast-moving Ducker threw more flying knives at him. "…thanks."

"Everyone is almost out! We can do this!" Sachi's voice as filled with hope even as the monster roared and tried to crush Tetsuo once again, just for another combined attack from Keita and Ducker to distract him enough for their friend to roll outta the way. Gulping at how close that had been, the girl of bluish-black hair stopped at the wide-eyed Kibaou's side. "Quick, get out, now!"

"Wha-what are you saying?! Do you think I will let myself get humiliated by a bunch of no ones like you?!" snarled the man while standing up, surprising Sachi even as he gripped his sword and once again charged at the Boss. "I'm NOT running away like a coward!"

"Wa-wait, what are you doing?!" shouted the girl as she tried to ran after the madman, her guild mates stopping in the middle of their improvised hit-and-run distraction tactic at the unexpected intervention.

"THIS IS FOR THE ONES YOU HAVE KILLED, BASTAAAARD!" screamed the cactus-headed man as he slashed at the back of one of the monster's exposed feet.

The first of its 7 HP Bars, who had been mostly depleted by his group before they broke out into panic and fear, vanished.

The giant's four eyes glowed white as it turned around, Kibaou's eyes widening at seeing how its arms started glowing with a reddish light.

Sachi froze in place just as the Martial Arts Skill was unleashed and the fists of the immense giant slammed on the place where the other player had been standing, one after the other.

The girl couldn't' even see Kibaou's last expression of horror because he had already broken down into polygons when the second fist rose from where he had been.

Then, the giant's 4 eyes zeroed on her. Sachi could feel her grip on her spear slackening.

The monster took one step forward, ignoring everyone's attempt to distract him like before, his changed battle-tactic making it so that he was only focused on Sachi. His fists started to shine again.

The girl was aware of how her guild mates were screaming for her to run away or to try and use her Teleport Crystal, but she knew it would be useless. The monster's fists were too fast for its size and she wasn't fast enough.

When both fists were raised and started to descend over her, Sachi realized she was going to die.

She closed her eyes, regretting being unable to see her friends again on the real world as they had promised, and braced herself for the impact that would send her to oblivion.

BAAAAAM!

…uh, how weird. She had clearly heard that, but she hadn't felt anything. Death was much more peaceful than she had thought it would…

"…hey. I know you."

The sudden voice, unknown yet strangely familiar, made the spear-user open her eyes in shock.

Then, she let go of her spear (Vaguely noticing that she had fell on her ass at some point) and let her mouth to hang open and join the same expression that her guild mates had just then.

Standing there, wincing slightly but still grinning at her, was a boy, clad in white and black, his most notorious feature probably being the cape that hung from his back.

And he was stopping the massive giant's fist from crushing her, with just one hand. The floor around his feet had cracked, too, showing both the impossibility of the feat and that, for some reason, the ground wasn't an Immortal Object in that room.

The boy…was someone she knew. She had seen him once, on the 1st Floor, when she accidentally crashed against him. She had even shared a couple of words with him.

Later, when the news of the 1st Floor Boss Battle spread through Aincrad, she and her friends had been surprised, then confused, wondering if the silly-looking boy she had crashed against could really be the mysterious 'Hero' of Aincrad, based on the description they were giving of him. They had shared a laugh at that extremely silly thought.

"I think we didn't get to introduce ourselves that time, though. Name is Kirito, a gamer playing as a Hero for fun." the boy offered her a wide smile this time, even as he raised his second hand to stop the monster when the second fist crashed over the fist.

"I…I...I'm Sachi." whispered the girl with a minuscule voice, still in shock, but, as she just realized, no longer deadly scared.

She realized, then, that the reason behind the boy's seemingly silly banter had been calming her down since the beginning.

"Well then, Sachi, what you and your friends just did was really brave and really stupid…so, I think you can safely call yourselves heroes too." the boy PUSHED, the massive Boss finally realizing something was wrong even as it was forced back several steps, Ducker's words of 'No fucking way!' echoing in the background even as he gave Sachi one last look. "Let me take care of this now.

Then, as he started to turn around, Sachi became the second person ever in 'seeing' the 'phenomenon'.

On her eyes, the boy's silly looks became absurdly serious and impressive, muscles that she was sure he didn't have a second ago seeming to be highlighted under the eerie light of the room and his face became a mask of darkness where only two white circles of Nothing shone.

When he finished giving his back to her, his cape suddenly flapped up, seeming more like a living wave of white flame than anything else to the suddenly mute Sachi.

The two heads of the giant roared at unison as it tried to crush the boy again, but he simply BLURRED out of existence so fast that it left an after-image of him standing in place, before reappearing at the side of the creature and kicking one of its legs.

Four more of its HP bars were reduced to nothing even as the massive beast flew over itself and crashed against the other side of the room.

Tetsuo dropped his mace, not even trying to pretend he wasn't staring in absolute and open-mouthed shock anymore. Keita just gaped from the fallen giant to the caped boy.

"I see…an especially strong Boss because of being at a quarter of the way to the top." muttered Kirito while slowly walking forward, ignoring the looks the Black Cats were giving him in favor of frowning towards the standing abomination. "Does that mean that every 25 Floors there will be one like this? And WHY did the wall of light open for it now? What are you playing at, Kayaba?"

The two-headed giant roared, the massive monster growing horns and two more arms, its knuckles suddenly ending in horns as its red eyes started to shine with unholy fire.

The shocked guild-members all screamed when the four fists of the beast ignited with flame even as it charged against the monologuing boy.

"…man, trying to understand things so much fucking greater than myself is a pain. I'm just a Middle-Schooler, dammit." Kirito simply shook his head as he stared at the incoming force of nature, which seemed strong enough to rip apart armies by itself. "That bastard has to be a sadist, though, if he was expecting people to go through THIS normally in this fucked up death game of his."

"WA-WATCH OUT!" finally screamed Sachi when her voice recovered, looking in horror how all four fists of the massive Boss unleashed a deadly combo over the unmoving boy.

The entire area was covered in dust and smoke as the frozen Moonlit Black Cats STARED at the place where the boy had been standing the two raging heads of the Boss still towering over the scene.

Then, Kirito reappeared from nowhere, standing just in the middle of said heads.

He was frowning, and looking VERY annoyed.

"Fuck you, Kayaba."

Both his fists shot to his sides even as the 4 eyes of the mighty Boss slowly turned to him.

The heads of the abomination exploded into massive waves of reddish polygons, in a way that would have been extremely gore if they weren't in a videogame.

The mouths of the 5 members of the guild dropped even more as the massive body of the thing just crumpled backwards, falling to the ground with a mighty crash even as the boy softly landed in front of it.

The dust wave that was created behind him when the Boss dropped made his cape flap madly around and, on their eyes, also made him look even MORE awesome than he already did.

A sudden 'CONGRATULATIONS!' message shot through the area accompanied with special music, and the shocked Black Cats realized with disbelief that they had ALSO gained an unreal amount of experience and Col from the 'battle'.

"…holy fuck." summarized Keita his guild's general train of though. They all nodded to show their agreement.

"…okay, then, uhm…" Kirito suddenly seemed awkward as he stared at the group of people in front of him. "…who wants to go and celebrate the victory to the next Floor?"

Hours later, in the 26th Floor, people would gather and rejoice for the victory over the 25th Boss, but also share a silent moment of grievance for those who had died fighting it, Kibaou between them.

On a slightly separated area from the main group, though, Asuna would find a curious and WEIRD sight.

Her Sensei was sitting on a table, clearly uncomfortable but still smiling even as a brown-haired guy had an arm around his shoulders and shouted loudly and joyously things about him, other three guys also around the table eating and drinking but never stopping gushing over the black-haired boy.

On the opposite side of where they were sitting, a girl of bluish-black hair was looking at Kirito with dreamy eyes.

"…what the hell?" summarized Asuna her reaction while blinking.

Many things would happen on the next days. The Aincrad Liberation Squad would retreat from the Frontline because of the loss of their comrades and Sub-Leader, and lack of morale, despite Diavel's best efforts to convince his guild of the contrary, and join with the group of 'MMO Today' to form the Aincrad Liberation Force. A new, surprisingly well-organized, guild known as the Knights of Blood would rise to take up the main efforts of clearing the game, led by a mysterious but strong player called 'Heathcliff', and the general opinion about the Black-White Blur would change for the positive…

But what would probably be the most relevant one would be that Asuna and Kirito would be unable to get the Moonlit Black Cats to stop following them.

* * *

 **May 8th, 2023. 22nd Floor, 18:40…**

"The Frontline is at the 30th Floor. Everywhere in Aincrad things are looking very positive. Last time I checked, more than 75% of the players had effectively become active one way or another…" Argo's words echoed through the innocent and calm-looking forest even as she looked to the side, an eyebrow raised in a questioning way. "Which begs the question, WHY are you down here and without your precious disciple and you fan club?"

"For the LAST time Argo, they're NOT my fan club!" groaned Kirito while facepalming again. "Keita and the others are friends…VERY enthusiastic friends, but that's all."

The boy decided that the least he had to think about how the small guild literally WORSHIPPED him and everything he did since he saved them. Or how they, in turn, also worshipped Asuna since he introduced her as his disciple.

"Yes, yes, whatever you tell yourself, Kii-bou…"

"As for WHY I am here, I think you should know that better than anyone. People have been reported to go missing around here for a couple of weeks now, and then they seem to randomly die hours later. As some of them had been people WAY above the necessary level for this Floor and nothing particularly difficult or dangerous has been reported here before, I thought I could come to take a look and see if I can discover what's going on."

"Yeah, I figured you would be here because of that…and the reason the others aren't with you?"

"Keita and the rest wanted to get some good Ores from the 27th Floor Dungeon to try and get better equipment for everyone." muttered Kirito while looking around the each moment more strange trees. "Asuna decided to go with them."

"Uh, that's weird. Usually Aa-chan is with you every second she can when she isn't preparing for Boss Battles…" the girl with the whiskers looked around with wondering eyes, idly noticing that it was getting really dark.

"Well, it also surprised me; at first when I said I was coming she was all for coming with me, but for some reason she suddenly changed her mind after I explained whatG I was going to do here to everyone…"

"Really? What exactly did they say?"

"Keita and Sasamaru thought that it may be some kind of unknown special Mob. Tetsuo and Ducker think it may be some sort of weird trap that only activated after we reached an upper Floor. And Sachi thought it may be some kind of ghost." the boy visible chuckled at the last thing, even as Argo blinked before trying to contain her chuckles. "I'm not sure what is what made Asuna change her mind, though…"

"Heheh, yeah, it's a GREAT mystery…" the hooded girl's laughter was suddenly cut when she crashed against the back of the caped boy, almost falling backwards at doing so. "Uah! Dammit, Kii-bou, what are you doing?! Don't stop suddenly in front of…uh? What's that?" her usual curiosity overcoming her annoyance, Argo peeked over the stopped boy's shoulder to see the strange phenomenon that had made him freeze in place: a piece of paper stuck to the side of a tree, with an interrogation sign over it marking it as a Quest. "Hey, I didn't know there was a Quest here!"

"…no…no way…" the gamer shook his head even as Argo walked to the note and grabbed it, raising an eyebrow at reading it. "It must be just some sort of coinciden…"

"What the hell? 'Don't look or it takes you'?" as soon as those words came from the hooded-girl's mouth, Kirito's eyes widened in a mix of disbelief, shock and horror. "What kind of clue is that? And what's with the crappy drawings at the side?…ah, look, a clear objective, that's better! …'Collect all 8 Pages'? Uh, that seems pretty simple, wonder what kind of reward does this one gi…Oh, look, it even gave us a torch for the Quest! Well, I guess that means that this only activates when it gets dark, that kind of makes sense, right Kii-bou?" the girl turned around, her eyes twisting in confusion at seeing the black-clad boy suddenly looking around in all directions at the suddenly much more darker and ominous forest. "…Kii-bou? Is something wrong?"

The sound of 'something' moving around them made the girl freeze and glance around.

"…you have to be shitting me." moaned the boy while Argo turned on her torch.

Her screams started not long after that.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, on the 27th Floor Dungeon…**

"What do you think Kirito-sama is doing right now?"

At Sachi's sudden question, Asuna just laughed out loud while waving her rapier in an exaggerated way, definitively not trying to mask her non-existent fears about her Sensei's 'mission'.

"Ahahahah, I'm pretty sure Sensei is okay, Sachi! He's invincible, remember? Besides, Argo-chan is with him, so we don't need to worry about him doing something stupid!"

"…you may be right, Asuna-san, but I still can't help but worry when he isn't around…"

The words made the chestnut-haired girl frown and give a furtive look at the bashful spear-user. During the months since the Moonlit Black Cats had unofficially become part of Kirito and hers 'group', she had noticed how the girl's adoration for her Sensei grew more than the fanatical worship the rest of her friends had. She wasn't exactly sure WHAT did that entail, but for some reason she couldn't' help but feel slightly bothered by it…

"Hey, Sachi, Asuna-sama, here!" Keita's voice got the rapier-user out of her inner musings and made her notice how the brown-haired boy and the rest of the Black Cats were standing not far away from them, having just come from one of the many hallways of the strange and smooth labyrinth that was that dungeon. "We got a bunch of ores! How about you?"

"We got quite a lot too, Keita!" cheerfully revealed Sachi while Asuna nodded and walked closer to the group.

"Yes, I think with this we may be able to upgrade all our weapons, as long as we go to a decent blacksmith." agreed Ducker while looking over their gathered bounty with eagerness, as the chestnut-haired girl had learned was usual for the Treasure Hunter.

"Well, now that you said it, I kind of befriended this girl the other day who is planning on opening her own blacksmith shop soon." commented the girl while crossing her arms. "I paid Argo-chan to get some info about her and it seems that she's very good. Maybe we can get her to upgrade ours, if we're really thinking of getting you all to the Frontline…"

"If even Argo-san says she's good, then she must be really great…" muttered Sasamaru while leaning on his spear. "It may be our best option, after all…"

"It's decided, then." nodded Tetsuo after giving a big smile towards Asuna while raising her mace. "We shall upgrade ourselves to be worthy of fighting at your side, Asuna-sama!"

"Guys, you're exaggerating again." sweatdropped the girl while resisting the urge of facepalming. Except for Sachi, all the others members of the small guild still insisted on calling her 'sama', and still saw her as a god-like existence only second to Kirito…was this how her Sensei felt when she joked about him? "I'm not that ama…"

"Hey, everyone, look! I found a secret room, and there is a treasure chest here!" the group blinked at Sachi's unexpected words, just noticing how the girl had at some point moved away from them and towards a now opened 'door' hidden in the smooth bluish walls of the dungeon, which led to a perfectly rectangular and strangely empty room, except for the lonely chest on its EXACT center. In front of which an excited Sachi was standing. "Maybe there is an ever rarer Ore inside it!"

"Hey, Sachi, wait a minute!" shouted Asuna, suddenly having a very bad feeling even as she stepped towards where the girl was. "Something about that room seems very…"

It was in that moment that Sachi opened the chest.

The room's insides became an angry red color, making the spear-user's eyes widen.

The rest of the Black Cats had barely enough time to scream their friend's name in surprise even as Asuna shot forward like a flash of speed, jumping and rolling to enter inside the room just before the door suddenly closed shut behind her.

Sachi's wide eyes were still fixed upon her even as she stood up, rapier unsheathed and eyes sharp as swords.

"IT'S A TRAP!"

As if they had been waiting for those words to be said, a myriad of golem and dwarf-like mobs spawned around the room, their attention zeroing upon both girls even as they heard the other boys uselessly attacking the door from the outside and shouting their names.

Asuna didn't even wait for the creatures to start moving before lunging at the nearest group of them, rapier shining even as Sachi raised her spear and pointed it around her in all directions.

"MACHINEGUN NEEEDLE!"

The renamed Skill was unleashed with a speed and might that made the first time she had used it in battle seem like a joke, and the poor nearest Mineral Elemental was turned into a pincushion for an instant before it exploded as the girl landed and stared at the clearly terrified Sachi.

"SACHI! Snap out of it! They aren't that strong, but there are a lot of them!"

"Ye-yes!" squeaked the girl even as a group of the grinning Dark Dwarf Miners rushed at her, but a quick use of an Helical Twice Skill sent them all rearing back as Sachi unleashed the omnidirectional attack to keep them at bay. "W-we can do this!"

"Of course we can!" roared Asuna as she shot through their enemies like a living lightning bolt, her classic Linear Skill piercing through mobs left and right. "Just don't let them come close and we have this fight on the bag!"

"Do-don't worry, I-I got this!" half-shouted the spear user as she used a Fatal Thrust Skill against one of the raging golems, the elemental exploding in polygons as the girl's face turned into one of euphoria. "Yes! I can…!"

Her cheerful shout was cut short, however, when one of the dwarves took advantage of her momentary post-Skill frozen state to jump at her arm, making the shocked girl scream.

Two more attacked them from the sides at that moment, and the suddenly terrified player saw how the first Mob accomplished what seemed to have been its objective from the beginning.

It made her let go of her spear.

Weaponless and stumbling back, the suddenly surrounded Sachi could only look in shock as the mobs closed together around her.

She tried to move, but a sudden punch from one of the golems to her back sent her face-first into the floor, also reducing her HP to yellow.

"SACHI-CHAN!" screamed Asuna at seeing the younger girl falling, her eyes widening towards the status of the party on one corner of her vision at seeing her HP quickly depleting.

She was going to die.

"N-no! STAY BACK!" shouted the girl while trying to punch and kick her way off the monsters surrounding her, barely doing more than annoy them and evade one or two hits by pure luck. "HE-HELP!"

"I'm going, hang in there!" shouted Asuna while trying to run forward, but the mobs closed around her, separating her from the shouting Sachi, whose HP had just hit the red. "NOOO!"

With a mighty roar, Asuna jumped forward and pointed her rapier, trying to initiate a Skill to save her friend.

Time seemed to slow down, the tip of her weapon suddenly seeming to weight a ton as she tried the absurd feat of starting the Skill in mid-air.

 _"I'm not going to make it…"_

Sachi screamed again, half in defiance and half in fear as she punched a dwarf on the face, making it stumble back and giving her enough room to roll out of the way of another golem-punch.

 _"Faster…I need to be faster…!"_

Another of the Mineral Elementals kicked the girl's face as she tried to stand again, leaving her with barely 10% of her HP.

Asuna's eyes seemed to burn, fear and despair being drowned as an image of Kirito looking at her and asking if she was ready to become stronger appeared on his mind.

 _"REACH IT! PLEASE, REACH IT!"_

The girl's arm moved faster, achieving the impossible position.

In that exact instant, even as the rapier shone with the light of a Skill activating, a 'Condition' was met and the Cardinal System acknowledged it, giving the 'reward' to the one who had earned it.

Sachi closed her eyes; sure that Death was coming for her to finish what it had started on the 25th Boss Room.

The sudden rush of air exploding around her made the girl look up in time to see Asuna land in front of her, all the mobs that had stood on her way either exploding or flying backwards before the might of the 'Flashing Penetrator' Skill, which had turned the girl into a living comet for an instant.

Then, attacks from at least 5 mobs rained over the frozen Asuna, reducing her HP to yellow and making the terrified Sachi scream her name.

The girl didn't even blink, though, and just as the frozen state from executing the Skill finished she rolled backwards with the momentum of the hits, impaling the head of another dwarf while doing so.

She stood up fully, raising the rapier in front of her face while closing her gauntlet-clad hand around it.

"Bring it on."

Five minutes later, the door to the room opened again and the 4 boys rushed inside with their weapons drawn, only to look wide-eyed at the empty room and how the remains of some mobs finished exploding around the panting Asuna.

Her HP, much like Sachi's was in the red, but hers had just barely reached that state unlike the still fallen and frozen girl.

Taking a deep breath, the chestnut-haired girl sheathed her weapon and walked towards the fallen spear before turning around and extending it towards the unmoving Sachi.

"Here, take it. You should be more careful with your weapon in the middle of a battle, you know?"

For a moment, the girl of bluish-black hair just STARED at Asuna.

Then, to the rapier-user's shock, she started to shake as tears welled on her eyes before grabbing her spear and running away, her friends being unable to stop her thanks to the shock even as they uselessly called after her.

Not much time later, outside the Dungeon, the tired group was looking around while calling the girl's name, Keita sending his third message to her since they exited the labyrinth and still obtaining no answer.

"I don't understand…why did she run away like that?" muttered Asuna with regret as she looked down.

"Hey, it's not your fault. I'm sure Sachi was just overwhelmed by what happened." Keita gave her another reassuring look even as Tetsuo once again verified his Friend List, which informed them that their missing friend was still on that Floor. "You will see, we will find her in no time! Hell, maybe she will even come back before that!"

"I just hope you're right, Keita-kun." the chestnut-haired girl sighed before opening her own menu. "Still, I think I will send a message to Sensei just to be…uh?" confused, Asuna tilted her head to the side. "What the…? Where did THIS come from?"

"Is something wrong?" asked Sasamaru while he and Ducker walked back to them, having failed to find Sachi on the surrounding area.

"Uhm, this Skill just showed up on my menu from nowhere. And I'm sure I didn't have it an hour ago…"

"Maybe you obtained it from that room without realizing?" despite being worried for his missing friend, Ducker still projected a fair amount of curiosity on his voice to try and sound cheerful for everyone's sake. "What is it?"

"Hmm…I don't know, Sensei never mentioned this kind of Skill Tree. How weird…"

The girl's eyes held an equal amount of worry and curiosity as she looked at the group.

"Have any of you ever heard of 'Dual Blades'?"

* * *

Despite being currently used for what many were calling the most horrible event of Japan's recent story, no one who knew its exact workings could deny that the Cardinal System was the most impressive management program ever created.

Almost literally self-sufficient, the powerful AI never stopped thinking and evolving, fixing all mistakes it found, correcting anything that seemed out of place and, above all, LEARNING.

Despite being nowhere near at how a human did it, Cardinal could still deduce and think about what happened under its watch.

It may be unable to recognize the anomaly in which the player called 'Kirito' had become for an unknown and mysterious reason, but it could still realize that the 'things' he did were 'strange' and 'abnormal'. But this, in turn, contradicted its own analysis of the player that always returning with an equivalent of 'Everything is fine'.

That was why it had needed so much time to do 'something' about it.

Finally, after the Unique Skill known as 'Dual Blades' had been assigned to a player, the second one after the 'Holy Sword' that had been self-assigned by the only account with admin-rights currently active, Cardinal decided it needed to do something that allowed other players to do things that were above their usual limits.

It couldn't' turn anyone else into a 'special' player, like Kirito was, of course not, for not even the System itself acknowledged this 'error'. But inside the possibilities of the things it COULD do…

:SYSTEM COMMAND-ID: CARDINAL.

:REMOVING 'ARRIVE TO FLOOR 90'-RESTRICTION FOR 'UNIQUE SKILLS' FROM 3 TO 10.

:ACKNOWLEDGING CHANGES INTO SWORD ART ONLINE'S SYSTEMS…FINISHED.

:RESETTING SKILLS-OBTAINING CONDITIONS…DONE

:UPLOADING RESPECTIVE DATA…

The MHCP-001 watched in silence, surprise in her gaze as she saw Cardinal going into full motion, the current changes it was doing combined with all its other never-ending tasks being enough to require the full attention of the massive AI.

Which meant that it wasn't looking at her.

Once again, as she had been doing lately, Yui smiled in a very human way, before spinning around on her 'prison'. If she was going to act, she needed to do it now. Cardinal may not let its guard down like this again, and if she wanted to get out without risking damage to her main processing systems or being later erased by the system because of her 'transgression', she needed to prepare many things.

"One…punch…"

With determination, the girl started to repeat the two 'real' words she knew the most while starting to take the steps that, eventually, would lead to her freedom.

Stopping for a moment, a very human look of doubt crossed her eyes before she decided to take a further risk and changed some specific codes.

Slowly, she 'turned' towards where the others AIs like her slept, and activated the second one.

She was going to need a guardian if she wanted to find her Hero once she got out of her prison, after all.

Even as the MHCP-002 slowly activated, the young-looking AI once again muttered words that weren't anything that had been programmed on her original code.

"Wake up, little sis…"

* * *

It was very late at night, and on the strange place that was the eternally dark 27th Floor, no one was around.

Except for one person.

Panting and with tears that were unable to be held back because of the limitations of the virtual world, Sachi growled as she impaled another golem-like mob with her spear.

She had been at this for hours, and she had already exhausted almost all the potions she had on her inventory since she came out of the Dungeon, but the combination of shame, disappointment and sad anger wasn't gone.

 _"I…was useless."_

With an angry thrust, the girl activated yet another Skill and sent one of the last 3 golems she had found to oblivion.

 _"If it wasn't for Asuna-san, I would have died for sure…it's my fate to have to rely in someone all the time? Can't I do anything by myself?"_

Another move, another Skill, another angry and tearful shout. Only one golem remained.

 _"What will happen if Asuna-san or the others aren't around the next time? When Kirito-sama isn't around? How am I ever going to be a Front Liner like this?!"_

Almost falling down from exhaustion, Sachi faced the last mob, whose AI seemed to be debating between attacking the tired player or running like hell to preserve its unimportant virtual life.

For her part, the girl could only remember how she, at the beginning, had preferred to use a spear because it kept the monsters away from her when she fought. In the end, she continued using it because she had gotten used to it.

Now, her spear seemed too short on her eyes. Maybe if was longer, it could keep the monsters away not only from herself, but from everyone else…

 _"I…don't want to be the girl who needs to be saved all the time! I don't want to be a Damsel in Distress!"_

With a final charge, the spear-user impaled the mob and made it explode into nothingness, most of her anger and frustration going away with it and leaving her feeling extremely tired.

Cardinal acknowledged the kill, and set one of its newly changed systems into motion.

"I…want to be strong…"

With shaky fingers, the girl opened her menu, ready to use her Teleport Crystal to get some rest…when her eyes fixed on something that hadn't been there10 minutes ago.

Blinking, confusion and disbelief filling her, Sachi slowly read aloud the name of the Skill that had appeared on her list.

"Infinite…Spear…?"

The virtual moon shone silently over Aincrad, even as the wheels of Fate kept spinning…

* * *

"…is it gone? That thing is gone?! Please, tell me it is!"

"Yes, Argo, it's gone. We got all the 8 dammed pages, so I'm pretty sure it's not coming back. So please, can you let go of me and lower that freaking torch? I want to get out of this wood house and get back with the others to see how they did."

"How can you be so sure?! You punched it many times and every time you 'killed' it, that thing came back! And what's wrong with this place, anyway?! It's big and looks comfy, I'm sure it would make a great house for any player!"

"Besides the fact that just looking at its prize makes my pockets hurt, I'm PRETTY SURE I don't want to live anywhere near these forests for a good time. I'm just glad you can't dream in SAO, because, super powers or not, this damn quest would have given me nightmares for weeks. Now, let's go already, we finished the Quest and we solved the mystery behind the mysterious deaths. Let's just hope that Cardinal doesn't spam that damn Quest again."

"Ye-yeah, I will also make a point of warning everyone about it…"

"That would be for the best." decided the boy while he and Argo walked out of the wood house, the boy giving it a last look before he took out a Teleport Crystal. "…you're going to follow me, right?"

"…just to make sure you arrive with the others safe and sound?"

The black-haired boy sighed.

Days like this made him hate Kayaba Akihiko all the more.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…how weird…but how…OH! He-hello to everyone, thi-this is Sachi giving you all the, uhm, preview for the next chapter! Though I'm still trying to understand how THIS works…oh, yeah, anyway, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Dark Christmas!' Will 'someone' be able to regain the confidence she lost by trying to obtain the 'legendary' item that comes on the snowy night? And will Kirito be able to stop a tragedy from happening? Don't miss it!...hey, wait a second, this preview is talking about m-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Uff…longest chapter so far! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it

So then, as you can see, I'm trying to change things in a way that makes the story more 'complex' but still goes just 'a bit' in line with the events in canon, hence the introduction of the more badass Black Cats into the story during the fight with the 25th Floor Boss! (This was only vaguely referred to in the novels and even less in the anime, despite being an event that was very drastic for the things that happened in Aincrad and also the first 'Super Boss' of the game, so I had to improvise quite a lot of things about the Floor, the Boss and the fight, but I think I didn't do it too badly…and Kibaou is dead while Diavel survives, another change from canon. Let's all shed a tear for him…ahahahah XD!). And also that they survive their 'dead end', though with some others, unexpected results, heh. (Those who understood the meaning of that scene with Cardinal will know a bit more of what's to come XP.

Also, I have decided that I'm going to add the two characters from Hollow Fragment, but not the storyline of it (Hollow Area and such). I will introduce them into the wacky version of the SAO storyline that I'm creating, though, which will already be more than enough (I hope, I'm getting inspiration from the funny randomness of One Punch-Man's plot to 'change' things). In fact, those who know about Hollow Fragment will have already noticed how I'm going to introduce one of those characters after seeing one of those last scenes.

Finally, to those who love creepypastas, I hope you got that reference about the 'Quest' that Argo and Kirito were doing near the end of the chapter XD

Anyway, see you all next time; this is Saint, signing off!


	7. Chapter 5: Dark Christmas!

I'm back! And man, over 6000 views already? I can't believe you guys are liking this that much, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside :3 Anyway, a couple of things before starting! First, I forgot to mention it in the previous chapter, but the bit Kirito said about his childhood and Sugu's 'present' wasn't something I made up, it's canon, believe it or not, and it was mentioned in a short side-story of SAO that never arrived to the official vols of the Light Novel, called 'Salvia', which happens somewhere between the arcs of Fairy Dance and Phantom Bullet XP Second, to the reviewer Alice, you have noticed that, and I'm doing that exactly because I get inspiration from One Punch-Man for this, and despite we all knowing how awesome Saitama is, we also get the most plot-development when the other characters get their time to shine instead of him, so Kirito is kind of the same here…anyway, no more of me, enjoy this!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Dark Christmas! Roar, Spear of the Heavens!**

 **December 24, 2023. 35th Floor, 23:50…**

It was the night before Christmas, and snow once again fell upon the Floating Castle of Aincrad, though it somehow seemed much colder than the last year.

For a certain group led by a chestnut-haired girl, walking towards a snowy forest on the distance, it seemed even more so.

"Man…why did Kayaba Akihiko…have to make even the cold…so real…?"

"Don't complain now, Ducker!" shouted Keita while looking once again towards the entrance to the Field Dungeon known as the 'Forest of Wandering'. "We need to find her before she does something stupid!"

"And we will." declared Asuna while clenching her fists, determination burning on her eyes even as she looked at the hooded girl to the side. "Are you sure she is going to come here, Argo-chan?"

"I would bet my whiskers about it." curtly replied the unusually serious info broker, looking around with a hint of worry. "Dammit, if I had known it was going to end like this I wouldn't have told her about that Quest…"

"It's not your fault, Argo-chan." assured the rapier-user while looking forward. "None of us could predict that all of this was going to happen back then…"

What the girl was talking about was, of course, that day months ago when she and Sachi had almost died inside that room of the 27th Floor Dungeon. Two very important things had happened the day after that.

First, on the real world, the new generation of VR Devices, the AmuSphere, had been created (Though it wasn't as if any of them knew about that).

Second…Sachi hadn't come back. Neither did she the day after that.

Worry filling everyone, most of all Kirito who blamed himself for not being there, they tried to locate Sachi using their menus, which they could do thanks to having the girl on their Friends List.

Every time they tried that, though, Sachi would quickly move to another Floor and sent them a message telling them that she wanted to be alone for a while, that she would come back soon. After two days of trying to convince her of the contrary, they gave up and decided to wait for her.

When two months passed with the girl only letting them know she was alive through messages, everyone's worry was understandably through the roof. That was when Argo offered herself to go and find Sachi talk to her…

Talking about her, the hooded girl's presence was probably one of the biggest events that had happened in these last months, together with the entering of Keita and the others to the Frontline battles and, on the real world, the creation in November of the VRMMORPG known as Alfheim Online (Though, again, our heroes had no way of knowing this, and it wasn't really important…YET).

Since that day when Sachi had 'ran away' from them, Argo's constant presence had become something at which they all had become, slowly but surely, used to. Whatever happened in that 'mission' the caped boy and she did had left the normally sassy and laughing Rat with her nerves standing on end for almost a week, in which she didn't get too far from either Kirito or Asuna and was always looking over her back. She had eventually gotten better and returned to her usual self, but had since then almost always stayed wherever their strange group did.

Keita had once tried to ask her WHAT had happened that day that left her so on edge, but the info broker had refused to say anything beyond that she had added a second line to the list of things that absolutely terrified her. Incidentally, when Asuna had tried to ask what the first one was, Argo had cheerfully replied that not even all the Col Cardinal could produce in a year would be enough to buy that info, which had made everyone quickly drop the subject.

But getting back on topic, the girl of the whiskers had used her connections and then disappeared for a few days, returning later to tell them she HAD found Sachi, on an Inn on the 40th Floor (The Floor just under the Frontline back then), and that she had told her that she WOULD return with the others, eventually, though not until she felt 'worthy' of it, in her own words.

When Kirito had rushed to try and see if he could find the girl, she was already gone and moved to another Floor barely 5 minutes after that. The others had asked Argo WHY she hadn't called them as soon as she saw the girl instead of talking with her alone, but the Rat had simply said that she had seen 'something' on Sachi's eyes that had pushed her to try and talk to the girl alone.

Since then, the hooded girl had been able to find Sachi 3 more times. As the months went by, the others had grown from worried to a mix of resignation and anxiety, the daily messages from the spear-user calming them a bit but never stopping their uneasiness about her not wanting to come back. Sadly, their duties on the Front Lines had prevented any of them from actively searching for Sachi to try and convince her to return by themselves, Kirito's most of all because the more they kept advancing through the castle the more his 'limits' for going around saving people became clear, as the only ways of going from a Floor to the other were either the Dungeons or the Teleport Gates.

Nowadays, with the Frontline at the 50th Floor, the boy was barely able to keep 'watch' over the Front Lines and a couple of Floors below that, including sometimes going to places where unexpected 'problems' arose, like the one he and Argo foundonn the 22nd Floor that day. The way in which Aincrad was made, a Floating Castle in the middle of an endless virtual sky, limited the caped boy almost as much as the Walls of Light that impeded him from entering the Dungeons.

Now then, the reason why everyone was currently heading towards a snow-covered forest so late at night was simple: a little more than one month ago, Sachi had 'vanished'.

As in, just after her last 'meeting' with Argo, the girl's name had suddenly disappeared from their Friends Lists. A rush to the 1st Floor by Kirito, however, revealed that the girl was still alive, her name not having been 'crossed' from the 'Monument of Swordsmen' on the Starting City. The only explanation for what had happened, then, was that the girl had willingly erased them all from her own List.

Sachi's last message to everyone hadn't exactly put them at ease either:

 _'I found how to prove that I'm strong enough to fight with you! Just wait a bit more. Next time we see each other, I won't be a burden for you anymore.'_

When Argo had met up with them again, shocked by the events, she had realized with a grimace WHAT had happened that had made Sachi do what she did.

On their last meeting, trying once again to subtly convince the girl to return with everyone and that Asuna didn't blame her for what had happened on the Dungeon, she had been telling her about the many rumors that went around Aincrad those days to get her to relax: people saying they had seen a Ninja that controlled a dragon, scared players reporting about an 'orange demon' that could kill anything without unsheathing its blade, that Heathcliff was secretly an otaku…

But, among all those wild tales, the only one that was 'more or less' solid had apparently caught the spear-user's attention: Rumors from NPCs had been saying that a special event would take place on Christmas, on that exact forest, and they said that an extremely rare item would be obtained as reward for it.

One who could 'revive dead players'.

Of course, no one with half a brain would truly believe some fantasy about resurrecting someone who had died long ago. After all, they had ALL been there when Kayaba explained it how 'Death' worked in SAO the first day, which meant that they all knew that anyone would die at most some seconds after their HP reached 0 and their virtual bodies disappeared.

But still, the rumors were THERE. And if that mysterious item could at least somehow STOP someone from dying…

It wasn't difficult to deduce that almost everyone relevant in the Front Lines had suddenly become very interested in the subject. That had been back in mid-November.

Now, a month and a half later, Asuna, Argo and the Moonlit Black Cats were there because their only and best deduction, coming from the whiskered girl herself, was that Sachi was planning to get the supposed revival item to 'prove herself worthy' of fighting with them.

Which was madness, because it was very clear that this was some kind of special event meant to be taken in groups, probably with a very strong Boss awaiting, and the girl was apparently going to try and solo it when there were several groups interested in it, including several Front Liners…except the Knights of Blood. Or more exactly, Heathcliff.

That last bit made Asuna grit her teeth in annoyance even as their group finally arrived at the forest's entrance.

For some reason, the man commonly called 'The Paladin' hadn't been interested in the rumors about the supposed resurrection item, saying that they could spent better time planning for the incoming Boss Fight than chasing ghosts.

It was exactly that what had caused that Kirito wasn't there with them in that moment, because the crimson-armored man had said barely one hour ago that his guild should try and organize a 'scouting assault' on the Boss that same night, to get info for the real battle.

The self-proclaimed gamer playing hero for fun had obviously told him that it was a stupid idea, that he shouldn't try and 'test' the 50th Boss with just his part of the Front Liners, because if his theory about the 'Super Boss' that had been the 25th one was right (Cemented by the fact that the 26th was much less deadly), then this one would also be an extremely difficult one. And, more importantly, that he may be able to enter in this Dungeon too when someone else reached the Boss Room, like it had happened in the 25th Floor, and that he was their best option to prevent any deaths from happening.

Heathcliff, however, had countered him by calmly and coolly stating that all his arguments were about something that had happened only once and that he had no solid evidence about it. Not to mention that it led to the leader of the KoB to ask WHAT would he be doing that night that was more important than helping on the Front Lines, if he was so 'eager' to face the Boss for them if the opportunity arose.

All of that had led to a heated discussion in which the boy was probably still in the middle of, hence why she had been forced to leave him behind and come with the others, and why they were almost late (The event supposedly would begin sometime after midnight).

Asuna came out of her angry thoughts, however, when a calm hand suddenly touched her shoulder.

"I know what you're thinking, and yes, I also think it sucks." grimaced Argo while they entered inside the labyrinthic forest. "If I was paranoid I would even say that it's as if Heathcliff purposefully was trying to waste Kii-bou's time and force us to come looking for Saa-chan without him…"

"Yeah, right." snorted Tetsuo while trying to held back a chuckle, more to try and relax the atmosphere than anything, but it was clear that he wasn't nowhere near as good as Ducker was with that. "Next thing you will say is that he's secretly Kayaba Akihiko in disguise."

Some seconds of silence passed between the Party before they all exploded in laughter, their voices echoing in the cold forest as they continued advancing.

"…hahahah! Ah…thanks for that, Tetsuo, we needed it."

"Well, mad conspiracy theories aside, we have a mission to accomplish!" declared Asuna while unsheathing her rapier and pointing it to the fake sky. "We got to find Sachi and drag her back with us if needed! Don't hesitate, guys!"

"Hell yeah!" proclaimed Sasamaru while slamming his mace on his shield. "Let's make our friend recover her senses and realize she's as important as any of us!"

"Wait for us, Sachi!" shouted Ducker while raising his dagger. "We're coming!"

"That's the spirit, everyone!" declared Keita while joining with the enthusiastic cheer.

"Hmm, yeah…you know you could have tried to be A LITTLE more silent with that?" sweatdropped Argo while grabbing the Claw-weapons that always hanged from one side of her waists and putting them on, everyone blinking and realizing that several heavily armored figures were coming from one side of the trees and glaring at them. "Because I'm pretty sure everyone around heard you…"

"You…! The Mighty Flash and her group?!" Asuna's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the nickname, mainly because nowadays people knew her more from it than from her actual name. "Are you after the resurrection item too?!"

"The Divine Dragon Alliance…" whispered Keita while tensely gripping his staff, recognizing the signature armors of the second strongest guild in the Front Lines after the Knights of Blood. "Of course they would be here…"

"Boss, maybe they're after the crazy girl with the spear too?!" the words coming from one of the other armored figures made the whole group's eyes to widen. "They may know where she went after rushing through us!"

"Wait, you saw Sachi-chan?!" Asuna's outburst got the attention of everyone from the DDA, their stares turning suspicious and hostile. "Did you see where she we…?!"

"You are with her?! That crazy bitch did some sort of weird trick I had never seen before with her spear and sent half of our group to the ground with some crazy damage before running past us!" the revelation of the angered leader of the raid made the group blink in confusion, more for the fact that Sachi had managed to do something like THAT than for the fact that she had attacked them. "What kind of lunatics do you have in your group?!"

"It was to be expected, they're all eating from the hand of that Beater, after all!"

"Who said that?!" suddenly shouted an angry Asuna while clenching her rapier and GLARING at the whole group from the armored guild. "I dare you to try an insult my Sensei again, bastard!"

"Okay, that's it!" roared the apparent leader before raising his sword and pointing it at Asuna. "Get the hell out of here and we may forgive you for what your crazy friend did! That resurrection item will belong to the Divine Dragon Alliance!"

"…is it me or some fuckers seem to sometimes forget that we are all supposed to WORK TOGETHER to get out of this game?" wondered Argo while scratching a side of her hood with her claws, a deceptive movement to hid how she was preparing a Martial Arts Skill if needed

"We don't really give a damn about the item, though." muttered Ducker while subtly using his Tracking Skill to see if they tried to surround them. "We just came to look for Sachi…"

"Well, I don't think these guys are quite willing to just accept that…" declared Keita while slowly putting his staff in a battle position. "At least we may still have a chance of solving this without fighting."

"Let's kick those worshippers of that dirty Beater out of this pla…!"

"GAAAAH!" roared Asuna while shooting forward like a meteor and slamming the side of her rapier on the head of the idiot who had spoken up, interrupting him mid-talk an sending him to eat snow face-first. "Who else is going to insult Kirito-sensei, uh?!"

Two seconds of silence passed.

Then, the whole DDA's Raid screamed murder and raised their weapons, pointing them towards the still very mad rapier-user.

"…you were saying?" deadpanned Argo before rushing forward and unleashing a quick two-hit Skill to the face of a guy trying to get behind Asuna.

"…yeah, well, I could hope." shrugged Keita before he and the others shouted improvised battle cries and entered the battle as well. None of them really seemed to mind their cursors turning orange.

Their only worry was to get to Sachi before something bad happened…

* * *

Softly panting as she ran, Sachi's eyes shone with purpose as her feet left marks on the virtual snow, which vanished in no time at all.

If anyone who had known her before were to saw her now, they would notice a few differences about her. For starters, her old equipment had been replaced with a blue-white tunic that covered her body but ended on the middle of her arms and legs, and that hugged her very closely. She also now wore boots and gloves that seemed to be made from the skin of some animal, the bluish SCALES that made them up easily revealing which one. The only armor she now seemed to wear were a pair of heavy-looking silver shoulder pads, which made a strange contrast with the rest of her light equipment.

The reason for this all, though, was BALANCE. She needed it, after all, because stats or not, she always needed to be careful when using her new weapon in battle together with THAT. A slight mistake could make her lost control of it, after all.

Said weapon was the 'spear' she was now carrying on her hands…if the weapon could be called that. The heavy lance the girl was carrying was almost two and half meters long, with an specially made part near the middle of the shaft to serve as a the weapon's handle. The 'tip' of the spear seemed like an oversized arrow-tip, but with four ends connected into one edge instead of two, shining a bright red in contrast to the dark-blue that colored the rest of the weapon.

The girl had been lucky, of getting a weapon like this one. Very few spears in the game were this large, so much that she couldn't properly run if she carried it on her back (Reason why she was now wielding it despite the lack of enemies). Most had to be custom-made specifically to be this long, but Fate seemed to have smiled upon her and she had found this one 2 months ago, inside a side-dungeon of the 42nd Floor. She had been upgrading it like crazy since then, and the limit for it had almost been reached. The weapon would need to be replaced soon for a better one, if she planned on continuing exploring the Front Lines, but that was fine with her.

Because as long as this 'Whale Ripper' allowed her to succeed on her current mission, she would be able to return with her friends, finally having proved that she had become strong enough to not be a burden to them. She would prove Asuna and the rest that she was a worthy of being part of the group that followed the Hero known as Kirito…

Her train of thought, however, was suddenly interrupted when the sound of footsteps reached her ears, making her stop and tense as she glanced around. As expected, a group of 5 players emerged running from one of the many paths of the labyrinthic forest, their tired looks revealing that they had probably been fighting some of the weird mobs that had filled the forest dungeon for the event.

She had seen some bizarre things since she got trapped in SAO, but small killer-elves wearing green suits tinker bells? Really? Had the Cardinal System decided to try and make everyone hate Christmas?

As soon as the other players noticed her, though, their demeanor changed, tiredness being replaced by wariness as they raised their weapons and looked at her, or more exactly, to the orange cursor over her head.

It wasn't as if she wanted to attack those armored guys, but she had no choice! Really, the bastards had tried to bully her into leaving the forest and she had been forced to use THAT to throw them down and escape!

Sachi idly wondered if she would have to do the same to get these guys off her, grimacing at that thought. It wasn't as if she wanted to keep THAT a secret (She was planning on using it for everyone's sake when she returned to the Front Lines, after all), but it still make her feel bad to use the reason why she had needed to change her equipment style and get the longer spear she could find against other players.

"An Orange…what do you want?"

"I'm not searching for troubles, if that's what you think." curtly replied Sachi while looking around, never lowering her lance from her battle stance as she tried to decide if she was running in circles again or if this was a new zone of that damn forest. "I'm just searching for something…"

"You here to try out the Quest for that item too?" one of the men asked while looking her over, grinning slightly while moving his mace. "Want to team up? It seems that you got lost or something…"

"Sorry, not interested." answered Sachi while nodding their way and starting to run in other direction, leaving them open-mouthed. "I need to this for myself or it won't mean anything."

"Wha…?! Hey, we're not done talking with you!" growled the same player before taking an angry step towards her and…

"Stop right there, buddy!"

CLANG!

The sound of virtual metal clashing made the spear-user turn around blinking, looking how a group of…not-really-impressive-looking guys had suddenly appeared between her and the other party. Their apparent leader, a guy wearing what seemed like a red samurai armor rip-off, was stopping the mace of the other player with the side of his katana. The man's most notable feature besides his reddish hair was, obviously, the red bandana he wore around his head.

With a heavy move, the samurai-lookalike threw the other player back while his friends raised their weapons and stood on a protective formation around him, cutting any way for the other party to go after Sachi. The katana-user turned around and, with a smile he thought was charming but in reality was quite creepy, gave the young girl a thumbs-up.

"Heh, you have had Kirito worried sick for quite some time, girl! Don't worry anymore, though!" at these words, he pointed with his katana towards the virtual moon. "The Guild Fuurinkazan is now here to help you!"

A couple of seconds passed while the man maintained his, on his mind, epic pose and everyone else seemed mute from the shock…

"…uhm, who are you?"

…and then he facefaulted at Sachi's words. Every other member of the guild sweatdropped.

"Wha…?! What do you mean who I am?! It's me, Klein!" shouted the outraged samurai while moving his arms up and down. "Weren't you traveling with Kirito for months before all of this?! He should have mentioned me more than once!"

"…no, I think I would remember if I had heard Kirito-sama talking about someone like you."

"Eh?! Bu-but I was with him on the first day! And we see each other almost always on the Front Lines! We're like, super pals; he HAS to have mentioned me more than once!"

"…sorry, no, still doesn't ring any bell."

"Klein, man, maybe you should drop it…"

"NO! I refuse to acknowledge this! How can she say that Kirito never talks about me and expect…?!"

"GET THEM!" growled the annoyed mace-user from before, remembering Klein and his guild that they were STILL there, and also that everyone seemed to be in a rather 'Beat the crap out of everyone'-mood that night.

Sachi allowed herself one last blinking look towards the scene before shaking her head and start running once again.

Whoever the hell were those guys, she would make sure to thank them later…if she even remembered them.

* * *

Arriving to yet another area after 10 minutes of running, Sachi stopped for an instant, looking ahead while her eyes narrowed.

On the distance, visible atop a small hill, a very notorious and big tree stood out from the rest.

One didn't need to be a hardcore gamer to know that that was probably the place everyone had been looking for all night.

With a last, decisive nod, the girl started to walk forward…only to stop when a horde of 20 of those elves-from-Hell spawned around her, laughing and making their bells to ring with each of their shaky moves.

"Dammit, not now!" growled Sachi while readying her spear, glancing around as the things started surrounding her. She would need to use THAT once again. "I don't have time for this, I'm so clo…!"

Her monologue was abruptly interrupted when a dagger flew through the air and impaled the back of one of the mob's heads, making it stop laughing and fall to the ground before exploding into polygons.

"Looks like you could use a hand, uh?"

All the monsters seemed to fall silent as, as one, their heads turned towards the direction from where the weapon had come from, the girl of bluish-black hair doing the same in surprise.

There, standing half in the shadows, a silent figure stood under some trees. The way in which the stranger was standing didn't let Sachi see much besides a bit of soft-orange hair and deep, green eyes, but the voice at least let her know it was a girl.

Also, her cursor was orange, but that didn't surprise Sachi at all. Most of the players she had run into since she was an hour into the forest had had it like that because of all the stupid fighting going around.

"Wh-who are you?" asked the spear-user in confusion even as the mobs started to ignore her and walk towards the mysterious girl, her sudden intervention having drawn all of the 'Hate' from their AIs.

"Just a wanderer searching for something to fight for." simply replied the girl even as she moved slightly to the side, letting Sachi see the long, sheathed katana she carried on her hip. "Now, you should get going. I will take care of these things; you go and do what you must."

"Ah, uh, yeah, thanks!" shouted the spear-user before starting to run towards the tree on the distance, her figure quickly vanishing into the forest.

"…she seems like a good person. I hope she knows what she's doing." muttered the mysterious girl even as the elves surrounded her with dark intentions, making her sigh as she adopted a strange stance, one of her feet in front of the other while she twisted her body to the side. "And about you all…I'm sorry to tell you this, but you will all be dead by the time my blade has been unsheathed."

Their AIs being obviously too simple to understand the girl's words, the squad of killer-elves jumped forward, their claw-like hands ready to tear her apart.

If any player had been there, they would have probably been shocked at seeing how the girl's katana started to shine while still INSIDE the sheath, her hand on the hilt being the only direct contact between player and weapon.

The next instant, there was a flash of 'something' cutting through the air and the girl was now standing several meters away (Revealing her revealing mix of clothes and armor), her blade now unsheathed and still extended on her hand on an arc-like position.

Behind her, all the mobs exploded into polygons.

Without saying another word, the girl sheathed her katana, grabbed her fallen dagger and, with one last glance towards the tree on the distance, started the long walk out of the forest.

Her parting words were very simple, compared to the impressive feat she had just done.

"Merry Christmas…"

* * *

Just for this night, a new section of the Wandering Forest had manifested itself.

It was in the middle of this open field around a small hill where a big and very notorious tree stood. Anyone would have been able to easily identify it, too.

It was a pine tree, the so-called Christmas tree, minus any kind of decoration and covered in snow.

Slowly walking towards it, Sachi gripped her spear tighter. The girl was ready for ANYTHING that may come her wa…

The sound of Christmas bells and a sudden impression of something 'flying' above her threw her off balance almost as much as the massive figure that landed between her and the tree.

Sachi STARED even as the pale blue skin of the zombie-like Special Boss seemed to be even paler against the moonlight, in sheer contrast with his blood-red clothes and hat. His equally red eyes were grotesque, bloodshot and each one looked in a different direction, like a chameleon's. To complete the 'set', the parody of the Christmas symbol in which almost every child in the world believed it had a springy moustache and a long beard, all of which were a yellowish white, as if the hair had been being dirtied for some time.

Four HP Bars appeared over the creature's head at the same time that it roared and the game finally revealed his game: 'Nicholas the Renegade'.

Even as it raised its massive arms in a gesture more akin to a rabid animal than anything human-like, a giant battle axe appearing on its hands, Sachi arrived to a certain conclusion.

"This game REALLY doesn't like Christmas, uh?"

With another mighty roar for all answer, the powerful Boss shot forward like a raging bull, intent on crushing the lonely player opposing him.

The girl, for her part, just took a deep breath and lowered her stance, the tip of her spear pointing forward and slightly upwards, directly towards her enemy's chest.

It was time to use THAT at her full ability.

20 meters still separated them, but that didn't seem to matter for the girl as she achieved the correct position and her heavy weapon started to shine an azure color. Nicholas the Renegade had almost crossed half the distance between them and…

"Pierce it." whispered Sachi while thrusting forward. "LONGINUS!"

…and suddenly, the boss, still a bit more than 10 meters from the girl, found his chest impaled by a long shaft of dark blue light, just where a human would have its heart, with an speed and strength so brutal that it was enough to make him stagger. The attack had gone through him as fast as a bullet would have.

One-Hit Infinite Spear Sword Skill, Longinus. An attack with a devastating piercing power that impaled any enemy in a simple, straight line…5 times the distance of the weapon one was wielding.

Her 'Whale Ripper' was 2.5 meters long. The distance it had 'pierced through' right then as almost 13 meters.

For such was the power of the Skill known as 'Infinite Spear'. 'Multiply the range of the spear' was the ability around which all of the Skills of its Tree were based.

If Kirito had been there, or any high-level user of One-Handed Swords, they may have been able to point out the similarities between this and the Sword Skill known as 'Vorpal Strike', which doubled the range of the sword and Kirito had used quite a lot in the Beta. The boy had always wondered WHY in all of SAO there seemed to be only ONE Skill that increased the attack range of a weapon beyond its own length, basically giving someone a means to use a long-range attack in a world where, supposedly, distance-weapons didn't exist.

The reason for that, as no one but Sachi currently knew, was that the rest of those Skills all belonged to the 'Tree' of the Infinite Spear Unique Skill, though this one went WAY beyond the 'simple' Vorpal Strike.

Besides the range-multiplying, Infinite Spear also increased the speed and potency of the thrust in an exaggerated way. She could still remember the first time she tried out 'Longinus', the most basic of its Skills, the next day after discovering the mysterious Skill Tree…only to end up rolling through the ground an losing a chunk of her own HP when the spear almost jumped out of her hands as it threw her backwards.

If she had to classify the speed of the thrust back then, she would have simply said 'Asuna-fast, but lacking any kind of the grace or control she had'.

She had come a long way since them. First forcing herself to master the basic 'Spear' Skill all the way to the top, getting to know her weapon better than anyone. Then changing her equipment for one better suited for movement and balance the moment she understood the Unique Skill became more effective the longer her weapon was. And despite that, it had still been extremely difficult.

More than once, she had taken some serious damage while just TESTING any new Skill she got from the Tree. She remembered that, at the beginning, lying on the ground staring at the fake sky after her first failed Longinus, she had wondered if she could ever become someone truly worthy of not only fighting at the others' side, but also of using that Skill.

That had been more than half a year ago. She had finished 'mastering' Infinite Spear just a week before, preparing herself as best as she could for this. It all now came down to see how good she had really become.

It had been barely a second while she remembered all of this, and the light from her Skill had already vanished, the Event Boss shaking his head and roaring in rage as it resumed its charge, his HP depleted in a noticeable but still minor amount.

Sachi was already moving the moment it had started roaring.

That was probably the most useful perk of the Infinite Spear. In exchange for being extremely difficult to manage and control in almost every way, and very useless against single, fast and small opponents, all of its Skills had an absurdly short of recovery time compared to every other known in SAO. Even its Ultimate Skill's post-frozen time barely reached the 2 seconds.

It wasn't very useful if you were being thrown around because of your own attacks all the time, of course. But if you managed to successfully execute and connect a hit with it, it was an advantage that could be decisive in a battle for your life.

Even as the Boss swung his weapon and barely missed her, Sachi's eyes were already set on the next spot she needed to stop in. Her attention never completely leaving her enemy, the young girl spun her weapon to the side and used the momentum to stop perfectly on the stance she needed.

The Santa Claus-parody from Hell was already preparing his axe to unleash his own Skill when her spear shone once again, this time with a dark red color as she aimed a bit lower than last time, her left hand closer to her right one.

"IMPALE, TRIANA!"

The 3-Hits Sword Skill was unleashed with viciousness, three consecutive thrusts, each one with a range multiplication of 4, hitting the Boss in the groin, the heart and the neck.

If Nicholas the Renegade was a living being, he would have dropped dead from those deadly hits. As he wasn't, the only thing the monster did was to stumble back in rage at the triple critical hit he had just received, a chunk of his HP bar visibly vanishing.

A smile slowly crept up on Sachi's face as she once again started to move, her grip on her weapon tightening as she decided to quote what Asuna had said all those months ago.

"Bring it on!"

…she had also picked up the 'shouting your attacks names aloud' from her, if you were wondering.

* * *

"Argh…arf…did we miss those guys?"

"I-I think so, Keita…damn, they were REALLY annoying." Sasamaru's groans were heavy as he looked at his yellow HP bar, his eyes wandering to the rest of the party, only Argo and Asuna not seeming tired and scanning the trees around them in full alert. "We gave them a good beating before retreating, though."

"Considering that we left most of them with their HP on the yellow at least twice, they will either have to retreat for the night or risk fighting the Event Boss with little potions." commented Argo before sighing and looking back at the girl at her side. "We should take a small break to recover, Aa-chan. We're not going to help Saa-chan if we're exhausted and with low HP when we fight her."

"…5 minutes. We can't afford anything happening to her if we take any longer."

"A-agreed…" muttered Ducker while standing up, looking around with tired eyes. "Why does this place have to be like a giant maze, though?! I barely even know where we are in relation to the entrance anymore!"

"Well, they call it the 'Wandering Forest' for something, I guess…" said Tetsuo while taking a potion. "Still, we HAVE to be getting closer to Sachi, right?"

"We're not going in circles, if that's what you're thinking, I have been making sure." declared Argo while looking at her inventory, the claws still on her hands not seeming to bother her as she did this. "We should be getting closer to the center of the dungeon, though if Saa-chan is there is anyone's guess…damn, I hate forests SO much."

"Uh? Why?" questioned Keita with confusion while looking at the hooded girl. "I mean, it's not as if there aren't much darker and scarier places in SAO…"

"…I hate forests and that's that, okay? The info about why it's also something I'm NOT willing to sell…"

"A-Argo-san, you're making that scary smile again…"

"Okay, that's enough resting, we need to move!" without even waiting for them, Asuna started to run towards the nearest path through the trees she could find, the others following after her in seconds. "Please, be alright, Sachi-chan…" looking up, her eyes caught the glow of 'something' in the distance for a brief instant, over the trees. _"What was that? Ugh…I wish Sensei was here…"_

* * *

A roll, a stab.

A feral charge, a quick retreat.

A hit taken, another one returned.

Panting hard and clenching her teeth, Sachi's eyes shot towards her HP Bar. It was yellow, though not for much longer if she kept getting hits like the last ones. Fighting a Boss alone wasn't the smartest of ideas precisely because the brief pauses between attacks allowed no time to grab and use a recovery item.

She had barely finished that thought when Nicholas the Renegade charged at her once again, faster than before as his last HP Bar had just hit the yellow, and almost bisecting the spear-user with his axe. Sachi barely managed to jump to the side at the last second.

Out of balance and about to roll while grabbing on a weapon as long as hers, though, she was unable to evade the kick that followed and that sent her upwards in an arc to a height of almost 4 meters, her HP turning red as less than 20% remained. The Sachi of 7 months ago would have most likely panicked and lost it at that point, either freezing up or letting go of her weapon as she fell.

The current one simply let herself roll with the momentum as she aimed with her spear to the ground in front of her head, an orange shine covering it as it 'extended' faster than a bullet.

"PARTISAN!" echoed Sachi's voice as the Skill with the shortest multiplication range she had activated, just a measly 'x3', but also the fastest one. The One-Hit Skill crashed against the snow 3 meters below her and into the ground, the missing 3 meters the 'aura' of the attack needed to extend to achieve its full range sending her upwards like a Olympic gymnast, the incoming swing of her enemy's axe missing her by inches.

Above the suddenly confused Boss, and finally starting to fall, Sachi let her body spun with her new momentum and pointed her lance directly at the grotesque head bellow her.

"DESCEND, DRAGOON!"

One after another, two fast extending-thrusts of white energy shot from her spear, impaling at the Boss' head and inflicting critical damage even as she fell behind him, rolling over the snow to reduce the impact of her fall.

Months ago, when she first learned the 2-Hits Skill, she had wondered of what use it could possibly be when it literally needed to be pointing down to the ground to be activated. She had needed two weeks to realize that it was meant to be made in combination to others of the Infinite Spear Skills. After all, when wielding a weapon like a lance, no matter what old videogames said, jumping effectively was almost impossible…unless you cheated and used the range-extending abilities of your spear's Skills to shot yourself upwards.

She had suffered A LOT of crashes against the ground, most of those face-first, just to master the 'jumping' part. Actually learning to use the Skill in a useful way had almost killed her. Twice.

Now, even as she got to her feet in an instant and spun her heavy weapon around with extreme precision, leaving it pointing straight to the chest of the roaring Boss, she couldn't' help but feel a bit giddy.

Despite still having a giant zombie-Santa Claus barely 2 meters from her and about to kill her, that's it.

Time seemed to slow down even as Sachi idly realized that this was the 3rd time she was about to die in the middle of a battle since she got trapped in this world.

Even as a silver glow covered her weapon and she let her hands slide the furthest she could from the spear's tip, she was pleasantly surprised to notice that, despite being scared shitless on the inside, she was finally able to think clear and calmly in such a situation.

With a final glare at the grotesque parody of the most famous symbol of Christmas, Sachi ROARED with all her soul as she unleashed her Ultimate Skill.

"DRILL THROUGH!" Nicholas the Renegade was already over the girl as her words echoed on the snowy hill and she THRUST her spear forward with all her might, her feet digging into the snowy ground for the purchase she would need. " **HEAVENLY PIERCER!** "

The Event Boss SHOOK when the expanding shaft of silver light crashed against his chest, killing all his momentum.

Then, it started to PUSH HIM BACK.

The screaming form of the Renegade trashed even as the mighty attack kept pushing his massive body over the snow and backwards, until it finally stopped when his back hit the tree on the hill's center.

At first glance, the only impressive thing about this Skill would be its savage range, achieved by multiplying the range of the user's weapon FITTEEN times. But of course, that would also mean that one would believe that it was only a One-Hit Skill.

It wasn't. The numbers of Hits of this Skill was 20.

And it was something that the body of Nicholas the Renegade could testify clearly. After all, unlike every other Skill Tree in SAO, none of the Infinite Spear Skills actually needed the weapon to TOUCH the enemy to inflict damage. It was the projected 'aura' of the Skill which reduced the enemies' HP.

The main difference between this Skill and all the others that Sachi could do was that this one's aura inflected MORE than one hit.

Because the spinning, drill-like shape at the tip of it kept damaging the enemy for a great total of 10 seconds, inflicting two 'hits' by endlessly rotating twice each second.

Against several enemies, alone, this Skill would literally turn one into a sitting duck as it has such an absurd time of execution, which basically let you frozen and exposed to any other attack. But against only one, big enemy…

Nicholas the Renegade screamed once again, only 2 seconds left for the Skill to end.

Sachi ROARED in response, her own feet starting to be dragged back some inches from the Skill's power.

"UOHHHH!"

And then, with a final spin, the Skill drilled THROUGH the virtual body and the Event's Boss HP reached 0, making it explode into a shower of polygons.

The Heavenly Piercer ended a second later.

A pop-up of 'Quest Complete' appeared in front of Sachi, who opened it with shaky fingers and quickly materialized the item she had just obtained.

The 'Divine Stone of Returning Soul'. Able to 'resurrect' any player that had died a maximum of 10 seconds before its use.

"…I did it." smiled the girl before letting her body fall backwards.

A pair of strong arms were there to catch her, which made the shocked spear-user open her eyes to see a familiar boy clad in black and white holding her, his eyes fixed upon her with a mix of shock, worry and awe.

"…hey there, Sachi."

"Kirito…sama…?" whispered the girl, wondering if the exhaustion was making her hallucinate.

"Sachi…that was FUCKING AWESOME." declared the caped boy with a low voice.

"…eh?! Yo-you were watching?! Since when?!"

"Ehm, since a bit after half the battle, more or less…" confessed the boy while sweatdropping.

Honestly, when Heathcliff FINALLY relented and accepted to delay the 'scout assault' for the Floor Boss until the next day (Or later in this one, if you were being technical), the gamer had been both surprised and frustrated, because it seemed as if the leader of the KoB had suddenly changed his mind from a moment to another.

He would have given that more thought if he wasn't so scared of not getting news about Asuna and the others, so he had rushed towards the 35th Floor as fast as he could and then proceeded to run around while shouting Sachi's name, hoping that nothing had happened to the girl.

But when he had finally managed to, by chance, arrive to the center of the Field Dungeon, he had found a sight he wasn't expecting in the slightest.

Sachi (He only needed an instant to recognize her despite the change in equipment), facing what seemed like a giant zombie parody of Santa Claus by herself.

He had been about to jump in and intervene to 'save' the girl when he had seen her using the Sword Skill she knew as 'Moonlight Swept' (Two-Hits, Omnidirectional and with a multiplication range of 4) and had frozen in shock at seeing the unknown and seemingly impossible action.

Kirito had stood there, telling himself that he would step in and end the fight if Sachi's life was put in true danger at any moment, and had watched with an increasing amount of awe how the girl displayed her full skill with Infinite Spear to face off against the Event Boss.

He had almost stepped in when Nicholas the Renegade kicked Sachi up and left her HP in the red, but her quick reaction and the awesome way in which she had used her Skills to go full airborne and impale the Boss through his skull had not only stopped him, but also left the caped boy speechless. Still, he had been ready to finally get the girl out of there when he had seen her landing just behind the Santa Claus from Hell.

Then, she had screamed and, as if something pulled out from a shonen anime, unleashed THAT last Skill against the raging Boss, driving him back and DRILLING through him until it died.

Hence, his words to the wide-eyed and blushing girl he now held in his arms.

"...extremely awesome."

"N-not really, it wasn't anything as impressive as the thing you usually do..."

"Sachi, at the end of the day, all that I do is kicking, punching and running around. You just soloed an Event Boss while using a spear almost twice as long as you're tall and still managed to even jump over him like a professional acrobat, impaling it while doing so." the black-haired boy scowled down at the girl. "So yes, you were awesome, and that's final."

"But...!"

"I SAID: That's final."

"...yes, Kirito-sama." sighed the girl with a tired smile, leaning against the caped boy as best as she could. "I was awesome."

"Yep, that's better." nodded the gamer while starting to walk away from the area, intent on finding the others. "...by the way, NEVER try doing something like THIS again, okay? And I'm not only talking about facing a Boss by yourself, but about the running away bit. We have been worried sick for you all this time."

"But...I needed to become stronger to prove everyone that I wasn't a burden and...!"

"Sachi, has anyone ever said you were a burden?" the girl lowered his eyes at his words. "Asuna never blamed you for what happened in the dungeon, she told me. It wasn't your fault that that treasure chest was a trap."

"...and yet, if I had been stronger, I and Asuna-san wouldn't have almost died." the girl of bluish-black hair clenched her fists. "A-and I did it, right? I have become much stronger!"

"Yes, you have. I can attest to that." the boy looked at her with a serious look, gaining the girl's full attention all of a sudden. "But it's not a matter of being strong, Sachi. It's about WHAT do you do with that power and HOW do you use it. You never needed to come and face that thing just to prove you were strong to us. We appreciate you, Sachi, no matter what. And you never needed putting your life at risk or getting any fancy item for that."

"...does that mean I have been an idiot?"

"Heh, not quite. You proved something to YOURSELF, right?" the girl seemed to ponder that for a few moments before her eyes slowly widened. "Then that means that all you did had a purpose...but, next time, let us help you with it, okay? That's what friends are for."

"Kirito-sama...thanks." finally said the girl while refusing to meet his eyes. "And I'm sorry for worrying everyone…"

"Don't worry about it, Sachi, everyone will just be glad that you're okay." with a final nod, the boy kept walking through the snowy forest, the tired but smiling girls on his arms. "...and what was THAT you were doing with the spear anyway?"

"Uhm, it's called 'Infinite Spear'. I-it just showed up on my menu th-the night I...ran away. I don't think I have seen anyone else using it, though..."

"Oh...then maybe it is like that thing Asuna got with two swords...?"

"Eh? What about Asuna-san?"

"Ah, it doesn't really matter right now." sighed the boy before giving the curious girl another smile. "For now...lets go back to everyone, Sachi."

"...yeah, lets."

10 minutes later, when Kirito and Sachi found the others, the first thing she would do after they had stopped shouting her name and hugging her would be getting out the Divine Stone of Returning Soul and offer it while saying 'Merry Christmas' to them.

Asuna would them chop her in the head and hug her again, telling her to never do something so stupid again. Kirito smiled.

All was right with the world...

...all until the part when Keita announced that they should disband the Moonlit Black Cats. Before any of his friends could express their shock at his declaration, however, he clarified that it was so that they, now that they were all together again, could become a new, more awesome guild to face the Front Lines as a group, something that Asuna had agreed with enthusiasm and that made Sachi smile.

When Argo cheerfully asked if she could join too, no one was truly surprised. When she had asked how they should call the guild, however, everyone had fallen silent and started thinking very hard.

"Why don't we call ourselves the 'United Heroes Association', then?" had joked Kirito with a silly grin at seeing everyone's extremely serious face while trying to come up with a name.

Hours later, when their new guild had been fully formed and proudly announced to the rest of the Front Liners under their 'awesome' name with him as the leader and Asuna as the second in charge, Kirito swore that, for his sanity, he would never make a joke again.

Meanwhile, on the real world, Kirigaya Suguha was putting some flowers and a small package at the side of her brother's bed, a soft smile on her face as she looked down at him.

"Merry Christmas, Onii-chan. I hope you wake up soon."

Then, she gave him a soft kiss on his cheek before exiting the room.

Only when she was already on the way back home on her bicycle would what she had done fully register on her mind, making her face burn red and almost causing her to crash against a wall.

And like that, as previously stated, all was right with the world...

* * *

The late evening sun of the Christmas day slowly vanished as Kayaba Akihiko looked over the many screens that filled the cottage where he was hidden from the world, thinking.

Things were going differently than how he had planned them originally, but at the same time they were becoming much more interesting.

The 50th Floor had been cleared barely an hour ago, he himself having led the Front Liners as they stood strongly against the fierce Boss that was the giant and 6-armed Buddha statue that guarded the pass to the next Floor...for all the 10 minutes that Kirito had needed to find his way into the room and punch it to oblivion, to the cheers of his newly formed guild and many of the other Front Liners.

At that moment, almost everyone in Aincrad was openly celebrating a massive party under the excuse of both Christmas and the defeat of the 'Super Boss', so it wouldn't be strange if the clearly-not-fan-of-parties leader of the KoB was absent for a while. Not even his direct 'subordinates' would miss Heathcliff's presence for at least a couple of hours.

Still, even as he looked once again at the images of the girl who now possessed Infinite Spear facing off against the Event Boss that Cardinal had created for Christmas, he couldn't help but feel an amused smile making its way to his face.

It had been certainly unexpected that the System had changed his original limitation over most of the Unique Skills; that is, for the Floor 89 to be cleared before they started to be assigned, but it was a surprise the man welcomed, for it made the things to come all the more unexpected and, because of that, exciting, especially considering that the girl had joined Kirito's group.

Also, if his reports were to be believed, the one called Sachi hadn't been the only one with a Unique Skill in the Wandering Forest the past night...

With a simple change of screen, the man's eyes shot over the list of 9 Unique Skills beside his own.

Battoujutsu, Shurikenjutsu, God Hand, Dual Blades and Infinite Spear had already been assigned. He only knew the user of one of them, though, but that added mystery to the whole thing. If rumors were to be believed, the owner of Battoujutsu, the so-called 'Orange Demon', had been in the forest too, and many sightings of the owner of Shurikenjutsu had been reported around under the description of 'a Ninja that controlled a dragon'.

The owners of God Hand and Dual Blades had not yet made any open move that revealed them, but the Mastermind behind Sword Art Online knew it was only a matter of time. After all, he himself was almost ready with his own new 'preparations' if things ended up going as he thought they may…

Another smile made itself present on his face at that thought.

Had Kirito realized yet, why he allowed him to face both the 25th and the 50th Floor Bosses…?

"…you're smiling. That can't mean anything good."

Without any visible reaction to the words, Kayaba turned around to face the petite woman with short, black hair staring at him from the doorway, a blank stare on her face, as always, but unable to hide the small hint of regret and hate that lurked beneath her eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Rinko."

"…what were you doing?" silently muttered Koujiro Rinko while looking to the side, refusing to meet his gaze.

Despite what many people of the world thought about him, Kayaba Akihiko wasn't a heartless bastard that laughed and enjoyed with the deaths and suffering of others. In fact, if you sat down to talk to him, you would even say he was a nice guy.

That didn't make him less of a monster for what he had done with Sword Art Online, though. And that was the reason why this woman, the only one that had been able to deduce WHERE he would hide, had found him and confronted the man, threatening to kill him if he didn't stop the Death Game.

Of course, he had no intention of doing such a thing, and his friend from College, who had stayed with him through the years and even helped with the development of SAO (Without knowing of his plans, of course) hadn't really been able to bring herself to kill him.

He knew the main reason was because Rinko loved him, maybe had done so since college, but, despite that, he had had no intention of either taking advantage of the woman or threatening her. From the moment she had been unable to kill him, she could have walked away, called the authorities and be done with it. He appreciated Rinko, so he wouldn't have hurt her or tried to stop her even if that would have meant the end of his plans.

Instead, the woman had stayed, and even taken care of his body when he had to Dive for long periods of time. He hadn't asked for her to do it, but she had done so anyway.

The instant of reminiscence ended for the man, however, when he realized that she was still waiting for an answer. And so, with the biggest smile he could muster (Which wasn't really that big), he answered.

"Planning how to face a group of 'Heroes'."

Of course, to the man's shock, he was still in for another surprise that Christmas, when some hours later, a Unique Skill that COULDN'T have been assigned to anyone yet, was.

* * *

The moon shone brightly on Aincrad's 35th Floor, and in the middle of the Wandering Forest, everything was silent around the hill with the tree where Sachi had fought against Nicholas the Renegade…

And yet, anyone with enough insight would have realized that something was WRONG, because said tree and hill should have disappeared from the forest little time after the Quest was finished.

Then, suddenly, a 'distortion' appeared in mid-air in front of the tree, two figures being 'spat out' of the strange phenomenon before they crashed face first on the snow in front of the pine tree.

Several seconds of silence passed before the smaller of the two stood up, blinking and looking around.

"It worked…?" muttered the little girl wearing a black dress as she looked around, before her eyes widened and a big smile appeared on her face. "IT WORKED! YAY!" the little girl jumped to her feet, pointing her index finger to the virtual moon with a massive grin. "In your face, Cardinal! I needed more than half a year, but I did it! I'm free!" the program known as MHCP-001, or Yui for short, laughed openly before blinking and smacking her head. "Ah, I mean, WE are free! Right?!" still smiling, the AI turned towards the second figure…who still hadn't moved and was still lying with her face on the snow. "…hey? Strea-san? Helloooo?…crap, don't tell me something went wrong?!" the little girl looked around, panicking and wondered what she could do.

Despite the small window of opportunity she got months ago, Yui had still needed a lot of time for her 'escape' after having done her 'preparations', both to prepare her own program and that of her 'little sister'.

It hadn't been difficult with herself, really. She had removed almost ALL of her administrating privileges, her Status as an Immortal Object and, also, any and all sub-routine that allowed her to look into or over other players or systems and 'Voila!', she had become little more than another mob for Cardinal.

…of course, that came with the downside that she would literally be erased forever if she 'died' in Aincrad and that she had a body that was weaker than a level 1 player, but that's why she had enabled her 'safety measure' and also prepared the MHCP-002, codename STREA, to protect her.

Her pseudo-'little sister's preparations were what had needed so much time, really. For starters, she was the only one of the Mental Health Care Programs that had a 'default' appearance, and seeing as she couldn't' exactly create one for Strea from scratch, she had done the next best thing and stuffed the code of her sister on an unused player avatar, which had still been there on the servers since not all of the original 1000 Beta Testers had returned to SAO.

Then the hard part had come: giving 'life' to her sister. After all, two MHCPs couldn't' be active at the same time in the current settings, so to evade Cardinal's scan she had been forced to 'hide' the other AI in a 'half-awake' state and pretty much inject both human knowledge and all she needed to be a 'player' of the game directly into her code. She had just hoped that, combined with the 'mission' she had programmed on her, her own functions as another Mental Health Care Program would allow her to 'start herself' when they 'escaped'.

…she had also assigned THAT Unique Skill to the avatar her sister was going to use. She may not be human, but she had 'grown' enough thinking as one to be horrified of the Skill's acquiring-condition, and had been smart enough to know that someone who did THAT should never be allowed to have such power.

Now, finally, taking advantage of Cardinal's attention being slightly distracted on its daily revision of Aincrad's status, she had 'jumped' out of her virtual prison using this temporary area as an escape point, dragging her 'sister' out with her.

But as she looked at the unmoving form of the avatar at her side, worry that something had gone wrong and Strea's programming hadn't properly activated, rendering her a useless amount of data unable to even think, filled her mind. Even worse, with all her 'rights' having been removed, she had no way of knowing what the problem was or how to fix…

The sudden appearance of a horde of angry killer elves distracted her from her panicking thoughts, making her look at the rushing mobs with an annoyed look.

"Damn…I don't have time for this!"

That said, the girl faced them…and started to FLOAT, her hands raised even as the mobs froze on place and then, slowly, started being slammed around, against each other and the ground.

This was her 'safety measure' to protect herself. The ONLY 'right' that she hadn't removed from herself was her control over the system's gravity. It was risky, but, as long as she didn't try 'flying' out of Aincrad or throwing anything through the air hundreds of meters, Cardinal shouldn't suspect a thing. Plus, it kind of made it seem as if she had some sort of telekinetic superpowers, and that was really cool!

Still, it would be troublesome to move around without anyone protecting…

No sooner than those thoughts started running through her mind did a sudden blur of darkness shot past her, roaring like a mad beast and raising her wicked blade.

With a speed and ferocity that seemed more proper of an animal than any human, the figure slaughtered the elves, her sword describing weird and sinister arcs through the air, never stopping oozing that inky blackness from it.

If one were to pay closer attention, they would have seen the mobs suffering several negative status effects or starting to spasm before dying in explosions of polygons.

Not even 10 seconds had passed and none of the 20 enemies remained, the blinking Yui looking at the panting figure with confusion, fear and hope.

"…Strea-san?"

In response, the 'girl' slowly turned her head around before fully facing the floating little girl. She seemed to be 16 or 17, with lavender hair and red-violet eyes, combined with a VERY revealing armor that showed off her mature figure, and also allowed to see the two moles she had on her left breast. On her right hand, somehow, she was wielding a Two-Handed Sword from where the sinister shadows that covered her were coming.

And as soon as she saw the little AI, the darkness suddenly seemed to stop oozing from her blade, her eyes brightening as she jumped up and down in almost child-like delight, all traces of the previous wickedness gone.

"AH! Yui-nee! Did I do well?! I wiped them all out!"

"…yes, Strea-san…you did. Uhm, do you…remember your 'mission'?"

"Of course!" answered the girl with a bright smile, putting her empty hand over her massive chest. "I need to protect Yui-nee, and help her to find Kirito, the Hero!" then, as if an afterthought, she added. "He's awesome!"

…okay, maybe SOMETHING had gone wrong after all, but at least her 'sister' was awake and willing to 'help her', so she would let it slide.

Besides, it seemed that she could properly control the sinister power of Darkness Blade…kind of.

"Okay then! Let's move, little sis!" turning around, Yui pointed towards the horizon. "We have a Hero to find!"

"Yay!" Strea cheerfully answered.

And like that, the two AIs started their long journey towards 'freedom'…

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

"Hiiiiii, everyone! This is Strea, here to give you all the next chapter's preview :D! Ahahah, woah, being 'outside' feels really weird! Everything is so new and exciting…I can't wait until we find Kirito, eheheh, I REALLY want to get to know that Hero…ah, yeah, okay, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Dragon Ninja?!' Kirito will meet again with someone outrageous, and after a tragedy strikes their meeting, will he be able to her this mysterious character to save the life of a fallen friend?! Don't miss it!...AH! Yui-nee, wait for me; I can't float around like you do to-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author Notes:** MAN, this chapter really got long, uh? Hope you all enjoyed it, and GASP! Kirito appeared in this chapter at all :O! Originally I had planned in detailing what happened in the fight against the 50th Boss to fix that, but after finishing most of the chapter I realized that I preferred to skip that over so as to let this chapter to be Sachi's moment of glory alone XP Don't worry though, we will get much more of our Hero and his 'cursed' luck next chapter!

And yay, Yui and Strea are finally out! Also, for those who noticed, yeah, I totally made a Yui/Tatsumaki parallel XD Ironically, it's not really that crazy, because those who watch SAO may remember that, when Yui 'remembered' everything and faced off against the Lethal Scythe, she WAS floating (So it isn't farfetched to think that she could also make other things float)! Even though she has removed almost everything else she can do and she's very limited because of Cardinal (No loli throwing around Bosses like ragdolls anytime soon, sorry :P), it's going to be 'fun' to see how more Kirito's sanity is 'attacked' by these hilarious references…and those who know Hollow Fragment will not only be happy of seeing Strea around (Those who don't, look in Google how she looks for better understanding O,O), but may also have noticed that that 'other' character was kind of shown on this chap, though hasn't still been fully revealed -w-

Also, to those who don't read the novels, I didn't make up Koujiro Rinko. She's an actual canon SAO character and all that I wrote about her is true, though the anime almost literally ignored her existence, seeing as she doesn't get a 'true' role on the story till the Alicization Arc :O

Finally, the thing most would be wondering about after the chap and the main 'change' I have done in SAO itself: The Unique Skills. So, let's get this straight, for those who don't know (Most likely anime-only watchers) here ALWAYS were more of those than Kirito and Heathcliff's, but never really came out in the story for plot-related reasons. Later, on an interview, the author revealed that there were a total of 10 of them ('Curiously', the same number of 'suspicious conditional Skills' that were taken out when ALO was updated and got Sword Skills), and named a few of them when asked, which are:

-Infinite Spear.

-Shurikenjutsu ('The Art of using a throwing star')

-Battoujutsu ('The Art of drawing one's sword')

-Darkness Blade (The ONLY one that the author specified a bit, though only in terms of 'acquiring-conditions': it was meant to be assigned to the player with the greater number of Player Killings…which in SAO meant that it was supposed to go the greatest murderer).

Now, all of these were, also said by the author, only supposed to be 'given' AFTER the players reached the Floor 90 (Only Dual Blades and Holy Sword were free from this limitation), the 'excuse' for they never showing up in canon, but in my story Cardinal has removed said limit in indirect response to Kirito's 'onepuncheness' XD If you count them all (And also include Sinon's 'non-canon' Bow Skill from the games, which is supposed to also be one), you get 7 of the 10. As it stands, I'm planning on using all of the known ones except Archery (for obvious reasons) and also 2 of the 'unknown' ones (Created by me, duh) to increase the level of 'awesomeness' that this story needs to become more 'One Punch-Man'-like. You have seen Kayaba mention one of them already (Read again if you didn't catch it XP). Hope that the 'explanations' I gave about how I imagined that 'Infinite Spear' would be were good enough, I'm combining my deep knowledge of SAO as a game thanks to the novels (most of it gets skipped on the anime for obvious reasons), some mechanics coming from the SAO videogames (Which I have) and a bit of imagination and random references to 'create' how every one of these Unique Skills will work. Like Kirito's Dual Blades in canon, they will be outrageous and strong in their own way, but still believable inside SAO's limitations (I hope, I'm trying). And kudos to one of my reviewers, you will know who you are, who gave me an idea for the 'reference' hidden in Sachi's Ultimate Skill XD If you got it despite not being said person, then it means you also watched one of the most awesome mechas anime ever :P (Also, who else thinks that Strea having a Skill that was meant to be given to the ultimate PK is awesomely terrifying :3?)

Ok, that's all for now, because I already made these author's notes absurdly long. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope to see you all in the next one.

Till then, this is Saint, signing off!


	8. Chapter 6: The Dragon Ninja?

Here we go again, introducing yet another character, but, like everyone around, 'changed' a bit from their canon self XD Oh, and before I forget it, this story was already favorite by more than 140 people! Thanks to you all, I hope you can keep enjoying this :D! Oh, and just because it seemed it wasn't really noticeable then, Yui is wearing the same dress she does in canon, but black instead of white OxO Anyway, on with the fic!

Also, funny coincidence that I remembered while re-reading a bit of SAO, do you know where in Japan Kirito and company live =D? Yep, in the SAITAMA prefecture XD

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: The Dragon Ninja?! Shuriken and Punch: Team-Up!**

 **February 15, 2024. 35th Floor, 18:35…**

The Wandering Forest was, as always, silent as a grave…though seeing as it was one of the most annoying Dungeons known in Aincrad so far (More for its labyrinthic form than for the difficult), that wasn't so surprising.

No, what was truly surprising was the petite figure that would have left most players in awe, if anyone had been there, upon seeing how it went jumping from tree to tree, in a way that seemed to have been copied from a certain anime.

"On the lone forest, we must wander. Never stopping, always searching for our objective…"

The figure jumped again, letting the reddish scarf she had wrapped around her neck to flap for a moment at the virtual wind.

"Our path home is long and hard. Our struggle knows no end…"

On the next jump, another smaller figure could be seen flying at the girl's side, following every jump with a flap of his wings, the blue-feathered and red-eyed creature the size of a small dog never abandoning her side.

"And yet, we shall not stop. For we have a mission to fulfill. And until it's done, we shall not rest…"

The girl finally landed on a clearing where the path between trees split in many directions, her small pigtails and childish looks combined with the slightly revealing blue-red and ninja-like clothes she wore giving her more the appearance of an otaku's long-life dream than of a terrifying warrior, which she thought they did. Neither her dragon companion nor the strange tri-pronged 'dagger' on her hip could change that.

The massive, silver and 8-pointed metallic 'star' strapped to her back, however (Bigger in diameter than twice the size of her head), would have made people blink more than once.

"Because that's our Ninja Way." apparently satisfied with her monologue, the girl stood up, opening her eyes and nodding to herself. "Right, Pina?"

"…kyuu?" answered the Feathered Little Dragon with a tilt of his head, his own question apparently catching the girl off guard.

"Kuh?! N-no! What are you talking about?!" all traces of Silica's previous 'coolness' vanished in an instant as she waved her arms at her Tamed Monster. "I-I'm not trying to sound cool just because we're lost! Which we AREN'T, by the way!"

"Kyuuru?"

"Ha-having been here for 3 hours was all part my strict ninja training since the beginning, of course!"

"Kyuuuu?" deadpanned the dragon while raising an eyebrow.

"Pre-pretending to be eager to return once we got Liz-san's requested items wa-was me testing you!"

"…kyuuuryu kyuu, kyuu?"

"…yes, we're lost." finally accepted the young girl while letting her shoulders and head fall down.

"Kyuuu."

"Yes, I should have heard your advice and brought a Teleport Crystal…but I wanted to prove Liz-san I don't need to waste those anymore! Not since we stopped getting lost every 3 days of training!"

"Kyuuku, kyu?"

"…yes, I know she's going to be pissed because of this, okay? Are you happy now?!" half-squeaking and half-angry, the girl slammed her fist against a tree. The gesture was meant to seen serious and reflect her rage, but in truth only managed to look really adorable. "Well, at least we managed to get that weird woman off our backs. Seriously, she was so annoying, trying to Team-Up with us saying we would die if we went alone." the girl crossed her arms while putting on a smile meant to look prideful, but her dragon partner only found silly. "A kunoichi (Female Ninja) like me doesn't need anyone to babysit her, and you're all the help I need, Pina!"

"…kyuu."

"Ge-getting lost again doesn't have anything to do with that!" the girl pouted at her friend with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms and looking to the side. "I swear, Pina, sometimes it's as if you…"

The girl's words were abruptly interrupted by the roaring form of an ape-like mob, which jumped out of the trees without warning and slammed both its massive fists over the unsuspecting duo…

…or would have, if they hadn't jumped/flown backwards at the same time, their eyes suddenly sharp even as Silica grabbed her 'dagger' without hesitation and, after jumping against a nearby tree, unleashed the 'Rapid Bite' Dagger Skill she had been charging since the moment she jumped, giving a critical hit to the mob's head and making it explode in polygons.

"…what a foolish beast, thinking he could get a kunoichi with a surprise attack." coolly declared the young girl while lowering her weapon.

"…kyu."

"I-I'm NOT trying to look cool for no reason! It is my Ninja Way to do things like this even if only you get to hear them!"

"Kyuuu!" admonished the dragon while flying up.

"YES, I know there are more of them!" shouted Silica in answer as she once again did an impressive backflip to evade the 2 new enemies, their charge hitting nothing as the self-proclaimed kunoichi and her small partner turned around. "I'm NOT blind, Pina!"

"Kyuuryuu!" answered the Familiar while unleashing a stream of bubbles from his maw. Despite the apparent silliness of the attack, the non-threatening-looking bubbles crashed against one of the apes and sent it rearing backwards, with noticeable damage to his HP.

"Ok, ok, I will take the other one!" declared Silica while easily dodging the latest charge of the ape-mob and landing on a nearby tree, her hand flying towards a pouch on the back of her hips and returning fast as lighting with 3 small and 4-pointed metal stars, with a hole in the middle seemingly to allow the girl to grab them. As she wielded them in a fan-like position, they started to shine. "You crossed the wrong girl, monkey! Swallow Barrage!"

The blinking monster had enough time to look towards the tree before the 3 shurikens flew through the air in impossible arcs, one crashing directly against his face before the other two imbedded themselves over his ribs. The creature quickly exploded into polygons even as the young girl and her partner landed at each other's side, their enemies finished.

"…kyuku kyuru, kyu?"

"…yes, I KNOW that Liz-san said that any shuriken I 'wasted' was coming straight from my part of the ingots' recollection, but I just HAD to use them!" retorted the 'proud' owner of the Unique Skill known as Shurikenjutsu, before touching the massive throwing star on her back with a soft smile. "Of course, I can't exactly blame her after she used 'her own trick' to make this jewel here…maybe I should try and do something nice for her next…"

A strange, rustling sound caught the girl's attention and her head snapped to the side in time for another, bigger ape-mob to appear from the trees. This one had silver fur, and it looked very mad. What called the attention about him the most, however, were the two HP Bars over his head, together with a clearly displayed name.

"'Alpha Silver Ape'? A Named Mob out of nowhere?" Silica's shock only grew, however, when the ape-creature looked at her and hit his own chest several times with his fists while roaring, causing a dozen of the previous 'Drunken Apes' to spawn around the clear. "Damn! It can call others?!" jumping backwards, the kunoichi was barely able to evade the NM's attack before 4 of the others were upon her, not even her fully mastered Acrobatics Skill allowing her to dodge all the fists of the considerably big creatures. "GAH!"

"KYUU!" 'shouted' Pina with worry and rage even as he too tried to evade the enemies' attacks and counterattack.

"Dammit!" hastily landing on her feet, the young girl unleashed a barrage of her shurikens at the enemies surrounding her, the urgency of the gesture not letting her active a Skill with it, but the countless practice she had with the throwing weapons allowing her to hit the lowly mobs in critical points and make them stumble. "Okay, I will need to use it!" that said, the girl reached for the massive shuriken on her back…and was thrown backwards when the Named Mob rushed at her and slammed his fist against her side, making her lost the enormous throwing star and roll until crashing against a tree, a good chunk of her HP vanishing. "Kuh!...maybe I should have heard out Liz-san when she told me that making my stats almost fully based on agility and dexterity wasn't the best of ideas…"

That said, the girl's hand tried to reach for the fallen weapon…just for the shadow of the Alpha Silver Ape to get in her way. Eyes widening, the girl reached for her small kunai, a part of her knowing it was already too late for…

A screeching sound that may have been an attempt of a roar echoed through the virtual forest even as Pina interposed himself between his master and the attack, unleashing his own Bubble Breath in defiance. The first HP Bar of the Named Mob was reduced to the yellow.

Then both fists slammed on the feathery dragon and sent it flying through the air, crashing against the same tree Silica had done not long ago and then falling to the ground, not far from the wide-eyed girl.

"Pi…Pina…?" muttered the shocked kunoichi while reaching a hand towards the suddenly glowing Familiar.

"Ky…uuuu…"

"N-no…what are you saying…? Yo-you can't fall here…you won't die here! Yo-your Ninja Way is just beginning, like mine!" the crying girl managed to crawl towards her friend's side, any thought of recovering her weapon or of the quickly recovering mobs surrounding her forgotten. "Tha-that's why…don't give…!"

With a final, sad cry, Pina's body shattered into polygons, only a small, glowing feather remaining from the little dragon.

A dark silence suddenly covered the area as the girl STARED at what was left of her best friend, something dark and cold and sad burning inside of her eyes.

"I…will destroy you…" softly whispered Silica as her grip on her kunai tightened, her empty hand shooting towards her shuriken's pouch as she turned to stare with pure hate at the mobs surrounding her, the 5 throwing stars on her hand starting to shine. "GIVE ME PINA BACK, YOU FUCKING AP…!"

The girl's angry scream was cut short when, suddenly, every single mob surrounding her exploded into polygons as SOMETHING rushed past them.

Frozen and in utter shock, some tears of both rage and sadness still running down her face, the self-proclaimed kunoichi suddenly found herself facet-to-face with a caped figure clad in white and black, worry filling his eyes.

"Hey…are you okay?" softly muttered Kirito while the girl fell down on her ass.

"…Yo-you…it's you…but Pina…"

Seeing the girl apparently losing herself on her own words, Kirito felt glad for the first time in the last 24 hours of not being back on the Front Lines with the others.

Really, it's not as if he was regretting his 'job' of 'playing hero for fun', no. It's just that, the past day, February 14th, the girls had been acting WEIRD around him, even if he wasn't exactly sure of WHY. When he had noticed that even Argo seemed to be fidgeting around him and then caught the pitying looks that Keita and the others were sending his way, though, a part of his brain had been smart enough to tell him that, if he didn't got the fuck out of there soon, things could get ugly for…some reason.

He wasn't one to argue with sudden voices in his head, so he had hastily made out an excuse about needing to investigate some strange rumors on the lower Floors and then ran away from Floor 58 as fast as he could.

Some may have called him a coward. He would have disagreed…even if he wasn't exactly sure of WHY.

Now, though, seeing the crying and clearly in shock little girl cradling what remained of her virtual pet, he was glad of having come down to a place as annoying as the Wandering Forest.

He just wished he had been a bit faster.

"…I'm sorry about your friend."

"I-it's no-not your fault, Kirito-san!" quickly shouted the girl while waving her arms, any attidude she had had until moments ago gone and replaced by the frantic pre-teen she really was. "Yo-you're always bu-busy being a He-hero for everyone, the me-mere fact that you came to sa-save me it's an honor alre…!"

"No, don't say that." quickly cut her the boy while shaking his head. He didn't even bother asking how the girl recognized him, he already knew that by this point there hardly was anyone on Aincrad that couldn't' do it on sight. Also, he didn't seem to notice how the young girl blushed at his gesture "Whatever else I do has nothing to do with the fact that I couldn't save your Familiar, Silica."

"I-I already told you that that's not…!...wait, uh?" the self-proclaimed kunoichi blinked several times, confused. "Di-did you just…? Yo-you…remember me?"

"Uhm, yeah?" the boy tilted his head, smiling softly to try and calm down the girl. "I recommended you to fight using a dagger back in Floor 1, right?"

Being honest, it had only been the fact that the strangely-dressed girl still kept her pigtails and that he hadn't seen any other player as young as her out of the Starting City EVER what had allowed the gamer to recognize her, but the boy thought it would be best not to mention that aloud.

Of course, he himself had no way of knowing that HE was also the main reason why the girl in front of him was even there in the first place.

After the shocking events that followed the 'defeat' of the 1st Floor Boss, both Lisbeth and Silica had been shocked at recognizing the description of the boy that was the center of the clash between negative and positive rumors, the one who was also apparently the 'Black-White Blur' which had created the 'hopeful and safe' atmosphere that had motivated both to leave the Starting City at the game's beginning.

Wondering if meeting the 'Hero' (No matter what others said back then, both girls considered him one already) had been some kind of 'sign', the young blacksmith and the small dagger-user had decided to travel together through the Death Game from then on. The fact that they had become good friends in the span of a day after chatting for hours had also helped.

Since then, both girls had been great friends and partners, helping each other as best as they could: Silica would go out to try and become stronger, to fight and do SOMETHING for the sake of getting out of the game, and Liz would use the items and ingots she got in the field to improve her blacksmithing Skills, which would in turn generate a bigger income for both of them. Occasionally, Lisbeth would go out to the field with Silica to level up, for even if not an active fighter the girl KNEW she needed the levels if she wished to keep her skills high enough to enhance and/or create weapons that could be used by the Front Liners. Things had gone smoothly for them with barely any change for most of the game, both female players relying on each other and enjoying their mutual company.

Of course, one thing had been clearly different between them, besides their playing-style: Their motivation.

While Lisbeth wanted to become a great blacksmith to be able to help everyone in a way that didn't involve fighting and that she was good at, Silica's will to fight, which had originally been a simple wish of not feeling helpless and scared, had changed as time went on. Since she knew of the identity of the mysterious boy in the 'heroic' costume she had seen that day on Tolbana.

Maybe because (In Liz's 'annoying' words) she was an impressionable little girl, the self-proclaimed kunoichi had felt 'special' because someone who was, and had continued showing being, SAO's greatest Hero had been the one to, sort of, start her in the path to fight for her freedom. She was also one of the few people that thought of Kirito as something beyond a 'simple' hero: She saw a SUPERHERO on him.

That was why her adoration for the boy grew with each new feat or epic achievement that people spread about him, always one of the firsts to defend him for those who badmouthed or insulted his exploits. Lisbeth said that she just had a big crush on the caped boy, but it wasn't that (Totally).

Silica saw the boy as a goal. An ideal. Someone who was an example that had to be followed. Someone who would do all that he could to help and save others, who would always try to reduce the burden of other's players, who would always go out of his way for those who were with him…it was something beautiful that made her soul burn with the fires of almost-childish wonder, a belief that most people lost as they grew up.

The Will to truly believe in Heroes.

And then, one day half a year ago, as if answering to her determination and wish to reach beyond, Shurikenjutsu had appeared on her menu for no apparent reason. When she went to show it to Liz in shock, both had been surprised to discover than, when Silica asked, the blacksmith was suddenly able to create a new type of weapon on her Blacksmithing Menu.

The classic and deadly Japanese throwing stars, used by Ninjas on the country's old times and also in most media. Shurikens. A few tries proved not only that Lisbeth could no longer create them if the younger girl wasn't close, but also that, even if the quality of the shurikens and the number (More than one came from a single ingot) changed with the type of ingot used, the variety was inferior to those of most weapons, and they vanished after a direct use.

Despite that, when Silica started trying out the difficult to execute but deadly and fast Skills that could only be used with the throwing weapons and by her alone, they proved that mass-production was worth it. Things like making a 'pouch' for the girl to have quick access to them was, surprisingly, fairly easy.

Taking all of this as yet another signal, Silica had decided to dedicate herself fully to the supposed 'path' that the game was showing her, and had declared proudly that she would become a ninja herself.

Liz open laugh when she had first declared it had changed from an annoying memory to a prideful one, when he recalled how that laughter had turned into open-mouthed amazement when she mastered both her Unique Skill and the Acrobatics Skill, showing how far she had gotten. Combined with how she had used most of her Stat Points in her never-ending training to improve her agility, dexterity and a bit of attack, all to be able to 'move and fight like a ninja', the girl had felt more excited than never before in her life. Getting the proper 'costume' hadn't been hard either, because apparently there was a certain guild of ninjas wannabes that didn't really had that much impact in the frontlines but were really dedicated and it had only taken some asking around to know what kind of equipment would suit her.

A month after that, she Tamed Pina, and her excitement only grew. After all, wasn't it common for ninjas to have loyal animal companions to aid them in several stories?

When some months later a disbelieving Liz had stared at how the latest 'dagger' she had made for her young friend had taken the form of an honest-to-God tri-pronged KUNAI, Silica had been more sure than ever that she had been right about her 'destiny'. It was Fate that she went down the Ninja Way, as she had started to call it countless times (Much to her friend's annoyance).

Then, just when she was finishing mastering Shurikenjutsu, Lisbeth had suddenly obtained THAT. It almost seemed a thing of Fate again, because she had just noticed, after getting past the 900 points of Mastery of her Unique Skill, that she needed a 'new weapon' to execute the strongest ones, which had once again been available for the blacksmith to forge when she was around.

Eager to help her friend test her new 'ability', she had gone around and gotten the strongest Ingot she could find, a Diamond one, and Lisbeth had tried THAT out while combining it with her blacksmith's ability.

The result was the massive shuriken that now lay half a meter from her, and that she always proudly carried on her back. The best weapon the now pink-haired girl had ever made.

She had Mastered Shurikenjutsu a month after getting it, and had proudly announced herself as a full-fledged kunoichi.

Still, she had been a bit worried for Liz lately. Since then, she barely had seen her using THAT outside of apparently training to master it, and she didn't seem to have used it to forge any other thing ei…

"…ca? Silica? You okay?" Kirito waved a gloved hand in front of the pigtailed girl's-face.

"Eh?" dumbly answered the self-proclaimed kunoichi while coming out of her reminiscence, in which her brain had sank into in hopes of not having her acting like a little girl meeting her favorite TV character…which was kind of how she was feeling, to be honest.

"Sorry, I know you must still be in a bit of shock, but I said that there may be a way to save your friend…"

At the boy's words, the girl's eyes widened as she looked once again at the feather on her hand, just remembering that yes, she had just lost her beloved friend and trusted companion. The returning feelings of sadness and despair, however, were crushed the moment the Hero's words registered on her ears.

"E-eh?! There is a way to bring Pina back?!" more nimble than a cat, the girl was back on her feet and hanging from the surprised Kirito's neck in an instant, desperation on her eyes. "How?!"

"A-ah, well, I'm not really sure of it, but a friend of mine that specializes on information says that there supposedly is a Quest on Floor 47th that allows one to resurrect Tamed Monsters that have died, but she hasn't been able to check it out sine there are almost no Beast Tamers on SAO…"

"Really?!"

"Uhm, yes…have you checked out that feather? It should be an item that only you can interact with…" nodding in understanding, the girl let go of the boy (Quickly turning around to not let him see her face burn after realizing how she had been holding on him) and touched the small glowing feather, which deployed a window announcing its name: Pina's Heart. "See? You apparently have a time limit of a couple of days before it turns into 'Remains'. Apparently, if you get the item, some flower that only blooms on the 'Hill of Memories' and use it on the 'Heart' before that happens the Tamed Monster will revive…"

Hope and stars suddenly seemed to fill the girl's eyes even as she ran and grabbed her massive shuriken, hanging it from her back before sending a grateful smile the boy's way.

"Thanks a lot, Kirito-san; you have given me my Hope back! I WILL save Pina!" fire once again burning on her gaze, the girl clenched a fist while looking to the havens, her scarf flapping dramatically under a sudden gust of virtual wind. "Don't worry Pina! I swear on my Ninja Way that I will bring you back to life, even if I have to descend to the pits of Yomi to save you! So swears Silica, Aincrad's greatest (Only) kunoichi!"

"…ehm, hey…" the suddenly sweatdropping boy called Silica's attention, who blinked and looked at him. "Pina…wouldn't be a 'dragon', by any chance, right?"

"Ah! As expected of Aincrad's superhero, Kirito-san knows many things!" happily nodded the girl while accidentally letting her pigtails bop up and down in an extremely cute way, contrasting harshly with how she had been acting a second ago. "Yes, Pina is a Feathered Little Dragon! Why?"

The boy clad in white and black blinked and STARED. He looked from the girl's equipment to the kunai on her hip and then at the massive throwing star on her back. He blinked again.

When he had first heard Argo talking about the rumors, he had given them a bit more of attention than the info broker had, because let's face it, with the kind of madness that had been going around on his life lately, that a 'true ninja' (Unlike those idiots of the Fumasomething guild) appeared wouldn't have really surprised him much.

Still, when he had heard about the 'Ninja who controlled a dragon', he had been expecting some sinister-looking weirdo (Kind of like Sonic had been in One Punch-Man) carrying a Nodachi and with a massive, fire-breathing and scale-covered beast of destruction at his side…not a loli that seemed to be cosplaying accompanied by a small cute thing that could throw bubbles out of its mouth…and that now seemed to be blushing and looking to the side for some reason…

"Ahm…eh…Kirito-san? Uhm…could you please not stare at me so much?" bashfully muttered the kunoichi while looking to the side and playing with the edges of her 'ninja uniform'. "It's embarrassing…"

"Ah?! O-OH! Sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking…I mean, I was, but not that…!" quickly shaking his hands, the boy realizing that he pretty much had looked as if he was checking the young girl out, Kirito shook his head before coughing hard on his hand and looking back at the monsterless Tamer with a serious look, intent on letting the last scene out of his mind. "I-I wanted to say that, if you want, I will help you go to revive your friend."

"REALLY?!" the young girl clearly didn't scream with an extremely high-pitched voice and shiny eyes…or so she told herself.

"…yeah. I mean, I would feel kind of bad if I let you go alone after not being able to save your friend in time." muttered the boy while trying to not pay attention to the girl's reaction. "Also, it's kind of late already, and I don't know about you but going through this forest is very tiring (For the mind), so how about we rest tonight on the nearest town and go to Floor 47 tomorrow?"

"A-ah, yeah, I got no problem with that!" quickly nodded the young girl before looking to the side, embarrassed. "Bu-but…I do-don't know where the exit is."

"Me neither." cheerfully admitted the boy, making Silica look at him in shock. "But I have an easy way of solving that."

"Ho-how?"

Smiling softly, the boy offered a hand towards the girl.

"Grab tight."

Thirty seconds later, the self-proclaimed kunoichi was screaming her lungs out in excitement and wonder, she and the boy soaring through the air after he had grabbed her and JUMPED out of the forest, the 35th Floor seeming incredibly far as they speared through the air.

"THIS. IS. AMAZING!"

"It gets old after a couple hundred of times, to be honest…" muttered the boy while looking awkwardly at the young girl holding on his side (He having a hand around her shoulders). "Though I accept that it's pretty cool the first time."

"Yo-you move like this all the time…" whispered the girl in awe before blinking. "Wait…how are we going to land?"

"Ah…that's why I told you to grab tight." sheepishly grinned the gamer even as they started to fall, Silica screaming once again but for very different reasons.

At least it was a beautiful night for an earth-shaking fall on a field.

* * *

Kirito sighed as he closed his menu, staring for a moment out of the window of the Inn where he and Silica had decided to stay for the night before crossing his arms.

He had just finished sending a message to the others to tell them that he had to help someone and thus wouldn't be returning yet, at which they had reassured him that everything was alright but that he shouldn't forget they needed him on the Frontline as soon as he could.

He didn't need to be told twice about that, though. He had found lately that he really hated being away from his friends for too long. It was a strange but welcome feeling, that of having so many people that cared for you and that you cared for in return. Thinking that sent a small wave of depression through him once again at remembering how he had been with his family the last 4 years before getting trapped in SAO. It made him think of Sugu again.

Sugu…if he was honest with himself, she was, in a way, the main reason why she had stayed to help Silica. After all, the girl, despite her looks, was clearly very capable and strong, and he had no doubt that she would easily be able to get the item to resurrect her pet…but, when he saw her crying on the ground before, it had reminded him so much of how Sugu looked when she was little and something made her extremely sad, and he had been unable to NOT help to see that the girl managed to recover her friend without problems.

With another soft look towards the ceiling, the boy promised himself once again that he would get himself and everyone else out of the game as soon as possible.

He was more than a year and two months late for sharing that ice cream with Sugu, after all. He was really hoping it didn't arrive to two whole…

Suddenly tensing, the boy's eyes shot towards the window…finding nothing outside of it.

"…okay, this is starting to get creepy. I have been feeling as if someone is watching me more times that I can count these last two months…" shaking his head, the boy stood up, intent on going to check up on Silica and talk about how they would go the Floor 47 tomorrow. "Maybe the others are right and I'm becoming paranoid…with all the madness going around in my life and now that group of lunatics, Something Coffin, that says they're going to be 'the Villains' of the world, it wouldn't be weird…"

Even as the boy kept monologuing and walking away, he never noticed how two heads, one of long black hair and the other of short lilac one, suddenly peeked through his window…which was in the Inn's second floor.

Exchanging a curious/determined stare, the two AIs (Currently floating thanks to the 'powers' of the younger-looking one) nodded at each other, before vanishing from view to continue their silent stalk…uhm, 'watching over' the curious boy.

Meanwhile, on her own room, an underwear-clad Silica sighed as she nervously sat on her bed, unable to sleep because of a mix of worry for her loyal partner's fate and that her Hero was just in the room in front of her, and that he was going to go with HER to save Pina.

It was almost like something out of her wildest fantasies…! …not that she had wild fantasies, of course. She wasn't a little kid, she was full-fledged kunoichi!

"…hauuu…I'm so nervous…" muttered the pigtailed girl while absentmindedly playing with four shurikens on her right hand, a habit that she had developed and that would be very dangerous if this wasn't a virtual world. "Mouu, I wish Pina was here…he always knows exactly what to say when I'm nervo…"0

"Silica-chan? Can I come in?" came Kirito's voice from the other side of the room, making the girl squeak and jump out of the bed, then squeaking again and doing several backflips to catch the falling shurikens before they crashed at the ground. "Silica?! Is something wrong?!"

"N-no, don't worry, I'm fine!" screamed the young girl in response before running at the door and opening it, panting but trying to put on a 'calm and cool' smile to hid the stupid thing that she had just done, even as she waved the hand with the shurikens in front of herself. "See? Everything is perfect!"

"…"

"…uh? Kirito-san?" blinking in confusion at noticing how the boy's cheeks reddened and he took a step backwards, Silica took a confused step back too. "I-it's something wrong…?"

"Si-Silica-chan…yo-your…clothes…" managed to mutter the gamer while covering his face with a hand and looking to the side. Confused, the kunoichi looked down at herself.

At her petite and underwear-clad self

Two seconds of dreadful silence passed…before Silica released a scream that would have shattered all glasses on the town if they weren't Immortal Objects, making Kirito jump back in shock even as she wildly moved back her hand and threw the now shining 4 shurikens at the boy, who watched wide-eyed as they flew on a bird-like pattern at him before one crashed against his chest as the other three separated and blew to his arms and face.

It was SO unexpected and surprising that the boy actually ended up on the ground, facing the ceiling and blinking, though unharmed, even as he heard the sound of a door slamming closed, followed by another squeak/scream after some seconds.

Kirito quickly reached a conclusion.

"I will talk to her when we get out in the morning."

* * *

 **February 16, 2024. 47th Floor, 10:45…**

The sun was shining and the birds were singing on the beautiful place that was Aincrad's 47th Floor. Almost every part of it, from the main city of Floria to the edges of the Floor, was covered by bright and colorful flowers.

In essence, it was one of those places that made one question Kayaba Akihiko's sanity when deciding to trap people in a virtual world where they would die if they weren't strong enough.

After all, WHY the hell would such a world need places like THIS almost halfway to the top?!

That were the kind of thoughts that ran through Kirito's mind every time he visited a Floor like this…though right now his thoughts were on looking sheepishly at his still-embarrassed companion, who refused to meet his eyes as she looked everywhere but at him, her cheeks burning red.

The fact that doing that that only made her clearly notice the 'nature' of the Floor as the favorite place in Aincrad for couples to get all lovey-dovey didn't help at all. She was just glad of having been able to come out with an excuse for Liz the night before to justify her 'delay' in going back.

 _"Ju-just he and me…here…walking together…I-it's almost as if this was a date!"_ shaking her head to stop steam coming out of it, Silica tried to banish those thoughts out of her mind. _"N-no! Do-don't be silly, Silica, you have an important mission to accomplish! You can't be having childish thoughts about things like ro-romance when your best friend is counting on you to save him! Remember your Ninja Way, no-nothing shall…!"_

"Hey, Silica, can I ask you something?"

"Ha-hai, Kirito-san?!" squeaked the girl in response while looking at her with swirling eyes, her mind quickly going into overdrive. _"Wha-what's he going to ask?! Ma-maybe he…? AHHH! Damn Liz for putting so many perverted thoughts on my head!"_ the self-proclaimed kunoichi grabbed the sides of her head while uselessly trying to calm down _. "I-I'm not mentally prepared yet…!"_

"Uhm, what was that you did with the shurikens yesterday?" asked the black-haired boy with honest curiosity, freezing the girl on the spot and making her blink. "I have never seen anyone do something like that…in fact, now that I think about it, I have never even SEEN anyone in SAO having shurikens, period. Not even those weirdoes from the Fumasomething guild…"

"O-oh! Tha-that's what you wanted to ask, ahahahah!" Kirito looked confused when he saw a mix of relief and…disappointment? on the girl's eyes. "We-well, to be honest, I'm not really sure myself…the Skill to use them, Shurikenjutsu, appeared on my menu one day, and after that a blacksmith friend of mine became able to create them when I'm around, so…"

"Wait, really?" asked the boy with obvious shock before putting a hand on his chin, seeming deep in thought. "But that would mean…another one? Seriously? Why do I keep encountering them? And just how many of those are…?"

"Eh? Ki-Kirito-san, what are you talking about…?"

"Oh, nothing concrete, Silica. It's just something that has been on my mind lately, but you see, I think that you're most likely the only person on all of SAO with that Skill…" at the girl's shocked gaze, the boy could only nod and continue his explanation. "Well, it's a theory of mine, but some, let's say it, 'weird' Skills that no one else has or seems to have ever heard about have been showing around. I don't have any definitive proof yet, but I think that these 'Unique Skills' may have a deeper meaning in all of this…"

"S-so, does that mean that I'm like, a chosen or something…?" asked the young girl with an almost childish shine on her eyes, looking at him as if his words were those of God.

"U-uh?! We-well, I'm not sure, as I said, I don't have any real proof of this yet, but seeing as how these Skills seem to go SO AGAINST the usual ones of SAO, almost as if they were meant to fight greater threats, then I can only assume so…"

 _"I-I'm destined for something special! Aincrad's very own Superhero just told me that!"_ Silica's mind was clearly going into overdrive as she unsuccessfully tried to keep her more eager side at bay. _"I ne-need to show I'm up to the expectations of this, then! I need to show that I'm a worthy kunoichi as a master of Shurikenjutsu!"_

Ignoring how she probably was nodding to herself and making small gestures with her hands while her thoughts echoed, the young girl started to walk faster and letting the pondering boy behind, who blinked and looked at her…only for his eyes to widen.

"Silica, watch out!"

"E-eh?" blinked he kunoichi before the growling form of some sort of carnivore plant mob rose from the flowers in front of her, extending its deadly tentacles towards her unprotected…"KYA!"

"Don't worry, I will…!" Kirito hadn't even finished his sentence when a shout of 'Direct Flare!' came accompanied for a shuriken shooting through the air and destroying the plant's 'head', making its body explode into polygons just as the tendrils were about to coil around the pale Silica. "…uhm, good job…you okay?"

"Ye-yes…I'm okay…" muttered the young girl while shivering before taking a step back and putting herself closer to the gamer's body. "God, I HATE those things so much…why do they always attack with the tentacles first…?"

More explanations weren't needed for the boy to understand the kunoichi's apparent fears. After all, both of them were Japanese.

"…that's just another of the things that makes me realize that Kayaba must have been REALLY fucked up on the head when he designed this game…"

Meanwhile, on the Knights of Blood HQ, Heathcliff sneezed for the 3rd time that say, wondering why the hell that had been happening so much since he woke up.

* * *

"Well…that wasn't really difficult, uh?" commented Silica with a mix of relief, disappointment and confusion.

She had been ready to face anything from a horde of enemies to a Sub-Boss, but aside from the occasional plant monster with tentacles (Cue shiver), the only thing they had done was walk up to the Hill of Memories, then grab the beautiful Pneuma Flower, which now rested on her inventory, and that had been all.

The only reason why she hadn't immediately resurrected Pina was because Kirito had told her that he wasn't quite sure of how the process would go and that it would be safer to try and do it on a Safe Zone.

"Now that you said it…you're right. With how absurdly difficult is to Tame a monster in SAO, one would think that they would make the Quest to resurrect a dead one much more difficult than just…grabbing a flower." answered the caped boy while tilting his head. "I'm not sure if I can blame that on Kayaba's weirdness or in the Cardinal System doing another senseless thing, though."

"The…what?"

"Oh, you may not know if you didn't know much about the game before getting stuck here, but Cardinal is the name of the main system that runs all the things in SAO, from the servers' maintenance to the creation of new Quests." Kirito's frown grew after saying the last thing. "…it's also what has us trapped here thanks to Kayaba, though."

"Wah, I didn't know that…but why do you say it can do senseless things?"

"Because…." the boy suppressed a shiver, remembering Argo's screams of terror echoing on his ears as the girl clamped to him for dear life while swinging her torch around, even as he tried to punch for the tall and slender abomination for the tenth time. "…let's just say that I know it and leave it at that, okay?"

"O-okay…" some awkward seconds of silence passed before the young girl gathered her courage and looked up towards the Hero. "Kirito-san…thanks."

"Eh? Well, it's not as if I really did much. I mean, you took care of most of those plant monsters before I even noticed the…"

"No, what I mean is, thanks for everything! Fo-for telling me how to save Pina, for keeping me company to save him…and for always being around helping others and giving hope to everyone else." Silica's eyes shone with gratitude as she directed a bright smile at the black-haired boy. "So, for all of that…thanks."

Kirito blinked, shocked, before a soft smile appeared on his face even as a warm feeling spread across his chest.

When had been the last time, that anyone had said 'Thanks' to him?

Certainly, his friends congratulated and praised him all the time (Well, Argo preferred trolling him most of the time, but she also had an sweet side), and nowadays very few people still hated him or called him 'Beater' (The number has considerably decreased since Kibaou's death, for some mysterious reason), so one could say that he was pretty much happy and content with everything around…

But those small words…A simple, almost childish 'Thank you'…it was something that people never actually said, maybe thinking it was implied or not really thinking it was needed.

For some people, though, actually saying it could make a world of difference.

The last time anyone had truly said 'Thank you' to him face-to-face a long time ago, and it had been, again, Sugu. Years before he knew he was adopted, when she almost drowned on the pound and he saved her, when they stopped crying and hugging and after their parents took care of seeing that her adoptive sister was okay…

There, lying on her bed and smiling, the by then little girl had given him the thanks. He remembered feeling really happy, though not as much as how knowing that she was okay made him feel.

"No Silica…" Kirito put a hand on the girl's head, patting it, and she had to use every ounce of her Ninja-Willpower to not squeak in happy delight, her cheeks blushing again. "Thank YOU for that."

"Ki-Kirito-san…I…"

"Awww, isn't this a sweet moment? Is making me SICK."

The unexpected voice made the confused duo blink and turn around, in time to see a red-haired woman walking out of the trees with a lance on hand and looking at them with an annoyed smirk.

"Ah, you're that weird and annoying woman from yesterday!" shouted Silica while pointing at the newcomer, whose eyebrow started to twitch at the words. "What was your name? Rose…something?"

"It's ROSALIA, you fucking brat!" spat the woman while angrily pointing her spear at Silica. "But enough about that! You're going to hand over that Pneuma Flower, little girl!"

"And WHY would she need to do that?" challenged Kirito before the woman smirked and a group of Orange Players emerged from the trees around her, all of them with their weapons drawn.

"She will or else you both shall face the might of my Guild, Titan's Hand!"

"…who?" muttered Silica in confusion while looking at the caped boy, ignoring the angry looks she received for that.

"Titan's Hand…?" making some clear effort, Kirito's eyes suddenly opened in understanding as he hit his open palm with a fist. "AH! I remember now, you're a group of thieving idiots who tried attacking the Silver Flags' guild the other day!"

Frankly, the boy only remembered that because Argo and Sachi had told everyone the other day when they had stopped to have lunch on the Frontline. Apparently, both girls had been there giving some date-related info to one of the guild's members when the Orange Guild had attacked to try and steal all that they could from the very small guild of Mid-Liners. They obviously hadn't expected her to be there, of course. Neither that she had brought the user of 'Infinite Spear' with her.

In the end, even as Sachi hesitated in continuing kicking their asses, the group of losers had been forced to run away with their lives on the yellow and not having managed to steal anything. Both Front Liners had tried to give chase, but it seemed that, at least, the Orange Guild was good at running away, and they had been forced to just return to the Front Lines after giving the thankful Guild advice to try and stay in Safe Zones for a time until someone caught those idiots.

He hadn't been paying much attention, too worried thinking about other things, and as such it was a total surprise seeing that the same group of nobodies had just so happened to be trying to rob the ninja girl he had befriended.

Life really sucked for some people, even if the idiots didn't seem to realize it yet.

"Wha...?! How the hell do you know that?!" angrily asked Rosalia while glaring at the boy, even as several of her followers suddenly LOOKED at Kirito and exchanged uneasy glances.

"He-hey, boss..." gulped one of the Orange Players while catching the woman's attention. "Sa-say...don't you think that guy is...'familiar'?"

"Uh? What do you mean?" countered Rosalia while scowling at him. "I'm pretty sure I would remember if I had ever met a kid cosplaying as a Superman rip-off..."

Kirito felt one of his eyebrows twitch at that. Yeah, maybe Saitama wasn't nearly as known as the American superhero, but for someone to say THAT about him was...

"Tha-that's exactly what I am saying!" muttered the man in panic while pointing at the caped boy. "Black hair, black jumpsuit, black cape...he mu-must be Kirito, the Beater!"

Now it was Silica's eyebrows turn to twitch, her eyes slowly looking towards the man who had said that.

"What? C'mon, don't tell me you ACTUALLY believe in those rumors!" snorted Rosalia while waving a hand dismissively.

Her attitude could be explained because, despite having been trapped in the game for more than a year, there was STILL a small number people that didn't believe in Kirito's existence, or at least as the 'Superhero' that ran around the game. Though these were mainly the most bitter and hopeless of people that, despite it all, still refused to leave the Starting City, a very small bit of people that were out were like this too. They were mainly low or mid-level thieves like this group, that had 'started the game' several months after the 1st Floor was cleared, and as such never got to 'see' the Black-White Blur by themselves. When you combined that with their despicable intentions of taking advantage of other players to have an 'easy life' and their utter denial about most of the things that happened in the Front Lines, you got people like Rosalia.

So, in essence, someone who didn't know how SCREWED they were.

"We have a little girl and a boy dressed as a clown as the only things between us and an extremely-rare item and you are scared because of some impossible rumor that those idiots risking their lives on the upper Floors invented to make the idiots down here feel 'safe'? Yeah, as if!" no longer looking at the man that had spoken, the red-haired criminal grinned before pointing at the silent duo. "It's your last chance, kids! You can either give up the flower or receive a severe beating! So, what's going to be?"

For all answer...Kirito slowly started to walk forward, looking at the members of Titan's Hand with utter boredom.

"...okay them, if that what you wish..." Rosalia suppressed the strange shiver that ran down her spine as she said that, even as the boy stopped on the middle of the bridge. "GET HIM!"

There was just a brief moment of hesitation before the group of men roared and raised their various weapons, charging Sword Skills as they ran towards the boy, ready to...

There was a 'rush' of air. Something very difficult to describe or understand.

What was clear, though, was that one second the group of Orange Players were running and the next they were frozen in place, half of them looking at how their weapons broke into polygons while the others had them impaling the ground near their feet.

Arms crossed and STARING at them, Kirito didn't appear to have moved at all.

And yet, for a moment, all the present could have sworn that they saw an unnatural 'change' happen to him: His silly costume suddenly seeming extremely epic, his scrawny form suddenly filled with toned muscles, his face a carpet of darkness with two voids of white instead of eyes...

"So then...are you going to calmly follow me to prison?" simply asked the boy, the 'illusion' breaking down and letting the blinking players see him exactly as his apparently nonthreatening and silly-looking self was. "I'm sorry to say it, but you all are going to be locked down in the Black Iron Castle..."

"Wha-what the fucking hell?!" screamed Rosalia while taking a step back.

"I-I KNEW IT!"

"O-oh shit, you mean he's the real deal?!"

"I-I heard that this bastard can bring down freaking Bosses by himself! W-we're doomed!"

"Le-let's run! I will be dammed if I let a fucking cheating kid to catch m...!"

SLASH!

Everyone, even Kirito, blinked, looking at the player that had suddenly stopped talking, confused. Said guy was looking at his arm, with which he had been pointing to Kirito...had been.

Only empty space and the red-polygonal view of virtual 'flesh' cut open were visible there.

The gaping player was just starting to realize what had happened as the numb feeling of non-pain ran through his mind when the guy at his side, who had been trying to reach for his impaled weapon, fell down on his face, shocked.

Both his legs fell away behind him, exploding into polygons.

The crimson-shining and massive star of death managed to chop off the arms of two more guys before the now screaming players realized what was happening and backed away, futilely now that the spinning weapon was returning to its user's hand.

With a simple, clearly practiced move, Silica caught the enormous form of the Fuuma Shuriken, the 'Beheading Star', as casually as someone would catch a ball.

A wicked aura seemed to surround the self-proclaimed kunoichi even as her scarf flapped around and she SMILED at the pale form of the Orange Guild, the unharmed members apparently not willing to help the one who had lost his legs even as the armless ones kept screaming their heads out like idiots while grabbing what remained of their missing limbs with their entire ones, as if they were really in an ungodly amount of pain...which they weren't in, because, you know, videogame.

Kirito, for his part, just looked open-mouthed at the young girl. Yeah, he knew from the Beta that it was possible to inflict the 'Amputated' Negative Status on other players (It took a good while for the limbs to regenerate even if you recovered your HP), but he had never seen any Skill able to so effortlessly inflict what was, arguably, the worst status effect in Sword Art Online.

Certainly, originally from the Beta Testers, that opinion had quickly changed since SAO became a Death Game. After all, both 'Poisoned' and 'Paralyzed' were much worse and deadly status to suffer in the middle of a fight for your life than the temporal loss of a limb when you couldn't feel any pain. It didn't even count as an especially critical hit to the HP, and even the members of Titan's Hand currently affected still had more than half of theirs, only the guy on the ground actually on the yellow.

Of course, this opinion came, most of the time, from people that hadn't actually suffered said Negative Status. Despite the lack of pain, the feeling of suddenly being missing a limb was REALLY scary, and the reaction to it could vary from extreme discomfort to outright panic attacks. The black-haired may not have been an expert, but even he knew enough to know that the feeling of losing a limb in SAO was drastically different than in the real world.

After all, someone who truly lost a limb in real life would, at first, still feel a 'phantom' existence of it, the brain telling the person that the limb was still there and terrifying them by trying to move something that wasn't there anymore.

In Aincrad, if you lost a limb you became immediately UNABLE to feel it until it came back. That was, on its own way, much more terrifying.

In the Beta, they never arrived far enough to fight monsters that could inflict the Status easily, but Kirito had chopped his own fair of arms and lost a few of his own in Duels during those times. As such, he had a pretty good idea of how the Orange Players must have been feeling right then.

Still, this was truly his first time seeing someone losing LEGS. And the scarier part wasn't even that or how nonchalantly the sweet girl he had been accompanied had done so, but the SMILE she had right then.

He recognized it because he had seen it in Sugu's face more than once on the distant past of their childhood, just before she 'punished' him with tickles when he had done something 'stupid'.

It was the face of a woman that was REALLY pissed.

"So then…first you try to come and deny me the chance of saving Pina, my trusted friend (As pathetically as you have failed in that). Then, you go out of your way to insult and look down on me…but above all that…you DARE to say the same about Kirito-san…?" the girl's eyes opened, just the bright and happy orbs of a 13-years old girl. They still made the men there feel the need to run away screaming even as the legless one started to drag himself through the ground as fast as he could. "My Ninja Way declares that to be…Unforgivable."

"Re-retreat!" shouted Rosalia, finally aware that she had tried to bit more than she could chew. "We need to get the fuck out of…!"

"You WON'T escape." declared Silica before jumping high and once again letting the crimson glow envelop her Fuuma Shuriken, releasing the deadly weapon to fly free through the air. "HELL'S BUTTERFLY!"

The Shurikenjutsu Sword Skill once again flew true, and Kirito watched with disturbed awe how many of the running men lost their legs before the chaotic arc of the massive throwing star reversed and chopped off the frozen Rosalia's right arm, her spear falling to the ground even as Silica easily caught her weapon once again.

"M-MY ARM!"

"You cannot escape from a kunoichi's judgment." quietly declared the girl while calmly putting her weapon on her back again.

"…that was cool." muttered Kirito while more screams started coming from the scared-shitless members of Titan's Hand, those that hadn't lost their legs already kneeling on the ground and asking for mercy. "A bit disturbing, but really cool."

"A-ahah, tha-thanks for saying that, Kirito-san…" happily laughed Silica while scratching the back of her head, blushing again.

"Ugh…I'm NOT getting trapped today! Goodbye, idiots!" Rosalia's sudden declaration made the duo turn around in time to see her raising her remaining hand; a Teleport Crystal gripped on it. "Teleport, Alga…!"

"Okami no Kiba (Wolf's Fang)." echoed a calm voice before 'something' cut through the air at an incomprehensible speed.

Only Kirito was able to properly hear a katana being unsheathed and see a shining blade cutting through the air in a direct slash before the girl was suddenly THERE, standing behind Rosalia with her back to the wide-eyed criminal, the katana on her hand pointing softly to the side.

The gaping woman finished her words, but nothing happened, given that the Teleport Crystal was already flying away several meters through the air, together with her vanishing left arm.

 _"…what's with all the dismembering going on today?"_ Kirito couldn't help but think while sweatdropping.

The now armless red-head could only numbly fall to her knees while shivering, her eyes shooting at her 20% of HP remaining while she breathed hard.

"There is no escape for those of dark heart. Repent for your sins." quietly whispered the orange-haired newcomer before turning around to face the other two, her eyes lingering for a moment on the boy in black before looking at the scowling Silica and nodding to her. "Ninja."

"Ronin. (Masterless Samurai)" she acknowledged with another nod, a small pout on her face. "You didn't need to intervene, you know, Philia-san?"

"Perhaps. But then you would have let this woman escape…" the now identified Philia declared while looking down at the shivering Rosalia, who refused to meet her gaze. "…or maybe not, seeing WHO is with you…" softly added the girl as she sheathed her katana once again.

"…I take it you know each other?" questioned Kirito while never taking his eyes off the new girl, his gaze flickering from the dagger on her side to the katana she carried on her other hip. _"She charged the Sword Skill while it was INSIDE the sheath…no Katana Skill can do that. Don't tell me…? Dammit, how do I keep meeting all the people who carry these Unique Skills?! Is as if my life was becoming more Saitama-like with each day that passes!"_

"Kind of…" muttered Silica while walking closer to the boy, a hand near her shuriken pouch in case any of the defeated guild-members tried something. "We have met a couple of times while I go around training." once again facing Philia, something akin to curiosity filled the young girl's eyes. "Tell me…are you still searching for a goal to accomplish?"

"…maybe. Maybe I already found it, who knows?" with those cryptic words, the girl started to walk away. "You should probably call the Aincrad Liberation Force to take care of them. Even with the two of you, transporting them all to the 1st Floor without teleportation is going to be too difficult."

"Ah, wait!" the girl stopped for a moment and looked back at Kirito, who seemed conflicted for a moment before he simply nodded at her. "Thanks for your help."

"…you're welcome…Kirito." whispered the 'Ronin' before walking away.

"…weird girl, uh?" commented Silica while they saw her walking away

"I…am not sure of that." responded the boy clad in black and white while looking at the disappearing form of the girl. "…on the other hand, we should probably call someone like she said."

"Oh, yeah, but…how do we do that without risking them escaping?" worriedly muttered the kunoichi while looking around.

"Don't worry about that." answered Kirito while quickly sending a message. "I know someone who can put me in contact with the leader of the Aincrad Liberation Force in no time."´

Less than 20 minutes later, a group of Diavel's men would come and gather the criminals to be taken. Kirito would make a comment about how the 'Knight' was at least still keeping things together on the lower floors despite barely showing up on the Front Lines anymore while Silica watched in awe.

But meanwhile, the girl known as Philia had suddenly stopped after crossing a couple of flowery hills, and was currently blinking before an unusual sight.

Two girls, one that looked no older than 8 and was FLOATING in mid-air and another that seemed to be dressed with equipment especially designed to show off her very developed figure while she effortlessly moved a Two-Handed sword with ONE hand, were waiting for her under the shadows of some trees.

The younger girl smiled while looking at her.

"Hi there, owner of the Unique Skill 'Battoujutsu'." greeted Yui while waving at the surprised girl, Strea jumping from feet to feet as she looked between her 'older sister' and the newcomer. "Say, are you searching for traveling companions?"

And like that, the Wheel of Fate continues spinning forward…

* * *

"Well…this is it." said Kirito some hours later, looking at the young girl in front of him, a small blue dragon on her head. "It was good meeting you, Silica. Hope we can see each other again."

"Ye-yeah, same here, Kirito-san!" quickly nodded the girl before looking down again, trying to not let her disappointment shown on her face. "I-I'm sure my Ninja Way will someday cross our paths again!"

"Kyuu…"

"Shu-shut up, Pina!" shaking her head, the girl noticed the boy's confused expression before laughing awkwardly. "Pi-Pina says that he's glad you helped bring him back!"

"I…see." muttered the black-haired boy before smiling again and patting the dragon's head, making it purr in delight. "I'm also glad of having helped you, little one, even if I didn't really do much."

"We-well…see you next time?" hopefully muttered the kunoichi, absolutely not jealous of how her familiar was being petted and not her…or so she told herself.

"Yeah, you bet. I will add you to my friend list." the boy gave her one last smile before starting to walk away. "Who knows, we may even see each other in the Front Lines some time!"

And after saying that, he was gone, in a blur of speed, leaving the young girl still waving at him on the gates of Floria.

"…Pina, our Ninja Way just changed." calmly informed Silica before clenching a fist and pointing at the sky. "We're going to level up like crazy till we're fully capable of fighting on the Front Lines!"

"…kyuu, kyuuku."

"N-no, I'm NOT acting like a love-struck little girl!" retorted the blushing kunoichi while trying to glare upwards at the dragon on her head. "I-I just want to help out more, and my Unique Skill will be more useful there! Kirito-san himself said so!"

"Kyuuuryu."

"Wha-what do you mean with 'whatever'?! Pinaaaa! You're SO mean!"

And with those words echoing through the 47th Floor, Silica and her resurrected friend finally started their journey back to meet with her friend Lisbeth.

Two weeks later, after finishing selling the last lot of the Ingots that the girl got, the official 'Lisbeth's Smith Shop' would finally open.

But that's a story for another time…

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW!**

"Ahh…Kirito-san…eh? KYA! U-uhm, hello, everyone, this is Silica, Aincrad's greatest kunoichi, ready to give you the preview for the next chapter! Also, I WILL become stronger and fight at Kirito-san's side soon, you will see!...wha…?! Shut up, Pina, that's NOT true!...ahahah, etto…Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude 'Wings of Justice!' While Kirito and everyone struggles inside of SAO, on the real world, someone close to him struggles in her own way…and a Hero has truly risen from what once was sadness and despair?! Wha-what does that mean?! And who is this person close to Kirito-san?! Do-don't tell me he has a girlfr…!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Waah, man, sorry for the delay, I was kind of busy this weekend so I couldn't write as much as I would have wanted XP But yes, hope you enjoyed the chapter, things are moving around a bit more, we got another character introduced (Hope you liked the All-New and improved Ninja Silica :P), another Unique Skill detailed and both of those 'partially' done for Philia! Those who don't know about Hollow Fragment, please, search images of her in Google to help you visualize her OxO!

Next time, we get another short interlude about things going on in the real world and what changes are happening around my favorite SAO girl! That will be interesting, and believe me, her development will be worth it when we arrive to the ALO Arc (If we ever do XD)

Also, those watching the One Punch-Man anime…WHO ELSE IS HYPED FOR THE NEXT EPISODE?! I mean, yeah, is the last one, so that's sad, BUT IT'S SAITAMA VS BOROS ANIMATED! FINALLY, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS FOR YEARS!

…ok, hype aside, I will see you all next time, which will hopefully be very soon as the next interlude won't be as long as a normal chapter…and after that, we will see a bit the entire part about the dark 'villains' of Aincrad…

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!

 **PD:** Also, the views counter…IT'S OVER 9000!...sorry, I always have wanted to say THAT in any context at least once, forgive the childishness XD


	9. Interlude: Wings of Justice!

Hi again, everyone! Here we are once again with a short interlude…Heh, I told you this one would come faster! It has been, what, less than 24 hours since the previous chapter? Eh, anyway, ENJOY =)!

Also, remember, 'Kawagoe' is the city where Kirito's house, in the Saitama (XD) prefecture of Japan =D

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: Wings of Justice!**

 **March 1st, 2024. Kawagoe, Japan, 17:20…**

The evening on the city was slowly coming to an end as the sun started setting, and the last rays of the day would soon make way for the shadows of the night.

And so, despite this and even if Japan was still 'grieving' for the SAO Incident more than a year since it started, this meant that some of the darker side of people would come to light.

Like in one particular alley, through which a woman had tried to take a shortcut to get home faster…and as such now found herself pressed against the wall by a man with bloodshot eyes.

"Give me all your money, bitch!" growled the shady-looking man while the terrified woman tried to get free. "And don't even try to scream or you WILL regret it!"

"N-no, please…!" begged the woman while shaking in fear. "I-I will give you my purse, s-so don't hurt me, please!"

"Heh, don't worry, I won't…" smiled the man while grabbing the purse from the woman's shaking hands. "But maybe you will want to have a fun ti…"

"JUSTICE CHAAARGEEE!

"Wha…?!"

BAM!

The last thing the shocked thief could see was the edge of a bamboo sword coming to his face at brutal speed. Then, the sound of something breaking echoed even as he fall on his back, knocked out.

Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, the trembling woman's attention shoot to the sound of brakes making a wheel skid over the road, only to see her own face reflecting on something staring at her.

"Are you okay, miss?" asked the mysterious newcomer, even as the awed woman nodded.

There, ridding on a bicycle and wearing a red coat, was a young girl. Despite her hair and face being almost fully covered by the bicycle helmet, the reflective glasses and the typical surgical mask that many people in Japan could easily get, there was no denying she was female when you looked at…a certain part of her body.

She was gripping a shinai with her right hand, the other still on the bicycle's handlebar, and on her bag she had a bag that was clearly meant for the bamboo weapon to go in.

"Yo-you…are real! Th-the Bicycle Girl! I-I thought you were just an Urban Legend!" shaking her head, the teary-eyed woman looked at the girl with deep gratitude. "Tha-thanks a lot!"

"Uhm, yeah…yo-you should probably grab your purse and call the police, make sure that bastard gets thrown on a cell soon…" the 'Bicycle Girl' said with a bit of awkwardness before pointing seriously at the woman, her almost-fully-covered face making it impossible to discern her true expression. "And make sure to not go through alleys alone so late again, okay?! It's dangerous!" without another word, the mysterious girl moved to the side and pedaled away at max speed.

The shocked woman didn't even have time to think about taking a picture with her phone before the 'heroine' had disappeared around the corner. She remembered to go and call the police, though.

When they arrived to take the lowly criminal some minutes later and took the woman's testimony, more than one of the agents either grimaced or sighed, a couple of them even smiling awkwardly.

It had been easy to dismiss it as rumors at first, when it started half a year ago, but lately it was beginning to get TOO out of hand to simply shrug it off as a couple of people with overly active imagination. Even so, it was more than difficult to believe for anyone with a shred of common sense.

After all, what kind of teenage girl would go around in a bicycle hitting muggers and thieves with a shinai and helping to get cats out of trees?

* * *

"Argh…arf…I did it again." panted said teenage girl, one Kirigaya Suguha, while taking off the reflective glasses, the surgical mask and the old coat from her mom that she hadn't really thrown to the trash as she had said. Hastily, she put it all together with her shinai on her bag before looking around the corner of the old house at the side of which she had hid, putting it all on her back and hanging her helmet from the handlebar before slowly moving out of there, now seeming just a perfectly inconspicuous teenage girl dragging a bicycle at her side. "Dammit…I need to stop this, but…"

Sighing, Suguha just looked forward, at the building she was heading towards, the one belonging to the SAO Case Victims Rescue Force, wondering just HOW she had ended up where she was.

It had started out of the blue, like nothing really special or important. She was calmly pedaling back home from kendo training one day, passing near a small park, when she had seen two high-schoolers bullying a little kid, not letting him get his soccer ball back.

At some point, while watching the tears of the little boy and the laughing faces of the older idiots, something inside of her had 'snapped' and a burning NEED to do _something_ had exploded inside of her. Barely thinking about it and not really caring for the consequences, she had ACTED in the only way she could.

She had gotten her shinai out of her bag and rushed with her bicycle to the high-schoolers, screaming 'JUSTICE!' just before knocking both of them out with a passing 'slash', not stopping even after the surprised and scared squeak of the kid had turned into shouts of gratitude. She had kept pedaling without stopping until she got back home, where she collapsed inside the garage, feeling the rush of what she had done wash over her.

Surprisingly, hitting those two idiots hadn't make her feel good in the slightest…but hearing the kid's happy shouts and his gratitude, feeling his smile, had warmed her heart. She had done the right thing, helping him.

She had brought JUSTICE to an innocent.

After that, it slowly had been escalating almost without her noticing. First she had gotten the 'mask' and bought the reflective glasses on what she thought had been a whim. Then she grabbed her mother's old coat.

She wasn't sure at which point she had started not only carrying the full 'costume' almost everywhere and passed from helping little kids on occasion to hitting criminals with her shinai while riding on her bicycle, but it had happened. And nowadays, despite telling herself how stupid or dangerous it was and that she would STOP doing it, she still kept carrying the 'costume' on her shinai's bag.

It was stupid, especially when she knew she would get in REAL troubles if someone ever caught her, what her mom would do be dammed. The risk of actually pedaling around hitting criminals that may be armed aside, 'vigilantism' was illegal. No matter how cool anime made it look, people in the real world couldn't put on a costume and beat the bad guys without being arrested, even if the criminal truly deserved it.

She was just a teenage girl talented in kendo. And young schoolgirls shouldn't go around beating criminals on a bicycle even if they felt it was the RIGHT thing to do.

She was NOT Licenseless Rider.

That train of thought, obviously, made her look at the bicycle at her side. Her brother's old bicycle…no, HER bicycle. Nowadays, there was no other way of seeing it. She had even fully repaired and improved it last Christmas, leaving it as good as new, and even adding a metallic part to the rear wheel that would allow someone to hitch a ride standing if ever needed.

She quickly suppressed the blush creeping on her face at imagining, one day, carrying her Onii-chan around like Rider had helped Saitama that time during the Sea King incident, the boy smiling as he put his hands on her shoulders…

With a sharp shake of her head, Suguha put the chain and lock around her bicycle before entering the building, as she had done many times before. The receptionist only gave her a soft smile before pointing to the elevator.

"Hi again, Kirigaya-chan. He's already waiting for you."

With a soft nod, Suguha nodded and started to walk towards it. When her eyes caught a man reading a newspaper on a page with the headline 'Mysterious Bicycle Girl strikes again', she couldn't help but feel as if her shinai's bag suddenly weighed a ton.

Some stops later, the elevator left her on an already familiar hallway, through which she walked down without sparing a glance at anything around, in total contrast with that first time she had done it, that night so long ago, when she rode her trusted bicycle for the first time, until she stood before the door at the end of it.

An idle part of her brain couldn't help but remember the nightmare she had sometimes. She was standing in front of that same door when it suddenly opened and revealed her brother, giving his back to her and standing on a white void. She tried to chase after him, to reach him, but no matter how much she ran and cried his name, Kazuto just kept getting further and further away…

Shaking her head, without even knocking, Suguha opened the door with an unreadable expression and looked towards the smiling man wearing a green suit and blue necktie who sat behind an extremely orderly table, his glasses reflecting nothing but friendliness.

Like the first time, the young girl didn't believe that expression for even a second.

"Welcome back, Kirigaya-san."

"…good afternoon, Kikuoka-san."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, as the receptionist confirmed that the girl had already left on her bicycle, Kikuoka Seijirou sighed before looking back at the reports on his computer with a small frown.

Certainly, being part of the SAO Case Victims Rescue Force was very frustrating, especially when they could do literally NOTHING but monitoring the players' locations and Avatars' Info, and that only because they had physical access to the actual servers thanks to RECT Inc. They weren't even able to SEE anything happening inside Aincrad, and yet that little bit still made them the most informed people on the world about the actual state of the incident…besides Kayaba Akihiko himself, wherever he was.

Certainly, he knew that his main frustrations came from how slowly his REAL 'work' was going, but still, things like the short meeting just now made it so that it was bearable.

Kirigaya Suguha. Adoptive sister of Kirigaya Kazuto, a SAO Victim under the avatar's name 'Kirito'.

The world must be a smaller place than he thought, or that's what he believed when a family member of the player that had caught their interest the most suddenly showed up on their door, asking to know more about her brother's situation.

'Kirito' had been a mystery for him and several others since the first months of the incident. At the beginning, they didn't really have a special attention on him, but when the players started to move to the 2nd Floor, Kikuoka had been of the first ones to notice that the 'location' of said Player changed way too fast. Thinking it must have been an error, he had personally looked over the data of the boy.

There were just countless interrogation symbols where his Stats and Level should have been.

That was why, instead of turning her away and telling her that they couldn't divulge anything, like it was supposed to happen, Kikuoka had made Kirigaya Suguha come to his office as soon as she gave her surname, then played his role as the friendly and supportive government officer and told her a bit of what she wanted.

He had told her how her brother spent most of his time in the Front Lines, and though this has worried her when he explained the proper terms and that he was in constant danger, she seemed to be relieved when he told her that he was rarely alone and that he had apparently Teamed-Up permanently with some players, which would make him be safer. Since then, she sometimes came once or twice a week to ask if something important had changed with Kazuto's situation. He would then kindly answer her questions and tell her what they knew.

Of course, he never told her about how her brother's avatar strange 'bug', or how he seemed to impossibly move from one side of Aincrad to the other at a supposedly impossible speed. He also didn't tell her how he seemed to have been the only one present when the 2nd Floor Boss had been defeated, or that since then he seemed to be present in several dungeons of the game before the Sub-Bosses stationed there suddenly 'disappeared' as if they had been defeated. He never told her even his In-Game Name, not that she had asked, or anything even remotely related to the strange things that, with the little knowledge they had, they knew happened around the boy.

He knew about the impossibility of the apparent happenings around Kirito better than most, after all. He had been one of the original 1000 Beta Testers of Sword Art Online.

They had all the possible information about the boy on reality: Parents died when he was 1, adopted by the sister of his mother's family, average grades through Middle School…

To summarize, nothing really surprising or strange. Nothing that indicated that the, currently, 15 years old boy could have managed to do the impossible and 'hack' the game that not even the greatest investigators of the country and several others had managed to. Kirigaya Kazuto was, under any light, a perfectly normal and unimportant teenager.

Hence, the reason why the man kept indulging his little sister's wishes for information. When the boy woke up (If that ever happened), it would be easier to get him to answer some questions if the young girl said that he had been keeping her updated about his condition.

Adjusting his glasses once again, Kikuoka leaned back against his chair.

Only time would bring the answers he was seeking…

* * *

Flying through the skies of a magical land, a blonde girl with pointy ears frowned before spinning over herself, then shooting upwards.

Kirigaya Suguha, known as 'Leafa', a 'Sylph', inside the VRMMORPG of Alfheim Online, land of the fairies, loved flying.

The feeling of freely soaring skies with her own wings gave the young girl a sense of freedom and an exhilaration that made her feel more alive than ever. It made that, for an instant, all the other problems in her world vanished.

She didn't trust that man, Seijirou Kikuoka. Not only because of her common sense telling her it was beyond weird how quickly he had given a teenager information about the state of one of the SAO victims, but also because that strange 'instinct' that she had felt inside her since she started riding her bicycle always told her that the man was hiding something…but here, in ALO, all of those problems seemed to be put away by her wings.

There were no worries for school, no pressure about her next kendo tournament, no need to worry about being unable to stop being some sort of 'Hero', no need to think about how Kazuto was…

Her thoughts came to an screeching halt when THAT crossed her mind and, as if having been waiting for it, her wings spluttered for an instant before losing their glow, leaving her staring for a moment in shock towards the virtual moon before slowly starting to fall down, back to the earth, back to reality.

"Onii-chan…" she sadly muttered while extending a hand towards the heavens, barely aware of how the automatic 'landing system' of her wings kept dragging her down.

Her adopted brother was as far away from her as the infinite sky she usually dreamed of crossing without limits.

 _"…am I really doing anything?"_ she thought softly before starting to face the ground, still a considerable distance away but getting closer. _"Onii-chan…will I really be able to talk to you again? To laugh with you? To…?"_

Suddenly, a flying mob spawned bellow her, the massive eyes with wings and mouth looking around before zeroing on her and shooting up towards the defenseless fairy.

Leafa stared blankly at it as she continued her slow descend, only idly thinking of how annoying it was going to be having to resurrect all the way in Swilvane. Resigned, she closed her eyes…

 _"By the way, want to go for some ice-cream after you come back? My treat!"_

 _"Yep, really."_

 _"Heheh, it's a promise then, Onii-chan!"_

Her eyes suddenly snapped open again.

"He promised me…" she whispered softly while drawing her katana.

More words, these that she had heard being said by fictional characters, while smiling at His side, shot through her mind once again.

 _'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'_

 _'It's not about winning or losing! It's about me, taking you on, here and now!'_

 _'Even if no one else believes in you…I will still follow you.'_

And just because they were said in a story, it didn't make them any less true.

"I…I want to embrace Onii-chan again. I want to laugh with him…" fully closing her wings, determination seemed to fill the young fairy as she shot down at deadly speeds, now in free-fall as she raised her blade over her head. "I want to share that ice-cream with him!"

The mob roared, seemingly surprised at her change in descending speed, and tried to move away so as to not be…

Unseen by her, the girl's blade shone with an ethereal light for an instant.

"JUSTICE SLAAAASH!"

The girl's seemingly childish and meaningless shout seemed to echo through the night as she swung her blade down, dragged the mob several meters and then cut THROUGH him, the monster exploding into polygons even as he kept falling down.

She opened her wings an instant later, and finished slowly gliding to the ground, breathing hard.

For some reason, she suddenly felt much lighter.

"Well…that was that. I better Log Out and sleep, I have Kendo practice first hour tomorrow" muttered the satisfied Sylph, before blinking at the suddenly appearance of a screen. "Uh? That thing dropped something…?" confused, the girl looked at the item…before her eyes widened at its name and description. Quickly, she materialized it and couldn't help but STARE at the katana on her hands.

It was WEIRD. It had a long and smooth blade that seemed to reflect the moonlight with a handle that didn't seem to belong to a fantasy world, for it looked as if it was made to look like two WHEELS (And not 'car' ones) put together. Above that, the guard seemed suspiciously like a handlebar.

The stats were…good. Very good. Not super-rare material, but certainly much better than the weapon she currently had…but it wasn't that what had caught the girl's attention, no. It was the name of the weapon, and its apparent 'effect'.

Justice's Wings. Increased twice the Flying Charge of the user's wings.

Still unable to believe it, Leafa let one of her hands run over the blade's edge, just noticing that it had 'something' written in the magic-ALO symbols. A simple pressing of her hand over it let another window with what seemed like a translation in Japanese to appear.

 _"The Stronger the Heart…"_ whispered the girl while looking over the words. _"…the Brightest the Justice."_

Slowly, a smile appeared on her face.

That night, Suguha had the same 'nightmare of the door' again. But this time, when she started running after her brother's retreating form, her bicycle was there with her, and she rode it with all her might, starting to catch him. And when that didn't seem to be enough, her bicycle suddenly broke and became her new katana. The moment she closed her hands around it, her wings sprouted and she flew forward, finally managing to touch the boy's back.

When he turned to look at her, the girl could have sworn that, for an instant, she had seen him wearing a white cape and a black jumpsuit…

* * *

It was with a big smile that Suguha rode towards school the next morning, her shinai on her bag as she quietly hummed and stopped on a corner before a red light.

"…wake up soon, Onii-chan." muttered the girl with a sweet tone. "You still owe me eating that ice-cream with me."

And then…

"MY PHONE!" shouted someone from two streets ahead, making the young kendoka blink and see how a guy on a suit screamed towards a man that was running like a possessed towards the opposite street, grinning darkly and firmly holding a mobile phone on his hand. "A THIEF! POLICE!"

Suguha STARED in silence. A soft alarm coming from her own phone reminded her that she would be late for kendo practice if she didn't hurry…

The light turned green.

The smiling thief was already laughing his ass off at how easy getting the expensive-looking phone had been when he turned around a corner…and froze at seeing a 'masked' figure speeding towards him on a bicycle, a bamboo sword in hand aiming directly at his face.

"What the fu…?!

"JUSTICE CHARGEEEE!"

Some moments later, the wheezing and wide-eyed salaryman would arrive to the area and look in shock how the man that had stolen his phone was unconscious on the ground, the aforementioned device lying over his back.

On the distance, he managed to see a figure riding a bike for an instant before it turned around a corner.

Grinning, the 'Bicycle Girl' rode ahead.

After all, arriving a bit late to kendo practice was nothing compared to help those who needed Justice.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Good day, everyone. This is Seijirou Kikuoka, your friendly and trusted member of the SAO Case Victim Rescue Force and someone who doesn't hide anything at all, ready to give you the next chapter's preview without any ulterior motive. Really. I only have people's best interest on mind…Cough, anyway! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Evil which Laughs.' What motivates someone to do dark and horrible things? Does freedom really bring the worst of humanity? Kirito and company must beware, for in a world of Heroes, it's only natural that 'Villains' also rise…huhuh, interesting. I have no idea what any of that means, but it only makes me with that my time to know Kirigaya-kun comes fas…"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Ahhh, man, I had a silly grin on my face all the time while I wrote this interlude, for some reason :P Hope you enjoyed it, and get ready for what will come, for we're already halfway through the first arc of this madness :D!

Also, to refresh people memories about 'that guy', if you're an anime-only watcher you may remember Seijirou Kikuoka as the annoying-glasses guy that both 'interrogated' Kirito in the 'Special Edition' summary-chapter (And made him miss seeing the girls on the pool XD) and the one who basically told the boy to 'get inside GGO and be shot with this weirdo calling Death Gun to let us see if he can really kill people in reality' on SAO II, when the government proved his incompetence in stopping said madman. So yeah, that guy. Those who, like me, read the Light Novels up to date, however, know who and what Kikuoka really is, what his REAL JOB is and that he's much craftier than he looks…but anyway, let's forget about him, because this interlude was mainly about Sugu and her resolve XP hang in there, Suguha-chan, your Onii-chan is almost back home!

Well there, I hope to see you all next chapter! Things will get screwed when our Heroes are forced to clash with the 'villains' of Aincrad…

Until then, this is Saint, signing off XP!


	10. Chapter 7: The Evil Which Laughs

Okay, lesson learned. Apparently, Fanfiction doesn't recognize a chapter and 'updates' the 'Updated State' of a fic if you post a new chapter before 24 hours of the last one. Didn't know that…SO! Yeah, to anyone who came directly to this chapter, I once again updated a short Interlude that didn't show as an updated chapter, so go back to read it if you must. Sorry, it won't happen again.

Also, I'm kind of skipping over most of the 'Mystery' of the 'murder inside the area', just going to give a summary to those who don't remember it, both to get faster to the 'important' parts of this chapter and because, frankly, that part of the series isn't really exciting once you discovered the 'truth' behind the 'murders' XP Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Evil which Laughs…Villains vs. Heroes!**

 **April 3rd, 2024. 47th Floor, Hill of Memories. In front of a certain 'Tomb', 5:30…**

CLANK!

The sounds of metal clashing reverberated through the dark forest, traces of mist covering most of it even as, on the ground and with their backs against a tree, the wide-eyed figures of three players watched with a mix of horror and awe.

Barely evading having her hand chopped off for the 3rd time, Asuna promised she would remember to kick their asses several times later for just lying there and NOT helping…if she survived this, of course.

With that in mind, the chestnut-haired girl growled and tried once again to lunge at his opponent, but the sinister hooded figure just continued smirking and used his own weapon to deflect the rapier.

For an instant, Asuna's eyes traced at the sinisterly approaching form of the massive Chinese kitchen-like 'dagger'…

Then, she quickly used her empty hand to 'punch' against the weapon's massive edge, a feat of precision and reaction speed that no other player except her Sensei would have been able to do, and deflected it enough to not be hit directly , spinning herself around.

The dark grin never faded from the man's obscured face despite his failure, the bits of shaggy hair and the scar visible over his right cheek somehow giving him an even more terrifying look.

The man's sheer presence seemed to ooze a chilling sensation, call for a deep and buried fear within the human psyche, that need all living beings had that screamed 'RUN! DANGER!' being recalled just by being near him…and the scariest thing was that it was a simple man causing it, not any great monster or terrible demon.

Then again, the one standing in front of the girl the Front Liners called 'Mighty Flash' was something much more terrifying than any of those things. He was, after all, a true living proof of the darkest side of humanity.

Unlike any Mob or Boss, he destroyed lives for his own amusement. And he ENJOYED it.

Even worse, though, was that he had the dark 'charisma' to make others believe he was RIGHT to do so.

That train of thought made her eyes swept through the battlefield for an instant, trying to make sure her friends were okay.

Near the edge of the small clearing, she was able to see how Sachi barely deflected yet another attack of the guy with the estoc, the annoying red that seemed to be his 'theme' making her eyes hurt as he saw how he darkly laughed at the spear user from behind his skull mask's red lenses. His red eyes and hair were oddly in contrast with the black cape and hood he wore, even if the hood was lowered right then.

Sachi seemed to prepare a counterattack, but hesitated at the last second and allowed her foe to attack again, the estoc actually piercing the girl's side and making her jump to the side while barely grasping her massive lance. The skull-masked guy laughed harder.

 _'Red-Eyed' Xaxa…_

On the opposite side, fighting the closest to the 3 frozen ex-guild mates, Argo was clearly panting, her claws barely seeming able to keep up with the mad slashes and lunges from the guy with the scarecrow-like sack mask, the dagger that Asuna knew was poisoned with some deadly combination too close to the whiskered girl for her liking, even as the lunatic never stopped his mad laughter.

 _Johnny Black…_

She registered all of this in less than an instant, her eyes shooting back towards her enemy a second later…only to see the massive edge of the 'Mate Chopper' about to cut into her face.

Without missing a beat, the rapier-user threw herself backwards and out of the massive knife's reach, her eyes perfectly seeing how the deadly sharp weapon managed to cut off some of her virtual hairs even as once gain tried to impale her enemy taking advantage of his own attack.

Fast as lighting, the man's arm moved back and deflected her weapon with his own, once again reminding Asuna of the absurd power that the dark knife people called a 'Demon Sword' had.

"What's wrong, 'Hero'?" asked the hooded man with a wicked tone, his grin seeming to turn even darker by showing his teeth. "Is that all you and your friends have? Don't go and disappoint me now, because…" raising his 'dagger' again, the man's voice seemed to gain a maniac edge. _"It's Showtime!"_

Ignoring the chill that ran through her upon hearing the English words of the phrase, Asuna steeled herself while facing her dark enemy.

 _PoH…_

How had things ended up in such a dark and screwed-up situation?

It had all started two days ago, on the evening. She, Sachi and Argo had been in the 57th Floor trying to rest a bit after the tiring battle that the 62nd Floor Boss had been. Kirito, Keita and the others had stayed in the newly opened Frontline of the 63rd Floor, getting things ready for the Floor's exploration and to watch and make sure that no players got themselves killed by trying to rush ahead of the Front Liners for items or something else.

Having won the last 'bet' they made about it, it was the guys turn to do that while the girls' relaxed a bit. They had even offered Kirito to come along, seeing as he wasn't part of those bets for obvious reasons, but the black-haired boy had politely declined, saying that the first hours after clearing a Floor were always the ones when the chances of someone trying to 'explore' getting themselves killed were the greatest.

So, the three girls of the 'United Heroes Association' had been calmly walking after having lunch and talking about things…when a guy with a spear impaled through his chest had appeared hanging from the window of a building, screaming for help.

What followed had been an absurdly elaborated scheme that made it seem as if a mysterious 'assassin' suddenly had discovered how to kill people while inside the Safe Zones, but thanks to the combination of Asuna's sharp mind, Argo's information and Sachi's instincts, the girls had been able to look through the ruse.

In the end, it had all been a plan from the players named Yolko and Caynz (The two supposedly 'assassinated' people) to draw out Schmitt from the Divine Dragon Alliance (Also the same three idiots who were currently watching them fight scared and doing NOTHING to help). Apparently, they had all been members of a guild called 'Golden Apple' before it disbanded after the death of the Guild Leader, a woman named Griselda. They had manages to deduce, from the gathered information about the 'case', that his she had been killed by her own husband, Grimlock, who had been also part of the guild, when he had been after some sort of rare ring that she was going to sell in the Front Lines. Despite that, Asuna had been sure that there was more to it in the story than it seemed.

Of course, it had been some hours later that Schmitt had ran out of the DDA's headquarters and come down here, where the guild had made a 'tomb' for Griselda, consumed by the guild of having helped Grimlock because of the ring, not knowing that he would end up killing the woman. That's when Caynz and Yolko had revealed themselves before him, still alive and revealing their 'plan'…just for the three members of the United Heroes Association to show there, revealing how absurdly easy it had, in fact, been to discover their plan, and explain what they knew.

But just when everything seemed to have been about to be solved as the guilt of everything fell on Grimlock (Who the girls already had asked Kirito and the other boys to localize)…THEY had appeared.

The three most infamous players of Sword Art Online. The ones who stood at the top of the 'red guild'. Those who called themselves the 'villains' of the world, who followed the twisted ideals of their sinister leader, the one who wielded that massive knife.

Laughing Coffin.

Their appearance was certainly something the girls had NOT been expected. Nor how they had promptly declared that they were going to kill them all.

That was what had led to their current situation, facing a 3 vs. 3 battle against a group of crazy maniacs that seemed hell-bent on killing them, even as they tried to make the difference…without doing the same.

And it was becoming apparently clear that THAT was all the difference the 'Red Players' needed to get the upper hand.

"Damn it!" growled Asuna while jumping backwards, glaring at her enemy with hate and frustration. "What's the point of this, PoH?! What are you even hoping to accomplish?!"

"Haven't you heard it all the times I have said it, girl? It's just how things ARE!" answered the leader of Laughing Coffin with his usual calm and sinister tone, carelessly shrugging his arms to the sides, as if not caring for a counterattack. "In this world, NOTHING that we do will be our fault, just Kayaba Akihiko's! Therefore, isn't it normal that we use that freedom for whatever we want?" PoH let out a dark chuckle as he said that, his eyes seeming to want to pierce Asuna's soul. "Just like you and your friends 'play' the role of Heroes, we have decided to become the Villains of this world. We will do whatever we want, however we want it…and YOU are the main obstacles in our way. The only reason we accepted the 'job' of killing those three frozen losers over there was because we knew YOU three would be here!"

"…you're SO fucked up in the head that I don't even want to imagine how your parents must feel."

"DON'T bring my parents into this, bitch!" suddenly growled the hooded man while waving his weapon at her in a very OOC-way. "Just because they didn't love me doesn't mean I have issues because of them! They were still the ones who raised me!"

"…what?" was the flat answer of the rapier-user.

As this…'interruption' happened, the others fights were…

"What's wrong, little girl?" challenged Xaxa with a smirk. "I heard you had the power to DRILL Bosses back with just a thrust, yet all I see before me is a scared weakling! Are you so eager to die?!"

Dodging another thrust of her crazy enemy's weapon, Sachi couldn't help but grit her teeth in frustration. She had the worst matchup possible against the estoc-user thanks to the fact that her Infinite Spear SUCKED in PvP, so she was forced to rely mainly on normal Spear Skills, which weren't all that good with a spear as long as her, and she couldn't really risk using any besides the basic ones or the 'recovery time' could allow her extremely fast opponent to deal some serious damage. She was already with 60% of her HP, and she had barely touched him. She could TRY to use one of her Infinite Spear Skills, but there were more chances of either she hitting the others in the middle of their fights, missing the guy entirely OR left herself wide open for an Skill of his. Her Unique Skill had been made to fight either big enemies or groups of small/medium ones, not a single human-sized opponent like this.

So then…that meant it was time to change tactics!

"O-oh yeah?! Well, at least I don't have to go around hiding my face and trying to seem some kind of Halloween-obsessed guy!" retorted the girl, proving everyone that she wasn't the best one in taunting an enemy. "Di-did you put that on by yourself or did you need help from your, ehm…baby brother (?) to do so?!"

At those words….Xaxa seemed to snap, his red eyes shining with angry bloodlust as he growled.

"Don't FUCKING mention my creepy little brother, damn it! One of the best things of getting trapped here is that I get to not see his annoying fa…!"

"LONGINUS!" screamed Sachi as her spear's aura shot forward, impaling the ranting estoc-user and sending him flying against a tree. "…uhm…well…" as the Skill died out and Xaxa fell to the ground, the girl couldn't help but sweatdrop. "…talk about luck?"

Meanwhile, the last fight of the clearing…

"AHAHAHAHAH! YES! Keep running, little rat, AHAHAHAH!"

"Goddammit, don't you EVER stop freaking laughing?!"

…wasn't going that well.

"Why should I?!" happily asked Johnny Black with a sinister smile (Though it wasn't visible because of his creepy mask), even as he once again got inside Argo's range and swiped madly at her, not bothering with any Skill even as the girl, who fought on a similar way, tried to keep up with her claws. "If you are going to do something, then you should enjoy doing it! So, I'm going to keep laughing until you're DEAD, Ahahahahah…!"

 _"Fuck! This bastard is fucking mad, but he KNOWS what he's doing!"_ grimaced the whiskered-girl even as she was barely able to intercept the latest attack with her claws. "His fighting style has no finesse or skill behind it, but he doesn't need it when he only needs ONE good slash to leave me defenseless!" parrying the next strike, Argo realized that she needed to do SOMETHING or sooner or later her concentration would slip and the madman would hit her. _"I need to use a Martial Arts Skill…but if I don't calculate it right, he will get me while I'm frozen from using …!"_

"Time to dieee, sweetieee!" grinned the madman while retreating his dagger and charging a Skill, making Argo's eyes widen.

"Shit…!" growled the girl while rearing back her fist, her claw-clad hand shining as she unleashed the thrusting Martial Arts Skill known as 'Senda' and…

Her enemy smirked as he abandoned the stance by dropping his knife and crouching, Argo's claw narrowly missing his head as the wide-eyed girl stood there in shock.

"You feeell for iiiit!"

Johnny's left hand gripped the falling dagger on a reverse grip and SLASHED with it against the info broker's exposed torso, making her scream from the shock.

The reaction from everyone was instantaneous.

"ARGO-CHAN!" shouted Asuna at seeing her friend staggering back.

"Don't get distracted, Hero!" grinned PoH as he swung the Mate Chopper at the girl's head.

"SHIT!"

"A-Argo-san, NO!" screamed Sachi while turning around…

"You will pay for what you just did, bitch!" roared Xaxa while thrusting his rapier at the girl, piercing THROUGH her right shoulder.

"UAAH!"

 _"He…tricked me…using a loophole on the Skills System…!"_ were the self-loathing thoughts of Argo as she fell backwards, her body frozen and unable to move even as the 'Paralysis' Status Effect appeared at the side of her HP Bar, the poisoned dagger of the laughing madman having done its job. _"I should have known better…than to use Martial Arts like this…!"_

The girl realized too late that this was entirely her fault, in more ways than one. She was mainly an Information Broker, not a fighter. Her true weapon was information more than skill, and it had been like that since the Beta Test, hence why she used such an unorthodox weapon as her 'claws', which couldn't really activate any normal Skill and could only be used in conjunction with the Martial Arts Skills. Despite her having been leveling up in the Front Lines since she officially joined the 'United Heroes Association', Argo was still the weakest of them when it came to fighting. Even in Boss Battles, she was mainly support and usually just ran around keeping everyone in check, passing potions when needed or taking an occasional opportunity to land a distracting blow on the enemy.

She knew how to defend herself, but she didn't know how to truly FIGHT. Not against someone like this, another human being whose only wish was to hurt and kill for his own sick enjoyment.

Idly, she noticed with shock and horror how Asuna tried to use her gauntlet-clad left hand to deflect PoH's attack, only managing to almost lost her hand and receive a good chunk of damage, having apparently forgotten for a second how the wicked Mate Chopper was strong enough to literally 'ignore' even Heavy Armor protection. At the other side, Sachi was trying to remove 'Red-Eyed' Xaxa's weapon from her body as she tried to swung her own spear against him, but with one hand busy trying to get free from the estoc she didn't had enough power or balance to properly hit the 'red' player with her oversized lance, even as he seemed to content with staying inside her range and push her back, seeing how her HP kept going down the longer his weapon stayed impaling her.

And finally, as if a sentence of her end, the wicked form of Johnny Black suddenly towered over her paralyzed body, his eyes reflecting dark enjoyment as he played with his poisoned dagger.

"Now then, how would you like to die, nee? Do you want it to be fast? Maybe I can use an actual Poison on you instead of just a paralyzing one? Oh, oh, I know! Why don't I keep you down there while you see how my colleagues kill your friends while you can't do ANYTHING, ahahahah…!" the madman's laugh echoed like an evil scratching inside Argo's head, her eyes shooting from him to the despairing situation of Sachi and Asuna, cursing her own weakness. "Well then, what do you…?"

"Nanatsu no Taizai (Seven Deadly Sins)." echoed a soft yet deadly voice.

Johnny's eyes widened and it was only his wicked instincts and relatively high stats what allowed him to dodge to the side, only losing his left arm (which was cut in three pieces before having even fallen to the ground) and getting a nasty cut on the side of his chest when the 7-Hits Skill slashed at where he had been standing a second ago. The HP of the one nicknamed 'Poison-Dagger' fell all the way to the low-yellow even as the wide-eyed Argo looked at the suddenly appeared girl, her orange hair reflecting softly her Sword Skill's last shines coming from her katana.

Not missing a beat, Philia quickly grabbed her dagger with her empty hand, raising it and stopping Johnny's angry lunge before he could do anything, apparently surprised at her action.

"Sorry, but you're NOT catching me off guard, lowly murderer." coldly declared the girl before slashing down with her katana, forcing the Laughing Coffin's member to jump back even as she sheathed it once again before letting her dagger fall to the ground. "Tsk, now that I grabbed it I will need to let it go or I won't be able to use Skills. Such a troublesome System…" moving her gaze while mumbling, the Ronin looked directly at the still paralyzed Argo. "Mind if we butt in, Heroes?"

The words seemed to make the other people fighting, who had frozen at the unexpected entrance, to snap out of it.

"Wait, did you say 'we'…?"

"All yours, Strea." interrupted the girl with a smile.

As if those words had been a trigger, a sudden feral scream echoed as a darkness-covered figure jumped down and SLAMMED her massive blade over the estoc-user, forcing him to jump back and abandon his weapon even as the slash got it out of the shocked Sachi, whose HP had just hit the red.

Before anyone could even understand what was happening, the new figure GLARED at Xaxa with her blood-red eyes and dashed at him, seeming more like a beast of darkness than a person.

Even as his face went full 'OH SHIT!', the skull-masked player showed that he DID have skill to back up his actions when he dodged the charge and rolled to recover his weapon, turning around to unleash a Skill…

…and almost shitting himself when he saw the 'thing' of darkness once again before him, the blade it was wielding shining with the characteristic light of a Sword Skill even as it pierced him in the chest twice, making him stumble back from the sheer mass of the weapon, his own life dropping to the red…and then a sudden, sickly feeling spread through his body, making him fall down on his knees and start seeing everything a bit blurred.

"What the…fucking hell…?!" cursed Xaxa while trying to understand what the black-thing had done, his eyes shooting at his HP Bar to reveal he was…"Wha-what fucking Status is 'Cursed'?! I-I have never heard of that one!"

"That's normal. It is restricted only to the Darkness Blade Unique Skill…" the new voice made EVERYONE blink in shock and turn around to see the form of an 8 years-old girl, both her long hair and her dress a smooth black, who was FLOATING some meters from the ground. "…it's a side-effect of the Skill 'Widow's Fangs', meant to utterly confuse the senses of the player afflicted by it…truly, something expected of a Skill that was meant for extreme Player Killing."

"Yay! Yui-nee knows so many things!" chirped Strea as her personality once again did a 180º change, coinciding with the darkness retreating into her sword and revealing the developed girl with a happy smile. "We came to help the Heroes!"

"Oh yeah?! Well, I would like to see you try!" grinned Johnny while lunging towards Philia with vengeance, not bothered in the slightest by missing one arm as he aimed for paralyzing the girl too. "Come and let me return the favor for my arm, bitch!"

"Yeah…how about no?" replied the girl as she sidestepped him and once again put her hand on her katana's hilt. "Strea-san, watch out, the other one is still moving!"

"Uh?" muttered Strea with confusion even as she turned in time to see Xaxa shattering a Healing Crystal and recovering most of his HP, drunkenly standing and glaring at her despite still being under the effects of 'Curse'. "Wha…? You still want to fight like that?"

"Shut up and di-die, bitch!" growled the skull-masked player before shooting at her with a 'Star Splash' Skill…when Sachi got in his way and interrupdted his attack with a thrust to his side, making him roll to the side and cancelling his Skill. "GAH! What the…?"

"You forgot about me?" glared the girl of bluish black hair while standing at Strea's side, looking at her. "Let's make sure he stays on the ground!"

"Yay, let's do it!"

"…it looks like the tables have turned, PoH." calmly declared Asuna once the shock of the madness happening around had vanished.

"You think so?" mused the leader of the murder guild while looking around, before his eyes turned back towards Asuna. "Perhaps…but I'm sure everyone will throw down their weapons…" suddenly, the man was in front of her and the rapier-user was forced to jump backwards as she raised her weapon…only to have it ripped out her hands by the too-strong-slash from the Mate Chopper. "If I threaten with killing you! Don't you think so?"

"Fuck!" cursed the girl while looking at her fallen rapier, PoH having quickly stepped over it and smiling at her while pointing his knife her way.

"Surrender, 'Hero'."

"…dammit…I will…"

"Yes…?" smirked the man, thinking himself victorious.

"…have to use THAT."

"What?" at the girl's sudden declaration, PoH's eyes widened at seeing her opening her menu and scrolling through it at impressive speeds…while MOVING backwards, away from him. "YOU…!"

"Oh, so she's finally going to use it in a fight?" muttered Yui with a childish curiosity on her eyes; her gaze looked through the whole battlefield at the same time. "That's going to be good…"

With a growl of frustration, the leader of Laughing Coffin shot forward, intent on cutting the girls arms off before she could do any…

Two swords materialized on Asuna's back just as he stopped in front of her to slash down, even as the girl used her hands to JUMP over his shoulders, shocking him. Then, the chestnut-haired girl unsheathed both blades, wielding them against the madman.

"Now…you will taste my Skills." silently declared the dual wielder.

PoH just stared with a mix of disbelief and amusement.

"Are an idiot, Hero girl? Everyone knows that you can't use Skills with two weapons equi..!" PoH's words died on his throat when he saw both blades start to SHINE. "You have got to be…!"

"Double Circular." intoned Asuna while MOVING, her speed letting her cross the distance and spin herself as she slashed with both blades, one after another, in an instant, the Skill causing enough damage to left the red player with his life on the red from just that.

The other members of Laughing Coffin stared in shock even as their Boss rolled through the ground for a moment before jumping back to his feet, his eyes now dark and calculating as he STARED at Asuna and her blades.

One was a simple-looking, though high-level, straight sword, with a red hilt. The other, however, was a weapon as black as the night, with a dark pattern and a strange hilt that clearly identified it as a sword from fantasy…and a very powerful one, too.

"Like it?" asked Asuna after noticing the killer's gaze, pointing at him with the black sword. "It's called 'Elucidator'. Sensei got it from the 50th Floor Boss, then gave it to me. It's my greatest possession. And this…" muttered as she opened her stance and wielded both swords to her sides. "…is my greatest 'weapon': Unique Skill Dual Blades."

"Is she fucking kidding…? She can actually use Skills with TWO swords at the same time…?" muttered Xaxa while looking on in shock.

"Wait, but the amount of damage one could do from THAT…oh, fuck." cursed Johnny at noticing that they may have been 'a bit' in troubles.

"So you were holding back…not only against me, but also for quite some time." muttered the hooded man while slowly standing, Mate Chopper at the ready once again. "Tell me, how is that you have NEVER used that on the Front Lines?"

"Because I don't like it." muttered the girl with a frown. "It's too difficult for me to use two swords properly. I'm NOT ambidextrous, and my balance really sucks when Dual Wielding, so I prefer using my rapier much more…" as she said that, the girl adopted a determined stare, his eyes never leaving her silent enemy. "Even so, no one can deny that this thing is POWERFUL. The Skills alone can cause brutal damage, even the weakest ones, as you just saw. That's why I still trained it in secret and swore to Sensei that I would use it if either mine or others' lives were in danger. I don't really need a lot of ability to fight like this when I can literally spawn Skills that can end most enemies in one go." as if to prove her point, the blades of her swords shone as she changed her stance, readying another Skill. "It's over PoH. Surrender."

There was a moment of deadly silence.

And then…PoH started to laugh.

It was low and silent at first, but it quickly became a full blown mad laughter. When his other two subordinates also joined in, it was only natural that the girls became a bit…unnerved.

"…AHAAHAHAH…surrender? Oh no, dear, I think we won't do that. Because, you see, as good as you're, as powerful those abilities of yours, you're all lacking a very important thing." if possible, the hooded man's grin grew wider. "None of you is trying to end this battle."

"Wha…?! What the hell are you sa…?!"

"Easy, girl! You're NOT trying to kill us!" interrupted PoH with a maniac tone, as if he was chiding a child that didn't want to brush his teeth. "You and your friends could have ended this battle more than once now, but each time you have had a shot to go for the kill you have either held back or retreated! You want to try and just 'capture' us, am I right? Like the good Heroes should do, you catch the bad guy and put him in prison…" his smile turning even darker, the hooded man played with the edge of his Mate Chopper. "But you see…this isn't a story where the Heroes win and the bad guy surrenders. This is a fight for your life, little girl…and unlike you…" the massive knife was once again pointed at the silent Asuna. "I'm NOT trying to keep you alive."

With that said, the smirking man started to walk towards the dual wielder, apparently not caring for how low his HP was. Asuna took an involuntary step back.

"S-stay back! I'm warning you!" threatened the girl while pointing with her swords.

Even so, no Dual Blades Sword Skill was released. Grinning widely, PoH struck forward, almost forcing Asuna backwards as she tried to deflect his strikes with her blades.

"HAH! What's wrong, 'Mighty Flash'?! Where are those devastating Skills you were boasting about a moment ago?!" mocked PoH even as he kept pushing the struggling dual wielder forward, her lack of practice with using the weapons becoming more noticeable each second. "Why don't you use them against me?!"

"Yo-you...!"

"You're too NAÏVE!" Xaxa's sudden words made both Strea and Sachi dodge the incoming attack, the skull-masked player grinning evilly at them before unleashing a Linear Skill against the spear-user. "What's wrong?! Scared of finishing the job?"

"A-Ah...!"

"Leave her alone!" growled the lilac-haired girl while shooting forward, darkness once again oozing from her massive blade as she swung it against Xaxa, the estoc-user never losing his grin as he easily evaded the obvious attack. "RAGH!"

"Heheh, the boss is right! Even you with all your dark and scary tricks WON'T kill me, uh?!" without waiting for an answer, the skull-masked player shot in front of the AI and unleashed an endless barrage of thrusts against her, no Skill but simple ability, which the girl seemed pressed to block with her massive blade. "What use is to have those Skills and that strength mean to destroy if you're afraid of actually killing?!"

"...not good..." muttered Yui with clenched fists, her eyes shooting around the battlefield endlessly as she bit her lips, feeling the need to help only stopped by the knowledge that using her 'power' against a player would cause that Cardinal detected her immediately.

"Face it, little girls, you have lost!" madly laughed the still armless Johnny as he swung his dagger madly against Philia, seeing the girl actually being forced back now that she had stopped re-sheathing her katana. "Ohoh, this is RICH! All that power and you're afraid to actually use it even to save your own lives?! AHAHAH! I'm SO gonna enjoy killing every single one of...!"

The sack-mask wearing maniac words, however, were interrupted by a sudden shining roundhouse kick to the back of his head, which sent him face-first into the ground, reducing his HP to the very edge of the red.

Shocked, the fighters' attention was once again dragged to a single place as the saw the scowling and panting face of the no-longer-paralyzed Argo, the last shines of the 'Suigetsu' Martial Arts Skill she had just used vanishing.

Her face suddenly split into a shit-eating grin.

"Your luck just ran out, bastards."

Unknown to her, Cardinal acknowledged the last attack she had just done, and after a series of quick and unseen calculations, assigned the proper 'reward'.

Back on the clearing, though, the meaning of her words seemed to become clear for the leader of Laughing Coffin at the next instant, when his eyes shot towards the edge of his vision, as if he had just gotten a message, and cursed with a scowl.

"Damn! Xaxa, Johnny, we're getting out of here, now! HE is coming!"

"You kidding?!" cursed the skull-masked player before ignoring his opponents and starting to run towards his boss' side.

"HUAH!" startled, PoH was suddenly forced to block both incoming slashes as Asuna had attempted to either cut off his hand or get him to drop the Mate Chopper. "Do you really think we will let you get away?!"

"You will if you wish to save those three."

"Wait, wha...?"

"SURPRISE!" screamed Johnny before spinning around on the ground and throwing three throwing-picks towards the shocked and forgotten ex-members of Golden Apple, who quickly fell backwards grabbing at the spots where they had been damaged, unmoving. "Johnny's special, paralysis and deadly poison in one! Oh, who will save the poor fools now before their HP runs out?"

"NO!" shouted Asuna and Sachi at the same time, both ignoring their opponents to run towards the fallen players as they opened their menus. Strea, for her part, quickly put herself between them and the members Laughing Coffin, seemingly ready to stop any sneak attack even as Yui landed at her side, Philia stopping at the other while once again grabbing her sheathed katana's hilt.

Never stopping looking at them, PoH reached inside his robes with one hand...and grabbed a single, large and indigo-colored crystal.

Argo's eyes widened in shock even as she watched the man raise it and shout 'Corridor open!' and a 'gate' of light opened just behind him.

Where in Hell's name had they gotten a Corridor Crystal?!

"Black, move!" barked the hooded man even as Xaxa stopped at his side, both already with a foot inside the gate.

"On it, boss!" grinned the poison-user with a mocking tone before standing up...only for Argo to kick his back again, though without a Skill this time, and put him down by half-throwing herself over him, making the man scream. "Wai...what the hell?! Get off me, fucking rat!"

"Make me!" shouted Argo while trying to hold the killer with all her might.

"JOHNNY!" Xaxa's eyes darkened with anger as he made to unsheathe his estoc again. "Let him go, you...!"

The entire clearing SHOOK when 'something' fell from the sky.

Asuna and Sachi froze for an instant before smiling and finishing giving the Antidotes to the paralyzed and poisoned players.

Yui and Strea squealed happily. Philia almost jumped in shock before LOOKING at who had landed and letting a small smile appear on her face too.

Argo just grinned again as she felt the struggling Johnny freeze under her.

"Took you long enough, Kii-bou."

Kirito stood up, his form never having seemed more menacing or impressively sinister as his cape flapped behind him.

Not even looking at his fallen comrade, PoH grabbed the shocked Xaxa by the hood and dragged him into the gate, which closed immediately after them.

Happily, Argo stood up, letting Johnny Black to roll through the ground, scramble to his feet and raise his poisoned dagger in a threatening position, his eyes seeming those of a cornered animal as Kirito turned his scowling gaze from the place where the killer's 'friends' had vanished to him.

In the newest silence of the area, the red player chose to simple laugh.

"Heh...I imagined you taller, you know?"

The black-haired boy was before him at the next instant, not having given him enough to even BLINK. Startled, Johnny SWUNG with his deadly weapon, directly at Kirito's face.

He almost let go of it when he felt as if he had tried to swing against a fucking wall.

Then, slowly and calmly, the caped boy reached out, grabbing for the hand holding the knife and CRUSHING the weapon out of existence, scattered polygons being everything that remained of Black's dagger.

The madman just STARED from his remaining empty hand to the still silent boy.

"Oh, that's just so much bullsh...!" he was unable to finish his phrase, however, when Kirito held him by the neck and effortlessly raised him from the ground, making him flail his limbs around and make choking noises. "Ga-gah! Le-let me go...can't breathe...!"

"We're in a virtual world, idiot. You DON'T need to breathe." finally spoke the scowling boy, making the madman blink at realizing that, effectively, all that he was truly feeling was an extreme discomfort and a vague sensation of SAO's 'non-pain' around his neck, even as Kirito ignored him and looked around with worry. "Is everyone alright?"

"...yes, everyone is." sighed Asuna while standing up, looking how Sachi also finished and the panting forms of Yolko, Caynz and Schmitt kneeled while shaking, the first two hugging each other while the last one broke into a mix of sobs and thaks. "...sorry, Sensei. I almost screwed this up, and we even let them escape."

"Hey, it's not your fault, Asuna. It's no one's. Besides, we got this bastard." he declared while glaring at the grimacing form of Johnny Black. "I'm just glad everyone is okay and...uh? Philia, is that you?"

"Hello again, Kirito." softly nodded the Ronin while the others blinked. "It's good to see you again."

"Kirito-sama, do you know her?" curiously asked Sachi while tilting her head.

"Well, you could say she helped me and someone else some time ago." awkwardly muttered the boy while scratching his head with his empty hand. "Thanks again for your...eh? Who are you tw...?"

"HI!" jumped Strea excitedly, latching herself at the boy's chest, letting everyone open-mouthed and making the 'superhero' squeak in surprise, keenly aware of how a certain part of the girl's anatomy was pressed against him. "I'm Strea, and I'm your greatest fan, Kirito!"

"Uh, ah, eh...ehhh?!" was the boy's coherent answer.

"Uhm, forgive my little sister, she's a bit...well, that." awkwardly muttered the little girl before once again floating and stopping near the once again shocked boy, who GAPED at her. "Hi there! I'm Yui, and I have wanted to meet you for some time now, Papa!"

Utter silence filled the clearing for the umpteenth time that day. And then...

"PAPA?!" shouted every girl present.

"Wait, what?!"

"Woah, Kii-bou...you're more popular than I thought..."

"Ah! A-Argo is making that scary smile of hers again!"

"SE-SENSEI! What's the meaning of this?!"

"Ho-how should I know?! A-and you, uhm, Strea-san, co-could you please let go of me?!"

"Hmm...nope, I don't wanna!"

"Le-let Kirito-sama go already!"

"...I wonder why did I even accept to travel with these two..."

"Because you're also interested in him, Philia-san, face it."

"WHA...?! Do-don't say stupid things, Yui-dono! I only find him interesting because of how he fights for a noble cause, nothing more!"

"...I didn't say anything to indicate the contrary, though."

"Kuh!"

"...so..." awkwardly muttered Johnny Black, now knowing if to feel despair or amusement even as Kirito tried to deal with the madness around him while STILL holding him up by the neck. "Am I the only one feeling forgotten?"

"No...you aren't." whispered the 3 ex-guild members while sweatdropping.

* * *

Some hours later, after Johnny Black had been handed to the Aincrad Liberation Force to be confined in the Black Iron Castle, Kirito and the others sat on a table in an Inn of Floria.

Even as the caped boy STARED at the smiling Yui and the cheerful Strea (Currently eating a chocolate cake they just ordered), with Philia sitting at her other side, he couldn't help but feel that Keita and the other guys had been lucky of staying behind to catch that Grimlock guy.

"So…let me get this straight. You two aren't human, but a pair of highly advanced AIs that were designed as some sort of in-game psychologists for SAO. But then, when Kayaba turned it into a Death Game, YOU were locked away and unable to do what you have been programmed for…" the black-haired boy resisted the urge to massage his temples as he stared at the nodding girl that SOMEHOW the world seemed to have decided to make into a parody of Tatsumaki. "…and when you thought you were going to drown into despair or some sort of data-parallel, you started to watch me because of the…'weird' things I do." receiving another nod, Kirito couldn't help but stare helplessly at his friends, but the girls seemed to also be intently staring at the two, making him sigh and continue. "And the reason you call me 'Papa' is because you see me as some sort of…parental figure…because you essentially learned how to be 'human' watching me. Every day, since the game began."

"Hai, Papa!" happily nodded the little girl while Kirito slammed his head on the table.

"Nom…then, Yui-nee woke me up, prepared me a body and readied our escape!" cheerfully added Strea while pointing with her fork. "We got out last Christmas, and we have dedicated ourselves to observe you personally since then!"

"…you mean you have been stalking him." deadpanned Argo while looking at them.

"No! What part didn't you get, Argo-san? We have been 'watching over', not stalking!" chided Yui with a happy tone. Everyone deadpanned again.

"…and you are with them because…?" asked Kirito while looking at Philia, trying to still find a shred of sanity around.

The Ronin simply shrugged before looking away.

"The-they offered me to travel with them after the day I helped you and Silica by chance…" muttered the girl while putting on a calm face. "Nothing special there…"

"We told her she could join us in 'watching over' you and she agreed." happily commented Strea while finishing her cake, even as the Ronin's 'mask' was destroyed in favor of an explosion of blushing denials.

Kirito felt once again that he was missing _something_ , but his self-preservation instinct was screaming to him that he just SHOULDN'T ask. Letting out a sigh, he consoled himself in the fact that at least this day couldn't get any more awkward.

It was at that point that Sachi touched his shoulder, making him blink and look at her.

"Kirito-sama…who is Silica?" innocently asked the spear-user.

Everyone on the table fell silent, several eyes falling on the blinking boy.

"Oh! Uhm, she's…"

"The loli-ninja with the dragon who also worships Kirito!" shouted Strea while raising her arms, making everyone gawk at her (Though maybe because of what said sudden movement did to her chest) even as the caped-boy felt the urge to simply run back to the Front Lines at super speed.

Watching between amused and tired, Argo shook her head and opened her menu, knowing that she should better get some job done before sleeping…she hadn't rested since that madness of the fake murders began and she still needed to inform Keita and the others that they needed to drop Grimlock with…

All her trains of thoughts suddenly froze, and the voices of the others on the background vanished, however, when she saw something in her menu that WASN'T there the day before.

"…the hell?" muttered the hooded girl in shock, drawing Asuna's attention away from her Sensei trying to explain…something. "…'Berserk'?"

Slowly, Argo read what she was seeing. And slowly, a VERY scary grin started to appear on her face.

"A-Argo-chan?" muttered Asuna with a dubious face, even as everyone blinked and let their attention be once again dragged to the 'event' behind them. "A-are you okay…?"

"Oh yeah, Aa-chan, I'm perfectly okay." grinned the whiskered girl with pride. "In fact, I think I have never been better."

"…that sounds incredible scary, for some reason."

"This coming from the guy who beats any enemy with one punch?"

"…it's much more depressing than what you may it sound like, Philia-san."

"Ah, cheer up Papa, I think you're amazing!"

"Ehm, shouldn't you STOP floating before anyone around notices something is WRONG with that?"

"Sensei! I need more training!"

"Eh?! What for?!"

"I need to be able to use Dual Blades to at least a decent enough level to not be taken off guard again!"

"Man, that was really random…you're a funny girl, Asuna!"

"He-hey, why are you hugging me now?! Re-release me!"

"Oh, forgive Strea-nee, she can be a bit…too touchy-feely, eheheh."

"Senseiiii, heeeeelp!"

Moments like this made Kirito wonder if it wouldn't have been better to have just stuck with being a Solo Player.

Incidentally, the United Heroes Association gained 3 new members that day.

* * *

 **May 4th, 2024. 53rd Floor, Caves of Despair. Somewhere inside the many caves, 10:30…**

On the many, many, MANY and absurdly labyrinthic caves that filled this part of this unimportant Floor…the greatest evil in Aincrad under Kayaba Akihiko gathered to plan for evil things…

"I'm SO fucking bored." muttered Xaxa with a depressive aura, half-curled against a wall in the middle of a 'room' in the many caves, PoH standing not far from him looking at his menu. "This last month since they got Johnny has gone from boring to outright depressing in a second!"

"Yes, Xaxa, I know, you have been complaining about that FOR A WEEK now." sighed the madman while trying to contain his twitching eyebrow.

"But it's the truth! Since those bastard 'Heroes' got him, that fucking kid in black has been pressing HARD on any small thing we have tried to do! He even spent hours arguing with fucking Heathcliff to make capture us a priority over Clearing the Floors just because we killed a couple dozen people, and since then we have lost like, 10 of our men! And the saddest thing is that they didn't even get to die fighting, they were ALL caught by those fucking bastards!" grumbling in annoyance, the skull-masked red player glared at nothing. "I think I'm going to kill Lux when she gets back, just to not get bored."

"…ehm, yeah, I don't think that's going to happen." commented PoH with a suddenly VERY nervous tone.

"Uh? Why not? Don't tell you are taking pity on the bitch, boss! We can get another loser to get us supplies and info for…!"

"No, because I think Lux just betrayed us." deadpanned the man before looking at the blinking Xaxa. "I just received a message from her saying 'Goodbye, assholes', and now I'm receiving a lot of 'THEY'RE HERE!' or 'RUN!' ones from our guards on the upper caves."

"Wait, does that mean…?!"

"Boss!" screamed a random Laughing Coffin member while entering the room, panting. "Th-the Divine Dragon Alliance, the Knights of Blood and the United Heroes Association are all here! They have got us surrounded!"

"…well, shit." sighed the hooded man before straightening himself. "Okay then…if they want to get us, they will have to do it the HARD way." grinning sinisterly, PoH raised the deadly form of Mate Chopper and pointed it at the random red player. "Get everyone ready for a last stand! We're going to take as much of those bastards with us as we can!"

"Ri-right away, sir!" shouted the man before running to communicate the orders of their grand leader.

"…say, you DO know that HE is most likely out there too, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"…and you STILL want us to fight?!"

"Well, are you going to run like a scared bitch, Xaxa?" challenged the man with a dark smile. "Do you want me to say that? Go ahead if you want. I won't even stop you from doing so."

"Wha-what are you saying?!" growling in rage, his red lenses somehow shining, the skull-masked player pointed his estoc to the ceiling. "I will at least take with me 3 of that bastard's bitches before they can even touch me! To the eeeend!" roared the madman while running out of the room.

PoH still stayed 5 more seconds without moving before calmly pulling out a blue crystal from his robes.

"Well…guess I will have to stay low for a while. Eh, it could be worse. Showtime never ends, one way or another." raising the crystal, the man dedicated one last thought to his 'brave' subordinates before laughing. "Teleport…!"

And as the leader of the murder guild vanished in a rush of polygons, no one was left in the now empty room.

* * *

"Okay, here is the plan!" whispered Xaxa with a serious and dark look as he and others Laughing Coffin members looked down towards the arriving Front Liners. "We jump down on them screaming like angels of death, and then we take advantage of them being scared shitless to slaughter as many as we can! Who is with me?!"

With a roar of agreement, incidentally killing their element of surprise, the members of Laughing Coffin jumped down the almost five meters that separated them from the surprised Front Liners, making them darkly cool as they soared the air with their weapons drawn…

"KoB, raise your shields!"

"Everyone, move back! Sachi!"

"On it, Asuna-san! MOON SWEPT!"

…and also turning them into extremely easy targets for several contingency plans.

By the time the 'battle' itself started, at least 10 of the remaining guild members had been caught and deprived of their weapons after crashing badly against the ground or a raised shield.

Xaxa, having somehow evaded both Sachi's Omnidirectional Skill and crashing into the impromptu wall of shields, rolled over himself before ignoring everything else and dashing towards the members of the United Heroes Association, who currently seemed very busy by helping disarm and bind the fallen Red Players before they could recover. Even better, HE didn't seem to with them.

With a massive grin, the skull-masked killer reared back his estoc, ready to unleash a 'Flashing Penetrator' Skill…

"Fangs' Storm."

…only for an unexpected claw moving at high speeds hit him on the side. Then another. And another.

Xaxa was sent head over heels through the ground after receiving a flurry of TEN hits, not only doing a noticeable damage to his HP but also almost making him lost his estoc. Wide-eyed, the red player looked back to see the grinning form of Argo, hood down and her claws at the ready as they stopped shining.

"Sorry, red eyes, but I'm NOT letting you hurt my friends."

"The fuck was that?!" growled the boy as he warily looked towards the one they had thought to be the weakest player of the Heroes Guild. "No Martial Arts Skill should be so…!"

"Long? Savage? Yeah, you would be right." calmly accepted Argo, never losing her grin even as the battle started to get serious around them. "For all of its cool, Martial Arts is an Extra Skill meant only for support or to get around dangerous situation. Few hits, never more than 4, and relative damage. No one can get through SAO effectively fighting weaponless, and even my claws just add a little damage to that." crouching down, the girl's face took on a deadly serious look even as her grin start to show teeth. "This isn't 'Martial Arts'. This is 'Berserk', the Skill meant to turn your body into a weapon."

With that outrageous declaration, Argo shot forward towards Sachi, even as the annoyed red player just grinned before running forward too.

"Are you trying to attack someone who uses A ESTOC up front?! That new Skill of yours must have gotten to your head, little…!"

The hooded girl JUMPED over him, making the blinking Xaxa realize that both her LEGS were shining now.

"Eagle Tempest."

"…rat?!" finished the shocked guy with the skull mask when Argo literally RAINED KICKS over him, as if she was some sort of kung-fu master from an anime, hitting his shoulders endlessly and making it impossible for him to even try and get his estoc up.

15 hits later, Xaxa stumbled backwards again, his HP on the yellow as he stared with incredulity as the girl did a backflip and landed perfectly on her feet, her legs stopping shining as she grinned at him again.

"As you see, the Unique Skill Berserk takes unarmed fighting to another level. It's based around giving such a fast and absurd amount of hits that it actually becomes noticeable damage."

"You bitch…aren't you a bit too cocky?" muttered the skull-masked player, his face changing into a dark smile. "This is a fight to the death, remember? You, your Hero friends and all these 'allies' of yours are going to know what is to face someone ready to fight until the e…!"

"What are you talking about?" Argo's extremely innocent tone made Xaxa blink and feel unnerved. "No one is going to die today. We're just the distraction."

The killer's eyes widened as the implications of the statement hit him.

"FUCK! Retrea…!"

It happened then, too fast for many of the presents to properly see or understand, though the shock of one side was joyful while the others were terrified.

A blur of POWER and SPEED shot through the battlefield, having jumped down from one of the upper caves. The sounds of polygons breaking echoed everywhere…and at the next instant, all the remaining members of Laughing Coffin found themselves weaponless and on the ground, the Front Liner quickly surrounding and restraining the no-longer-threatening murderers.

Xaxa had enough time to curse everything before finding himself face-to-face with Kirito, a grinning Argo actually chuckling when the boy's hand closed around the red player's estoc, destroying it.

Silence ensued.

"…you're SO full of crap." deadpanned the skull-masked guy.

"If it makes you feel better, we will put you on the same cell of Johnny Black." answered the caped boy with a tired tone, but still glaring at him. "He has been whining the whole month about how you guys were going to get him out of there." Kirito didn't even seem to react or blink when Xaxa roared like a rabid animal and tried to charge towards him, only to be stopped by Agil and a member of the KoB, both grabbing his arms and keeping them behind his back. "Maybe like that he will shut up."

"You believe yourself so high and mighty, eh, 'Hero'?! Well, big news, you're NOTHING! You're only a fucking cheater kid running around like he owns the place!"

Idly, the black-haired boy noticed how an angry Asuna tried to move at those words, but Keita and Philia, who shook their heads at her protesting look. For his part, the boy just stared silently at Xaxa, his face blank and seemingly…absolutely bored.

He had found that putting that face unnerved others greatly, and he was rewarded by Xaxa shaking in rage as he glared back at him.

"Wrong. I'm not any of those things. I'm just a Gamer playing Hero for Fun. And you may be right that outside here I'm no one special, but here I CAN make a difference. I have the power to do so." without effort, the boy's hand blurred and CRUSHED the skull mask around the red-haired player's head, shock reflected deeply into his eyes as the remains of his trademark looks scattered into polygons. "You also had power, inside here, like everyone, but you decided to use it to play with and destroy people's lives for your own amusement. And NO ONE has that right, no matter how powerful. Neither you, nor me…or Kayaba Akihiko." the boy's eyes seemed to burn with an inner strength that awing and terrifying at the same time. "This world may be a 'game', but it's not something you 'play'. It's something you LIVE. And your decisions in life have led you to this. I don't need the power to outrun a bullet to know that, right now, I'm better than you." with that said, Kirito gave his back to the silent Xaxa, starting to walk back towards his friends even as the no-longer-skull-masked player was dragged towards the Corridor that had been prepared by Heathcliff for their quick imprisonment.

"…I call bullshit in the bullet thing." was the first thing that the shocked guy was able to say.

"Well, I will be glad to test it if you ever get the chance to shot me with a gun." nonchalantly answered the caped boy, not even bothering to look back.

"…this isn't over, you heard me?! It's NOT, Kirito!" snarled Xaxa as a tired Agil sighed and forced him to stand in front of the portal. "Remember my name clearly, for one day you will regret to have dismissed me here! Remember the name of Red…!"

"Oh, shut up." interrupted him Agil while pushing him through the portal, the axe-user feeling a grim satisfaction at hearing the red-headed player squeaking.

On a cell of Black Iron Castle, Johnny Black turned around in time to see his 'friend' crash face-first on the ground. The poison-user cursed everything under the sky.

Back on Floor 53, Kirito looked around even as everyone discussed among themselves, most wearing relieved smiles on their faces while others sighed in relief.

His friends joined him a moment later, the group seeming content to just share the silence of their leader.

"…did anyone find PoH?" asked the black-haired boy with a small scowl.

"Sorry, Kirito, he wasn't around here." muttered Keita while putting his staff down, a frown on his face. "If the info we got from that girl who ran away was right, then we got everyone except him."

"Do you think he managed to escape during the battle?" wondered Philia with a dubious look. "Or maybe he hid deeper on the caves?"

"No, I would have found him when I was sweeping through them if that was the case, and the people we put on the outer tunnels haven't reported anything. He most likely used a Teleport Crystal." scowling, Kirito shook his head before putting on another tired smile, looking back at everyone. "But at least the main concern is over now. Laughing Coffin is over. Without the guild, he had no way to do any of the things he had been doing till now." crossing his arms, the gamer looked towards the ceiling in deep thought. "Even if he got away, PoH has no option but to remain hidden and away from any big town forever if he doesn't want us to catch him."

"Then this is a victory for the Heroes!" chirped Strea while jumping up and down. "Hooray, let's celebrate with Yui-nee when we get back!"

"Is there ANY moment when she isn't like this…?" rhetorically asked Ducker while shaking his head.

"Don't ask if you know the answer." muttered Asuna while walking at Kirito's side, before looking silently at him. "Well, that's one crisis over. We should head back and rest, Sensei."

"…yeah, you're right. We need to return to the Front Lines soon, after all." closing his eyes, the boy vanished the images of his parents and the smiling visage of Sugu before turning around and opening them again, looking at the group of people that he was glad to call 'friends'. "We still need to get back home."

And with a chorus of acknowledgment, the members United Heroes Association started the walk back to where their true challenge waited.

After all, before being 'Heroes', they were first people who sought freedom.

Only time would tell if they were able to truly grasp it…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Ah…what a shame…uhm? Oh, _hello_ there, you all. This is yours beloved, the great PoH, showing you all the next chapter's preview! And before you ask, no, my name doesn't have ANYTHING to do with the stupid American honey-loving bear for kids, even if they sound the same. It stands for Prince of Hell. Uhm? Why, you ask? Hoh, now that would be telling, right? Heheh…next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Right Arm of God!' What happens when you have the power to become better than anyone without any effort…and you absolutely hate it? To which point can the doubts of one's power worth led someone? Kirito will have to test that when he meets with someone who loathes having the power to be the 'best'! Hmm, sounds interesting…but I fear I will have to miss it. I'm going to have to lay low for a good while, but don't worry, for _Showtime_ it's never o-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's done! Man, this one took a bit more than usual…I blame internet distracting me with Christmas specials XP

I'm sure that, when you started reading this chapter, more than one expected something series/tragic or some mental and/or emotional traumas because Laughing Coffin were involved…

Then you read it, and remembered that this is, in fact, a crossover with One Punch-Man XD

To be fair, though, I tried to make it somewhat 'epic and dramatic' when the girls were fighting alone, before Kirito showed up (I think I did good in showing how fucked in the head up those guys are). Hope to have done that right, and YAY! Now Argo also has a Unique Skill (Hoping you liked its brief description, we shall see more of its Skills soon) and Strea, Philia and Yui officially joined the team =P! (Also, what do you thought about my explanation for Yui calling Kirito Papa this time around? This wasn't like in canon, she wasn't a memory-less being thinking she was a little girl and getting attached to him and Asuna, so I had to carefully make an excuse that worked for that, and if you realize I have been subtly doing it since chapter one XP Also, Strea is really funny and easy to write, especially in her more 'natural' state, as she is now. Without the 'problems' she has in Hollow Fragment, she's essentially a bubble of happiness, lack of inhibitions and excitement :P I will also explain more of her Darkness Blade later, but I hope you liked the bit I showed in this chapter).

Now, before anyone calls bullshit, some things that may seem 'weird' in this chapter (Like Philia having her dagger on her despite using the katana) are actually deductions from analyzing canon SAO's mechanics: It's true that you can't use any Skill if you equip two weapons (Dual Blades being the exception), BUT you don't really need to 'equip' a weapon to just 'use it'. This is shown repeatedly in SAO though not really expanded much, like when a Blacksmith needs to have the weapon on hand and grab it for Enhancement. In the Progressive Novels, Argo also shows this by carrying both her preferred claws and throwing picks hanging from both sides of her waist, and only needed to put the claws on to 'use them', not needing to equip them. From my deduction, the main difference is that the 'sheath' or 'back slot' for the weapon won't appear if you don't equip it properly, but you can still put it somewhere on you and the system will still let you use Skills with another weapon equipped as long as you don't use the first one, or if you 'throw it' after picking it up for something, like I had Philia do. Hope this seems a satisfying explanation for everyone.

On the matter about Laughing Coffin, well, they aren't THAT terrifying if they CAN'T force you to fight them to the death, and our One Punch-Gamer is a perfect solution for that XP Also, PoH escaping before the battle even began is just a theory of mine, it's never confirmed in canon HOW did he got away or if he did participate on the 'last stand' of his Guild, just that he wasn't caught and the he did survive SAO. Also, those who KNOW about both his and Xaxa's character a bit more deeply would have gotten the 'jokes' about his parents and Xaxa's 'creepy little brother' :D Finally, to a certain someone (you know who you are), I didn't add the character from SAO Girls Ops 'Lux' to the cast, as I told you, but I decided to make a small mention to her here anyway for you XD Those who don't know about said character or what I'm talking about, don't worry, it won't affect the plot itself OxO

Also, some must have realized that things are going a bit faster than canon (For obvious reason), but also that the 'crusade' against Laughing Coffin was much earlier. This is justified, I think, for the attitude that Kirito and everyone have in my fic: In canon, the Front Liners were much more centered in clearing the game and they didn't openly act against LC until they had killed HUNDREDS of people. Here, well, the 'Heroes' weren't going to allow them to get so far.

Well, that's all for now. Next time, don't miss how Kirito meets the last member of the cast (For the first arc OwO), with unexpected problems around, like always in his life XP

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	11. Chapter 8: The Rigth Arm of God!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! And here we are once again! First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been following this madness. I just can't believe that the story is not even a month old and it has already gotten over the 100 reviews with the previous chapter (Kudos to Reishin Amara, you were the 100th Review :D) AND gotten more than 17000 views, not to mention over 200 favorites! So once again, thank you all for reading this, I hope you can keep enjoying it!

Also, for those who watched One Punch-Man anime…THE BOROS 'FIGHT' WAS SO FUCKING EPIC, RIGHT?!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: The Right Arm of God! Accept your Power, Warm your Heart!**

 **June 6th, 2024. 48th Floor, Lindarth. Lisbeth's Smith Shop, 14:20…**

The warm rays of Aincrad's virtual sun shone through one of the shop's windows, letting anyone see the simple but elegant way in which many weapons were displayed around. On the front counter, the NPC that attended the shop most of the time smiled like always.

On the back of the merry shop with the waterwheel, though, a certain pink-haired blacksmith was frowning as she stared at a small 'dagger' on her hands, tri-pronged and deadly-looking.

"Hmm, Silica's 'Lighting Cutter' is almost at its limit, uh?" muttered Lisbeth with a sigh while putting the weapon down.

Her 'kunoichi' friend was currently out somewhere, continuing with her 'extreme training' to become a Frontliner, using a spare dagger she had lent her while she repaired and Enhanced her precious 'kunai'.

She was still kind of dumbfounded, though, from the pigtailed girl's sudden change in 'Ninja Way'. Since that time some months ago that she had once again returned LATE from a recollection/training mission, Lisbeth had noticed 'something' was different about her friend.

It was more because of her silly smiles, her occasional reasonless giggles and the dreamy looks she would get sometimes than from her sudden obsession with joining the Front Lines, though. The blacksmith was PRETTY sure that her small friend had met someone on that last trip of hers, and that she had gotten a hard crush on the unknown boy. She also seemed to write messages to someone from time to time and then eagerly wait for the answers to come, only to deny she was doing such a thing when she asked.

Either way, Lisbeth supposed it was better than the nearly-obsessive crush that the ninja girl had had with that 'Superhero' guy. She still wasn't sure if it was worth it going to the Front Lines just for of a guy, though. And knowing that she would have to tell Silica that, at the rate she was going, her favorite 'kunai' would reach its 'Enhancement Limit' and she would need to get a new weapon, the pink-haired girl like the idea even less. Silica loved the weapon because, in her words, it made her more 'ninja-like', so Liz was sure she would be devastated when she knew she would need to trop it to keep going forward.

The possibilities of she ever getting a weapon even remotely similar to it were almost literally 0, so the blacksmith knew that wouldn't help, but perhaps if she let her have free shurikens for a while and made a replacement weapon as good as her Fuuma Shuriken maybe she…

That train of thought immediately made her freeze, then grimace, her hands unconsciously closing tighter around the kunai. Suddenly, a 'throb' she knew was only in her head seemed to fill her entire right arm, making it shake.

She could almost feel IT wanting to be used (As crazy as that sounded), wanting to show her how to be BETTER, how to do everything with NO EFFORT. She could almost see it, all it would take was a bit of concentration, an exact move of her arm and she would be able to make the last Enhancements of Silica's kunai last months instead of weeks, she could create a weapon that would be so much better and powerful without even…

"NO!" suddenly shouted the girl while dropping the kunai and grabbing her right hand with her left, GLARING at it. "I DON'T need it! I don't need fancy tricks to be a great blacksmith! I can do it by MYSELF, damn it! And…!…and I'm talking to myself once again." deadpanned Lisbeth before sighing and letting her hand drop, scratching the back of her head. "Fuck, I hope Silica comes back soon, I'm getting paranoid again…"

She knew that all of 'that' was in her head, both the throbbing and the 'need' to use it, but she had been feeling like that since she had tested it out for the first time and created Silica's 'Beheading Star'. It had felt all so simple, so…'cheap'. And yet, it had been the best, most beautiful and most powerful weapon she had made to date.

Maybe that had biased her, and thus made her hate the 'other' abilities of the strange Skill the same way when she tested them. It made it all seem too easy, as if she didn't really need to try. She could probably even be an effective Front Liner despite being some 6 levels under Silica, and that only made her feel worse about the 'power' she had been given for no reason, when she knew how much effort her best friend spent in training to level up.

That was why she had sworn to herself to never use THAT again. Oh, she had tried the 'others' out and leveled the Skill itself a great deal, but it had been more idle curiosity than anything else. She didn't need any cheap shortcuts to become a great blacksmith, and she wasn't looking to fight directly in the Front Lines, so she really didn't need to worry about…

"Uhm, hello? Is anybody here?" the sudden sound of a vaguely familiar voice made the pink-haired girl blink and snap out of her thoughts, looking up towards the door that led from her workshop to the shop itself. "Ehm, a friend told me to search for a great blacksmith that works here?"

"One second, please!" quickly shouted Lisbeth while running upstairs and entering the shop. Any new client was always great for the business! "Welcome to Lisbeth's Smith Shop, how can I…?" freezing, the girl's eyes widened as she STARED in shock at the person standing in front of the counter. "It's…it's you…"

"Uh?" was Kirito's eloquent answer as he looked beyond the NPC in front of him (Who had been unable to help him get the owner, reason why he had called out loud). "Do I know…? Wait…Lisbeth-san?"

To say that the pink-haired girl was shocked was putting it lightly. Lisbeth had always taken the 'rumors' about the exploits of the 'Black-White Blur' with a grain of salt, and even after his supposed 'reveal' she had still held some doubts, contrary to Silica's near-worshipping of the guy. Even more, to believe that she had indeed SEEN and TALKED with the supposed 'Superhero' and that he really did went around doing superhuman feats while dressed in the silly getup she remembered was almost laughable.

And yet, here he was. That same guy she met on that fateful day on Floor 1, the day she met Silica and decided to seriously dedicate herself to be a blacksmith. That same silly jumpsuit and cape, that same face and hair, even the same kind of cute looks on his slightly girlish face and…what the hell was she even thinking about?!

"Uhh…yo-you remember me?!" was the first thing she managed to say while shaking her head.

"Eh, kind of? You were selling weapons on the 1st Floor, right? I bought a rapier from you?" at the girl's slow nod, the boy sighed while smiling a bit. "Thanks God, I wasn't really sure because you changed your hair, but I'm glad my memory isn't screwed or anything." scratching the back of his head, the boy let out an awkward laugh. "Oh, also, I think the pink hair suits you."

"Re-really?" laughed Lisbeth while looking to the side. "Tha-thanks, I guess the color kind of grew up on me, I'm not sure why though…"

"Yeah, I can see that…" vaguely muttered the boy while looking at the white and dark-pink outfit the girl now wore…which, honestly, looked more like something more fitted for a maid to wear than a blacksmith. "So…you really became a great blacksmith! I mean, you even have your own shop and people on the Front Line recommend you! Congratulations!"

"We-well, I HAVE been doing my best all this time, but thanks for that." putting on a bright smile, the girl crossed her arms and looked the boy up and down. "And you DO still wear that 'costume' of yours, uh? Weird, I would think that someone people calls 'The Superhero of Aincrad' would dress cooler…"

"Hey, it's not my fault! I can't unequ…wait, they call me what?!"

"Ahahah, it's nothing, just a thing that a friend of mine likes to say." waved off the girl, ignorant of how REALLY popular said nickname had lately become thanks to Silica. "Anyway, you said you were here because of a recommendation from the Front Lines?" the sudden interest of the blacksmith turned into a frown when she recalled something else. "But…I thought you fought only with your bare fists?" of course, she didn't fully believe that last bit.

"Uhm, kind of…and the weapon it's not for me, it's for a friend of mine." answered the boy while scratching the back of his head. "She needs a new One-Handed Sword that's as strong or stronger as one I gave her, so I decided to come get her one. I heard she had met a great blacksmith on this Floor some time back and that's why I came…but I never expected it to be you!"

"…my name is on the sign outside the shop." deadpanned the girl while raising an eyebrow.

"Eh, yeah, about that…I kind of came so fast that I didn't look at the sign before entering." accepted the boy with a sheepish smile.

"How does that make any sen…? Ugh, best if I just roll with it." putting a hand on her head, the pink-haired girl quickly put on her business smile once again. "So! You're searching for a strong sword, uh? Well, today is your lucky day! " saying those words, Lisbeth turned around and reached for something under the counter before standing again. "Here you have it, the best sword I have ever made!" with a big smile on her face, the girl let the caped boy take the sword as he looked it over with dubious eyes. "How do you like it?"

"…yeah, sorry, it's not what I'm searching for." nonchalantly commented the boy while putting it down again, making the girl freeze. "Don't you have anything better?"

"Wha…?! What do you mean it's 'not what you're searching for'?!" raged the girl while putting an angry finger on the boy's chest, making him flinch with panic, as if he wasn't indestructible enough to take anything she could do without worry. "My swords aren't up to the standards of a mighty Hero, perhaps?!"

"N-no, it's not like that! In fact, that's a pretty good sword, one of the best I have seen even in the Front Lines, I swear!" the boy's quick declaration caught the girl off guard, almost making her stumble backwards as he put a hand on her shoulder. "I-it's just that, the sword I gave my friend is an absurdly rare Boss Drop, from the one of the 50th Floor, so it's normal that few other weapons can match it, your ability has nothing to do with that! In fact, I'm pretty sure that you could make a sword equally great if you had the right materials!"

"…oh, yeah?" muttered Lisbeth while a smile slowly crept her way into her face, pointedly ignoring how the boy was still holding her (Which totally WASN'T making her feel nervous at all, no sir). "Well, what do you know? There is casually a Quest where you supposedly can get a super-rare Ingot from a deadly Almost-Boss-Level Dragon on a snowy mountain some Floors from here, but till now NO ONE has managed to obtain it! So, what do you say, Hero, want to go and try your luck with that?"

"Really? Which Floor?" asked the black-haired boy with a suddenly interested smile, making the girl blink. "I have a friend specialized in Information so I may know a bit about it…oh, and can you please stop the 'Hero' thing? Just call me Kirito, everyone does…well, everyone that I know personally, at least…"

"Wa-wait, that's it? You're not even going to hesitate or call me out for telling you we need to go do some super-complex and really difficult Quest when all you came here for was a better sword?"

"Nah, why would I?" waved off the boy before letting out a tired sigh. "Besides, everyone has been telling me to take a break from the Front Lines for more than a month, and I finally feel myself inclined to agree with them. I have been saving people non-stop the last 3 Floors, and Floor 68 seems kind of simple enough….So, I think I will take this as a sort of mini-vacation."

"…you're going to take doing an until now uncompleted Quest for a super-rare Ingot which includes facing a dragon on a frozen mountain as a 'vacation'?"

"Eh, can't be worse than stopping idiots from dying because they think themselves 'awesome' enough to go ahead the Front Liners when a new Floor is opened." shrugged the boy with an awkward smile.

 _"…what did Silica see in this guy again?"_ wondered Lisbeth while sweatdropping, before sighing in defeat. " _Well, at least no she's interested in someone else, wouldn't want my little friend to try and get closer with such a weirdo…_ " coughing on her hand, the pink-haired girl crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "Okay then, let me get my things and we will depart for Floor 55th in a moment."

"Wait, you're coming too?" blinked the boy in confusion.

"Well, duh, of course I am! They say that you supposedly need a high-level Blacksmith in your party to get the Ingot from the dragon, that's why no one has been able to get it yet!"

"Uhm, what about your shop? Is it alright for you to leave it alone for an entire day just to help someone who just like, barely knows you?"

"What are you talking about?! You were my SECOND client, remember? Therefore, it's only fitting that I help you with this!" grinning, the girl turned around to look at the NPC. "Hanna, I'm going away on a special work, close the shop for the day and get everything in order…oh! And if you-know-who comes back, tell her that she CAN'T get into my workshop. God knows we don't want a repeat of what happened the last time she let her pet in there."

"Hai, Lisbeth-sama." nodded the polite NPC before turning away and starting to put weapons inside shelves, making Kirito blink even as he followed the blacksmith out of the building.

"That was…a lot of quite specific orders for an NPC. Can that REALLY get them all?"

"Eh, probably, I have told her similar things several times when I have to go out get some emergency Ingots or something and nothing bad has ever happened."

Lisbeth purposefully avoided mentioning that the times THAT had coincided with the end of one of Silica's training sessions it usually ended with the poor girl and her pet stuck outside the shop until she got back.

If only that self-proclaimed kunoichi would STOP losing her keys…

"Well, then that's fine, I guess….so, Floor 55, right?"

"Yep, though I need to warm you, Hero, don't start complaining if this 'vacation adventure' it's too difficult for you." commented the girl while smirking.

* * *

 **Floor 55th, West Mountain. 16:30…**

"Brrr…co-cold…" muttered Liz while shaking, even as she and Kirito walked through the icy roads that lead towards the snow-covered mountain's top. "Wh-why did Kayaba Akihiko had to ma-make thi-things like this so freaking re-real whe-when he bothered to turn pain into a simple numbing se-sensation…?"

"You know…that's something I have been wondering for most of the game too." accepted the caped boy while crossing his arms and frowning.

"A-and how the hell are you pe-perfectly fine?! You're wearing a JUMPSUIT, for crying out loud!"

"…it covers every inch of my body?"

"Yo-you KNOW that that sho-shouldn't matter when it's so absurdly thi-thin!" stopping for a moment, the blacksmith allowed herself another deep shudder before cursing. "Da-dammit, I should ha-have been more…!"

"Here, grab this."

"Eh?" blinking in surprise, Liz suddenly found herself holding a big and warm-looking coat of fur, which made her look at Kirito in shock. "Wh-why do you carry thi-this if you ca-can't change your clothes…?"

"You never know WHEN you will need something that you normally can't use." answered the caped boy before shrugging and smiling. "You would be surprised if you knew half of what I carry on my inventory these days."

"…you DO know that that sounds kind of sinisterly ominous, right?"

"…maybe." conceded Kirito before turning around, even as a relieved Lisbeth put on the coat. "Now let's go, Lisbeth-san, with luck we can finish this before…"

"Liz." the sudden words of the blacksmith made the boy blink and turn around to look at her, looking at him with crossed arms. "If you want me to call you Kirito then stop with the 'Lisbeth-san'. My friends just call me Liz."

"Oh…we're already friends, then?" joked the boy with a teasing smile, making the girl blush.

"Yo-you wish, idiot!" shouted the blacksmith before stomping past the Hero. "I-It's just a sign of respect towards my second client, nothing more!"

"Okay, whatever you say, Liz…"

"Change that tone of yours or I'm NOT making that sword!"

Between bad half-jokes and bickering, the pair finally arrived to the top of the frozen mountain, where Lisbeth's face suddenly turned serious, a small bit of concern also showing on it.

"So, it's here?" asked Kirito with narrowed eyes, looking around the snowy area, the only 'remarkable' thing on it being the cave-like hole on its center.

"Yeah, the thing usually shows up around here…though it's weird that it's nowhere in sight…oh, shit." suddenly, the pink-haired girl facepalmed, repeatedly calling herself an idiot. "I totally forgot! It's too early, that thing never spawns until it's almost night!"

"Hmm…maybe it's because it's nocturnal?" wondered aloud the caped boy before reaching towards one of the massive pieces of ice that covered the area, easily breaking a piece from it, much to the blacksmith's surprise. "Okay, this will do…"

"Wait, what are you doing?" asked the surprised Lisbeth at seeing him walk closer to the strange hole-cave on the mountain.

"Well, if that thing is specifically nocturnal despite being big enough to be almost a Boss, as you say, then it's logical to think that Cardinal doesn't spawn it again every day, just makes it rest on a place where players can't normally access, so…" rearing back his hand, the boy THREW the piece of ice down the hole, which flew at bullet-like speeds out of the girl's sight. A second later, an earth-shattering roar echoed and made Lisbeth squeak and take a step back. "Yes, I knew it! The thing was just sleeping down the…!"

And that was as far as the boy went before the massive monster known as 'X'rphan the White Wyrm' flew out of the vertical cave like a bullet, catching him on his jaws and throwing him through the air like a ragdoll, his cape flapping wildly as he fell DOWN the mountain's side.

"KI-KIRITOOOO!"

A frozen, terrified and shocked Lisbeth suddenly found herself being stared down by a massive white dragon covered by scale-like shards of ice, his red eyes fixed on her as the teeth-filled jaws of the monster filled with an icy mist.

"O…oh shit." muttered the girl while tightly gripping her mace, the feeling of horror at the 'death' of the boy combining with the realization that she was about to join him. Unless…"…fuck."

Releasing another roar, the ice dragon unleashed a massive breath-attack, countless icicles shooting at the pink-haired girl like bullets from a machinegun.

She, for her part…just raised her right arm to the side, letting go of her mace as she closed her fist in a strangely specific way.

Suddenly, there was a 'flash', similar to the one caused by a Sword Skill, and Lisbeth's right arm had been 'changed', for lack of a better world.

The sleeve of her maid-like dress had vanished and now seemed as if it had been torn down right at the shoulder…to reveal her dark-silver 'arm'.

It was something 'strange' to see. At first look, one would think that the girl's arm, from the shoulder to the tip of her fingers, had been covered in some sort of tight armor, filled with strange marks and symbols. Yet, one just needed to look at it closely to notice that something was 'wrong' about it. The movements of the joints and the fingers were 'too fluid'; not experiencing any of the problems that anyone in SAO knew came with wearing full body armor, especially if you didn't have the necessary strength. And the entire arm, despite its clearly metallic texture, was warm to the touch.

The pink-haired girl knew, too, that if she were to look at her body without any clothes on it when it was 'activated' she would see that there was no 'armor', for her virtual skin and the metal fuse seamlessly right on the shoulder joint.

"Awaken, God Hand." whispered Liz with a clear distaste on her voice before rolling to the side, barely evading the worst of the breath-attack. Even so, the damage was clear and she saw how 20% of her HP disappeared from it.

A part of her couldn't help but feel grateful towards Silica at that, because if the girl didn't constantly insist in dragged her to one out of two of her 'training sessions', that would have probably left her on death's door.

Even so, the situation still seemed hopeless. X'rphan was already closing his jaws and opening his wings, taking flight and readying his mighty claws to crush the small player with vicious…

Lisbeth once again moved her now metallic arm, closing some of her fingers in an exact way and making a certain specific movement with it.

The familiar shone of a Sword Skill being activated covered it, despite she being weaponless and in no attack stance like one would adopt for Martial Arts.

And her FEET started to glow too, a pale azure compared to the silver of her arm.

"Hermes Wings!" roared the young blacksmith before MOVING.

The dragon's claws closed around nothing, much to its 'confusion'. Snow was being thrown in all directions as the girl 'sprinted' through the mountain's top like a living bullet, moving faster than any human should be able to, almost reaching the speed of a motorized vehicle.

With a single and fluid motion, she recovered her mace and started to run around the once again roaring dragon, the red eyes of X'rphan trying to follow her every move even as she grimaced at the countdown on the side of her vision. Just 25 seconds remaining before her 'divine speed' returned to that of a 'simple blacksmith player', but she would have to make do. If she kept running around it like this then she should be able to confuse the monster enough for her to race to the path leading down…

Lisbeth 'felt it' more than hearing or seeing it. Her awareness also had been heightened from the 'blessing' it seemed. Her head whipped to the side in time to see the dragon high on the air and starting to flap his wings with unreal strength and speed, creating a veritable gale on the area, which was unleashed directly against her. Her surroundings quickly became engulfed by a brutal snowstorm.

Fear gripping her being, the pink-haired girl shot to one side, half jumping and half rolling, hoping to get away from the worst of the area-wide attack…and she suddenly felt the ground vanish under from her, replaced by a seemingly endless abyss.

Her brain was barely able to realize that, unaware of her surroundings because of almost never using the speed of Hermes Wings, she had accidentally ran too close, and ended up falling in, the cave-hole that was the monster's nest.

Then, she started to scream as she fell down into the abyss.

"LIIIIIIZ!"

Something similar to a sonic boom echoed into the background. Lisbeth could have sworn that she managed to see 'something', like a blur of black color shooting up from the side of the mountain and into the top even as X'rphan turned around in shock, before she lost sight of the outside and she could only see the each moment further away ceiling of the cave. Turning around in mid-air, she could see the bottom coming closer each second.

There was no way she would survive the crash. Unless…

Not stopping to think about the consequences, and vaguely aware of the sound of someone shouting her name from high above, Liz once again moved her right arm, this time not bothering on letting go of her mace as she extended it to one side and flexed her elbow to the front of her body, which in this case was the bottom of the cave.

Once again, the arm shone in bright silver, and the rest of her body was enveloped in the 'Skill Shine', this time of a soft-black color.

"Hades Armor!"

The Skill's light faded…and Liz crashed face-first to the ground.

"NO!"

Something else crashed at her side a second later, Kirito's horrified face emerging from the cloud of snow that had been raised from both their crashes, the boy rushing at the girl's side and holding her body with one hand even as the other shot for his menu, despite knowing it wouldn't be enough.

She was probably a second or two away from dying and it was his entire fault for…!

"…well, I will be dammed. All those rumors about you ARE true." freezing, Kirito's eyes shot back to the pink-haired girl, who was looking at him with a mix of a grin and a wince. "Though you could have been a BIT faster, you know?"

"Wha…?!" shocked, the caped boy's eyes shot to the edge of his vision, where the girl's HP was displayed (Since they had formed a Party for this mission)…and seeing how she still had HALF of it. "Ho-how…?"

"I'm pretty tough." simply answered Lisbeth before standing up, letting the gamer finally notice her metallic arm, making her grimace at his surprised expression. "I…can explain that."

Said explanation, however, had to be delayed upon the crashing of X'rphan's mighty and roaring form, looking down at them with all the hate that the AI of the dragon could muster.

"The hell?!"

"Oh yeah…I was too worried about you, so I forgot about it." softly muttered Kirito even as the creature's head snapped down at them, Lisbeth readying her mace for…"One sec."

That said, Kirito turned around and PUNCHED at the descending jaws of the dragon.

X'rphan's head exploded into polygons even as its body was thrown back against the cave's wall. It too vanished a second later, the dragon's mighty form crumbling into virtual dust.

The blacksmith STARED, open-mouthed for an instant before once again sighing and standing up, dusting the snow off herself.

"Yeah…still absurdly unbelievable even if I see it with my own eyes. Huh, but I guess I will have to apologize with my friend for doubting about you…"

"Hey, Liz…about the arm…?"

"Oh…that. Well, you see…"

The girl's explanation was sadly interrupted once again as the entire cave started to shake, making both the players' eyes to widen.

"What the fu…?!"

"GET DOWN!" shouted the black-haired boy while tackling the squeaking Liz to the ground, making she see with wide eyes how the upper part of the cave COLLAPSED over itself.

Her scream was muffled as the boy's body covered hers fully and everywhere around them echoed with the sound of massive rocks falling.

What seemed like an eternity later, but in truth had only been some seconds, Lisbeth opened her eyes to look at the concerned face of Kirito, barely a couple of inches from hers.

"Are you okay?"

"A-ah!" shouted the girl while rolling out from under him, her face burning red as she crashed against a rock and stood up. "Ye-yes, perfectly fi-fine, thanks for worrying!"

"Good to know…but…" the boy grimaced while looking up, prompting Lisbeth to do the same and feel her stomach drop.

Countless rocks totally blocked the 'exit' from the cavern, the only light still in it coming from small cracks through them.

"Oh God…what are we going to…?" the blacksmith's words were interrupted by the sudden sight of Kirito jumping and PUNCHING against the rocks over them, frowning and falling back down when all that happened was that the cave SHOOK and a window of 'Immortal Object' appeared over the rocks.

"Figures it wouldn't be that easy…dammit." turning to look at the shocked Liz, the caped boy sheepishly scratched his head. "I don't suppose your Teleport Crystals work, right?"

"A-ah…?" shaking her head out of the shock, the pink-haired girl quickly proceeded to check that out, only to be disappointed. "Fuck, no, it must be one of those Anti-Crystal Areas…what now?"

"Well, first I would like to know more about that arm of yours. As for the other thing…I think THAT may be a clue." commented the boy while pointing behind Lisbeth, who quickly turned around to see that the only part of the wall they still had access to had suddenly become cracked, revealing some sort of passage behind the thin ice.

"An exit! Thanks heaven that we…!"

"Liz." interrupted Kirito while crossing his arms, making her stop cheering. "The arm."

"Oh…" looking to the side, the pink-haired girl's good mood suddenly seemed to evaporate, something that the caped boy quickly noticed. "It's a…Skill. It's called 'God Hand', and my arm looks like that to indicate its 'activated' mode."

"Activated…?"

"Yeah, well, unlike most Skills out there, the 'stances' needed to activate the ones from its Tree are fairly simple and things that one may do unconsciously on everyday life, so it needs to be 'Activated' first before you can use them…at least that's what I think, I don't really know for sure." walking forward, the girl closed her fist in a very specific way and let the 'God Hand' vanish, her arm and dress-sleeve returning to normal. "Can we please drop it? I…don't like talking about it."

"Wait, what? Why?" questioned the gamer while following after her, stopping just behind the girl when she swung her mace against the ice wall and shattered it. "That's a Unique Skill, right? I know that by now almost EVERYONE in Aincrad should know what those are, especially someone who makes weapons for Front Liners from time to time! That's how you survived the fall, right? Why didn't you tell me you could…?"

"Because I DON'T like it, okay?!" Lisbeth's sudden shout froze the boy on his tracks even as she turned to glare at him, bitterness reflecting on her eyes. "I HATE this Skill, what it does and I wish I would have never gotten it! In fact, if it hadn't been to save my life, I WOULDN'T have used it!" that said, the girl stomped down the newest tunnel, leaving the now silent boy behind.

Some seconds later, he slowly followed after her.

* * *

"…"

"…hey, Liz, sorry about before, okay?"

"…"

"I-I mean, I guess you MUST have your reasons to don't like your Unique Skill, I didn't mean to make you this upset…can you please forgive me?"

"…Kirito, to tell you the truth, I forgave you, like, an hour ago."

"Oh…then why are you still so silent?"

"Because I'm starting to get freaking CLAUSTROPHOBIC in this damn tunnel and your talking is the only thing preventing me from going insane!" finally accepted the girl while turning around to look at the boy with panicked eyes. "What the hell is up with this place?! We have been walking for hours and we STILL haven't found the exit! And if it wasn't for these glowing rocks on the walls we would be in absolute darkness!" looking forward once again at the seemingly endless tunnel, the girl couldn't help but tremble a bit. "Wha-what if that cave falling down was an error in the game or something and we're not trapped here fore…?!"

"Liz, calm down!" putting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him, Kirito got the girl's attention pretty quickly. "We're NOT trapped, okay? Just a bit lost. I know for sure that the game CAN'T let us trapped like this without reason, so trust me about that, okay?" getting a shaky nod as answer, the gamer smiled softly before standing. "Now wait here for a moment, okay? I will run ahead to see how far we're from the…"

"NO!" forgetting any sense of dignity thanks to the fear, the blacksmith quickly grabbed the boy's jumpsuit with a vice-like grip. "Do-don't let me here all alone in the near-darkness, ple-please, anything but that!" taking a deep breath, Lisbeth tried to look as calm as possible when asking the next. "Yo-you have some sort of super speed stuff, right? Ca-can't you take me with you?"

"Ah…eh, well, I CAN do it, but…" looking awkwardly to the side, Kirito once again scratched his head. "I-I would have to be holding you…is that okay?"

It wasn't that he cared about such things when he was saving people, but lately Argo had been so 'considerate' to point out how he more often than not ran into a situation when he would end up sweeping someone from their feet and running away with them on his arms, and that usually said 'someone' was a girl, and that he had started to take for granted that someone wouldn't mind if he grabbed them outside a dangerous situation just to make a trip or something easier. She had also pointed how 'some people' may take the 'coincidences' as sexual harassment, and that he should think about actually ASKING before carrying someone on his arms just for the sake of transportation.

She had also been refusing to directly meet his gaze, but still sent small glances at him, while saying that, though he had no idea of why. She had also suddenly asked if he could go with her to run some errands on the lower Floors before Asuna had shown up from nowhere and said that she would accompany her because she needed to search for a better sword. It was while his 'disciple' dragged the whiskered girl away, as they seemed to argue about 'something', that he had had the idea that had led him to his current situation and…

While the black-haired boy was lost on his memories, Lisbeth was too busy trying to not let her face spontaneously combust from the sudden blush covering it.

Ye-yes, she needed to stay strong! So, what if she had never had a boyfriend before and as such hadn't ever had any similar to 'close contact' with a boy?! Thi-this had nothing to do with that, this was all for the sake of getting out of that frozen underground passage faster, yeah, that was all!

Nodding to herself and ignoring the drum-like beating of her virtual heart (?), he blacksmith looked at the boy and spoke with absolute confidence on her voice…

"O-of course I ha-have no problem wi-with it! C'mon, w-we need to ge-get out here fa-fast!"

…or so she told herself.

"Oh, okay then, if you're sure…" after getting a final shaky nod of confirmation, Kirito quickly MOVED and the blinking pink-haired girl suddenly found herself off the ground, in the boy's arms. "Hold tight, this may be a bit shaky.

 _"Bri-bridal style?!"_ mentally shouted Lisbeth as she felt her brain was about be fried by a very different reason than her Nerve Gear. "Wa-wait, I didn't know…!"

Whatever else the girl was going to say vanished in favor of a loud scream as the caped boy suddenly SHOT down the hallway like a shooting star.

Gripping at him for dear life, Lisbeth was both terrified and amazed as she saw frozen walls and ceiling past around them in mere seconds. Certainly, she could reach some unreal speeds with her 'Hermes Wings' Skill, but she was nowhere near this fast. Besides, the few times she had been forced to use it the experience had been marred by her dislike of her Skill.

Now, though, being carried and safely secured in the deceptively warm arms of the 'Superhero' Silica had told her so much about, her cheek pressed against his firm chest…the feeling of super velocity was extremely cool.

She had just stopped screaming from fear and was now doing it from joy when Kirito suddenly stopped, Lisbeth blinking in a mix of confusion and surprise before noticing how they had exited the tunnel and were now in an open underground area, the cold floor seeming to reflect the pale rays of light that came from an absurdly big 'shining crystal' on the cave's ceiling. The only other noticeable thing about the room was the imposingly big door on the opposite sight, with some sort of inscription at its top.

Even as the caped boy let her down, she couldn't help but notice how beautiful the place was.

"That door…it is some sort of Boss?"

"Hmm, maybe…" muttered Kirito before walking towards it, his eyes squinting as he tried to read the inscription. "Let's see… 'Those who have beaten the Guardian Beast inside its own Nest have been allowed inside my frozen domains. Step forward if you're brave enough, and face the wrath of the Dragon King. The Legendary Metal shall be yours in Victory, but you shall only find Death in Defeat.'…well, look at that." uttered the boy while putting a hand on his cheek. "It seems we activated some secret event when I killed that dragon inside his cave…Argo surely will be ecstatic to know about this…"

"Wait, what was that about a legendary metal?" her interest piqued, the pink-haired girl walked to the boy's side to stare at the door. "Do you think that it's maybe something even more valuable than what the dragon back there was supposed to give?! We may be, like, the first players in Aincrad to know about this!"

"Heh, yeah, I think you may be….Uaaaahhh…" the sudden interruption made Liz blink, turning to the side to see the boy loudly yawning even as he tried to cover his mouth with one of his gloved hands. "…uhh…sorry, I haven't sleep since yesterday, and after all the emotions of the day I'm kind of tired…"

"Now that you mention it, I'm feeling really tired too…and it's pretty late." giving a worried look at her menu's clock and praying that Silica still hadn't returned home, the blacksmith couldn't help but release a tired sigh. "I would suggest for us to rest and try to do this thing in the morning, but I think it's going to be difficult to sleep on the cold flo…"

"Do you mind using a sleeping bag?" questioned the boy even as Lisbeth turned to look his way once again, seeing him materialize a couple of said items from his menu.

"…do I want to know WHY you carry those on you?"

"What part of 'never know when you need it' didn't you get?" smiled the boy with innocence, making the pink-haired girl grin.

Five minutes later, both of them were lying inside the sleeping bags, very close one of the other (To keep as much warm as possible, as Liz had said), even as they stared silently at the ceiling, the massive crystal that generated the artificial light casting an otherworldly glow over them.

In the suddenly peaceful silence, however, Kirito didn't expect to hear a soft voice muttering something.

"It's a Self-Enhancement Skill."

"Uh…what?" blinked the gamer in confusion while looking at her.

"That's the concept it's based around. God Hand, I mean. You know, how many old games let you do stuff or spells that grant you boosts of attack, defense and such, and how SAO has some rare potions that let you do the same?" getting a nod from the boy, the pink-haired girl silently looked directly towards him. "Well, my…'Unique Skill', as you call it, does just that. But to the absolute extreme." looking to the side, the blacksmith's eyes seemed to gain a sad tone in them. "God Hand's Skills allows me to DOUBLE the total amount of my stats, once. With no level limit, apparently."

"Wha…?!" eyes wide and open-mouthed, the Kirito almost jumped out of his sleeping bag at the implications. "But that's…holy hell, that's broken!"

"It kind of is, right? Of course, it's not as simple as it seems. There ARE limitations, and pretty severe ones at that. Take for example Hermes Wings, the first of its Skill Tree and the one I used to try and escape from that ice-lizard back there. It doubles my Speed for 30 seconds, but after that I can't use it for 1 hour and I get a 20% reduction of my normal Speed for 10 minutes. Hades Armor, the one that saved me from becoming a smear on the cave's ground after falling, doubles my Defense for 30 seconds, but it needs 4 hours before it can be used again and I get a 50% reduction of my DEF for half an hour." silently, Lisbeth raised her left arm in front of herself, looking at it in silence. "Any of the 'boosts' only last 30 seconds, but the reutilization time and the 'penalty' becomes bigger the higher in the Skill Tree they are. Ares Sword makes me twice as strong and turns my Mace Skills into basically a rain of annihilation, but it takes 10 freaking hours to recharge and I get stuck with a 75% reduction of strength for 45 minutes. And they don't 'stack', if you use one you immediately lose the benefits of the last one, even if the 30 seconds aren't up." she closed her fist, as if a part of her was wishing to summon the metallic arm that symbolized her unwanted power. "…it's strange, though, don't you think? I thought this game wasn't supposed to have magic…"

"It's not magic…" softly muttered the black-haired boy, getting the girl's attention while he still seemed lost thinking about how her Skill worked. "It's a very powerful self-enhancement, yes, but it's still something that can be considered a 'Skill'. Some of the ones in SAO, and the Unique Skills in special, get pretty close that that limit, but still aren't."

His words were technically true, of course. After all, the Extra Skill known as 'Meditation' wasn't magic, but it still seemed to get a bit too close to breaking SAO's suspension of disbelief to consider that it was 'normal' to be able to quickly recover your HP by just entering into a Buddhist-like sitting position. Then, there was Vorpal Strike, which effectively weaponized the 'aura' of a Sword Skill to inflict damage beyond its range. Still not 'magic' by the game's standards, but also absolutely unreal compared to the real world.

The Unique Skills, obviously, were in a completely different level. Sachi's Infinite Spear made Vorpal Strike's concept seem childish in comparison; and, despite being the most 'normal' ones of the bunch, Kirito still would swear that anyone that had seen Asuna or Philia using Dual Blades or Battoujutsu would be truly tempted to call those 'sword magic'.

Then, there were Strea's Darkness Blade and Heathcliff's Holy Sword. Fucking Sword Art Online still declared there was no magic involved, but that didn't stop one from using some sort of unholy 'darkness' to inflict deadly effects on their enemies while the other summoned a 'divine light' to do anything from blinding to cutting any foe on its way.

So, yeah, he was willing to believe that the incredibly broken self-enhancement Skill wasn't 'magic', especially with those limitations, which would normally seem severe, but he, as a Beta Tester, could still notice they maybe weren't 'enough' for such an amazing ability.

Brushing aside the Stat Points one could assign with every new level, Lisbeth's God Hand essentially let her have the stats she wished from a character almost twice her level. Even if the girl was just at level 70 or so, the current one of most Mid-Liners, she would still be able to hold the power of a player of at least level 130 for 30 seconds, which may sound like little, but in SAO any couple of seconds could be the difference between life and death. If she wanted, the pink-haired girl could easily become a very powerful Front Liner as long as she had a group in the Front Lines to support her.

So then, why…?

"You're wondering again why do I hate it, aren't you?" whispered the blacksmith as if reading his thoughts, making Kirito look at her with surprise. "It's all over your face, Hero…" turning her gaze towards the luminous crystal once again, Liz let her mouth form into a thin line. "It…it may sound kind of silly to you, the awesome guy with the power of shattering Bosses with one punch, but…I hate it because of my pride as a blacksmith."

"Your…pride?" repeated the boy with utter confusion, clearly lost.

"It's about another of its Skills, the second one, Hephaestus Hammer. Takes 2 hours before I can use it again after activation…and it's the only Skill whose duration isn't limited to 30 seconds, but to one 'use'." her voice seemed to falter for a moment before she kept going. "It…doubles the value of my current Mastery over all and any non-combative Skills."

Once again, the gamer found himself surprised at the shocking implications of that. In SAO, the maxim 'Mastery' level for any Skill was 1000, from the most 'useless' ones like Cooking to even the Unique Skills themselves. If what Lisbeth said was truth, then that meant that just by mastering one halfway to 500, she only needed to activate the her Skill to get a perfect Mastery over it for one use, which was really useful even if restrictive to Non-Combative ones only: One could easily create a high-level item with things like Tailoring, and if the Skill wasn't restricted by 'limits' like the others were, then that meant that one could essentially have a Mastery of above 1000 and create even more amazing items with Skills like Black…

"Oh." exclaimed the boy while his thoughts came to a screeching halt, as if suddenly realizing something.

"Have you realized it?" asked Lisbeth while sighing sadly. "Yes, it's as you think. From the very beginning, I have been painstakingly leveling up my blacksmithing abilities. It may not have meant much if this was a 'normal' videogame, you can't really complain of getting an advantage on something you play on a screen…but here, where not only are we trapped fighting for our lives, but I also had to swing my hammer down countless times for it, putting my best to get better slowly but surely? Suddenly getting something that made it all seem…'meaningless', that made my effort seem like nothing and that let me create a weapon more amazing than I could have ever hoped for without even trying…it enraged me. It made me feel very sad and outraged at the same time. I think even the name made me a bit paranoid, you know? 'God Hand'." closing her eyes again, Lisbeth released a mirthless chuckle. "Fitting, because its Skills seem like 'blessings' of the Gods…what a load of bullshit!" suddenly shouted the girl while slamming her fist on the cold floor.

"Liz…"

"I didn't ASK for this! I never wanted to have 'the right arm of God' or anything like that!" growled the blacksmith while starting to repeatedly slam down her arm, not caring for the cold or the numbing non-pain. "What good is all of this 'cheap' power if I can only see it as an insult to my and other's effort?! I don't need any stupid help to prove my worth, dammit! I can be a great blacksmith by my own merits, I don't…!"

An arm clad in white and black suddenly shot out, catching hers before it could slam down once again. Shocked, the girl's eyes shot to the side, only to be met by…understanding.

"I know." Kirito simply said, as if that was enough to explain what he meant. "I know."

Lisbeth's form slumped after the words were repeated, even as she kept staring at the boy.

He did know. The pink-haired girl could see it on his eyes. He understood how she felt.

And the gamer truly did. He could still remember, how he almost lost it when he first realized about his 'powers' and how they worked, how similar they were to those of Saitama. He had felt so utterly lost and confused that he had started to act like the fictional character just to not go insane.

"Ki…Kirito…"

"I never asked for this power of mine either. I didn't want it in the first place, but when this madness started, when SAO became a Death Game, I found myself with it and without any way to give it back. I…was overwhelmed by it, at first. I never intended to become…this." muttered the black-haired boy while looking down. "Someone that almost everyone worships as a freaking Hero and a few despise as a cheater who believes himself better than anyone. I was just…a boy who wanted to play a videogame. And now, there are times I feel…so tired…times when I sometimes forget who I was before all this…"

He was happy, with his friends. Fighting at their side, laughing with them, supporting each other…but they also knew him by who he was NOW. They had also built their image of him based upon the guy who couldn't be harmed, who could crush all kind of giant beasts and monsters with just one punch, who didn't fear anything.

It wasn't their fault, of course. It was mostly his, the 'mask' he had constructed around himself hadn't become so REAL that sometimes he himself had a hard time remembering his normal life, how things had been before SAO. Before becoming the 'One Punch-Gamer'.

The only moments when he allowed himself to drop his 'mask' were when he was alone on his bed at night, thinking about his parents, about Sugu, and how much he missed them, her…

He didn't want to forget how to be 'Kazuto'. But it was very hard when here, in this world, everyone needed 'Kirito'.

Where was the line, in the end, that differentiated Virtual from Real?

"…but you still used it. You still decided to become the 'Hero' of this world, even when you say you didn't want to…" sincere confusion shone in the girl's eyes as she looked at him. "Why?"

"Because…I had to." he simply answered, closing his eyes and remembering the moment he 'exposed' himself, back in the battle against the 1st Floor Boss. To save Diavel's life from Illfang. "Because when someone needed a Hero, there wasn't anyone else with the 'power' to do so except me." opening his eyes once again, the black-haired boy looked directly at Lisbeth's. "A great man once said _'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'_ I'm just…following that teaching. Because I think it's the right thing to do." chuckling, Kirito softly squeeze the blacksmith's hand a bit tighter. "At the end of the day, I guess I'm just a Gamer playing Hero for fun."

"That…" Liz seemed unable to muster any coherent response to the boy's revelation. "…that…that was very…Heroic of you."

Silence stretched between both teens.

Then, the black-haired boy slowly smiled, making the girl's heart skip a beat.

"Heh…thanks." whispered Kirito as he closed his eyes. "I think you're the first one to tell me that…after accepting how normal I really am…"

The boy was sleeping barely a minute later.

Even as she also closed her eyes, Lisbeth could only think of how warm his hand felt against hers.

And as she fell asleep too, the girl idly realized that she wasn't feeling the imaginary 'throb' of her right arm anymore.

* * *

 **June 7th, 10:30…**

"Ready for this, Liz?" asked the caped boy once they had woken up and readied themselves, the pair now standing before the imposing door.

"…yeah, I am." replied the blacksmith with a soft grin, mace at the ready for anything. "Let's do this and get out of here already."

"Then let's do it." nodded the boy before touching the massive gate, the doors slowly opening with an ominous sound. "Stay behind me, I'm going to finish this quickly and…"

The gamer's words were cut short when a roar that seemed to shake the entire underground cave EXPLODED from within the new room, making Lisbeth to jump in surprise while Kirito's eyes widened.

The new area was massive, with a ceiling that was barely visible and walls that seemed to be too far away from where the two currently stood. More than two dozen dragon statues as big as X'rphan had been surrounded the area, and in the center one twice as big as the ice dragon had been stood.

Only that the 'statue' was suddenly moving, looking down towards them.

Scales of a dark emerald shone under the actual sunlight that came from somewhere above them, even as the beast woke from its slumber. Golden eyes shone on the icy cavern as it opened its mouth, roaring once again. Three horns rested over its head, and countless of deadly-looking silver spikes seemed to grow around the tip of its tail. Four giant wings unfurled from its back, even as 3 HP Bars and a name were finally revealed.

'Fafnir the Dragon King'.

"Woah…that thing looks very tough." idly commented the pink-haired girl as the imposing beast took flight, shooting high into the air of the chamber.

"Maybe, but not for much…." Kirito hadn't even finished saying the words when Fafnir ROARED for the third time and, suddenly, the statues around them started to fill with cracks. "…wait, are you kidding…?"

With a cacophony of beastly screams, the devastating battalion of 'Fafnir's Spawns' came to life, turning their heads towards the two players as a gaping Liz was suddenly hauled off her feet once again by the caped boy, barely evading being crushed by one of the Adds.

"What the fucking hell?!" shouted the blacksmith while once again clinging at the boy for dear life. "Isn't this a bit overkill for a Sub-Boss?!"

"It may be an Event Boss!" informed the black-haired as he spun through the air and evaded the jumping forms of the smaller dragons, which thankfully seemed unable to fly. "Also, I'm pretty sure this fight was meant to be taken by a group of high-level players, not by just two who accidentally fell back there!"

It made sense, on hindsight. After all, like with the Christmas Boss that Sachi was faced, there was a high probability that the secret for this one was meant to be told by an NPC, and given that only players of levels around the Frontline would be able to normally survive a fall from the absurd height of X'rphan's cave without dying AND also killing the Named Mob on its own nest, this was probably some sort of super-secret and highly dangerous Event.

Luckily, he only needed to keep Liz safe until he could…

"SHIT! FIRE!"

"What?!" shouted the boy, his eyes shooting up in time to see Fafnir unleashing a torrent of emerald flames upon them. Also, his dragon minions all seemed ready to eat them if they tried to descend. "Fuck! Liz, resist, okay?! I will be with you in a sec!"

"Wait, what do you me…?!"

And then, the blacksmith found herself screaming once again as the boy let her go when he was about to land, her body rolling through the ground as the Spawns of Fafnir jumped and crashed against the point where the boy had shot to, only for the breath-attack of their King to cover them all in the next instant.

Not even bothering to look back, but remembering to berate Kirito for that later, the pink-haired girl ran while ignoring the sounds of dragons flying around and crashing against walls. She just needed to keep running until the caped boy finished…

The ground around her shook when Fafnir crashed in front of her, growling as it stood and roared at the frozen blacksmith.

Time seemed to stop as she looked at the Event Boss about to kill her. She had no way of outrunning the flying beast now that its attention was centered on her. But…

Her ring hand trembled. A torrent of confusing emotions exploded inside of her…until the image of Kirito's soft smile as he held his hand appeared once again.

She took her decision.

Fafnir's jaws started to fill with emerald fire as Lisbeth let go of her mace and closed her fist, spinning around to grab it once again before it fell down.

God Hand seemed to shine with an inner light as it materialized again, as if feeling the change on its master. Not wasting a second, the blacksmith GLARED at the Even Boss as she crossed her arms in front of her, forming an X pattern.

"I'm NOT dying here…and I'm DONE running away!" shouted the pink-haired girl even as the dragon unleashed her breath attack. "ZEUS BLESSING!"

God Hand shone alive even as yellow-golden aura exploded around Lisbeth's body.

Fafnir's emerald fire engulfed her a second later…and she shot out of them, like an arrow shot from a bow as the earth shook from her jump, the mace on her hand shining with a contained Skill.

If anyone could have seen her HP, they would seem that she only had lost 20% of it from that attack.

"EAT THIS, OVERGROWN LIZARD! VARIABLE BLOW!"

The 8-Hit Mace Skill crashed brutally against the Dragon King's head and its first HP bar almost seemed to be cut down with each blow until it reached nothingness. Not wasting an instant to even breathe, the pink-haired girl ran the moment she landed and unleashed a 'Mjolnir Hammer' Skill against the Boss' exposed belly, seeming more like a living hurricane than a player.

This was the power of God Hand's Ultimate Skill, Zeus Blessing. The arguably most dangerous to use of all the Skills in Sword Art Online.

Once activated, ALL of Lisbeth's Stats doubled for 30 seconds, and all recovery time from her combat-Skills was reduced to 0,5 seconds. In essence, she almost literally doubled her level without effort…at a deadly cost.

First, Zeus Blessing needed a brutal total of 24 Hours before it could be used again, making it literally impossible to use again on the same fight. And second…it inflicted a 99% penalty on ALL of the Player's Stats for ONE HOUR the moment it vanished.

This was a Skill that should only be used as a last resort or as a triumph card, because once its effects faded the Player essentially became almost level 1 again, which in the middle of a battle on a higher Floor was equivalent to suicide.

Such was the price a mortal had to pay for wielding the Power of God…or at least that was the 'explanation' Lisbeth had thought of the first time she read what it did. She had never actually used it, until this moment.

And yet, despite how she felt her fear and terror growing as the countdown on the edge of her vision reached 10, she couldn't help but also feel an exciting exhilaration as she saw her hammer crash against one of Fafnir's wings and seeing his second HP Bar emptying.

The disgust and self-loathing she had always felt when using the God Hand was…not gone, but more like 'muted'. Put on a second plane and almost forgotten, in favor of something else, something more important.

She wanted to survive. She wanted to get out of that damn cold cavern. She wanted to get that supposed 'legendary metal' and try making a weapon with it.

But, above all else, she …

 _"I know."_

 _"A great man once said_ 'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?' _I'm just…following that teaching. Because I think it's the right thing to do."_

 _"I think you're the first one to tell me that…after accepting how normal I really am…"_

"DIE ALREADY, DAMMIT!" shouted the blacksmith as she slammed her hammer against one of the monster's wings once again, stopping it from taking flight in the last instant. Her countdown was down to 5 seconds, but she suddenly didn't feel scared anymore.

Four seconds were left as she dodged a direct attack of Fafnir's jaws even as two of the dragon Adds crashed near them, exploding into polygons.

Three seconds were left as she answered by hitting the head with a 'Trinity Arts' Mace Skill.

Two seconds were left and the wings of the Even Boss seemed to shine, probably ready to release a brutal Special Attack now that his last HP Bar was on the yellow.

One second was left and Liz knew she wouldn't be able to counterattack in time, her breath coming out of her in ragged gasps because of how unused she was to actually moving and fighting in that extreme way.

Yet, she felt no fear, not even when she felt the 'divine' power left her and be replaced by a crippling weakness or when she saw the deadly emerald light gathering on Fafnir's mouth…

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

…because she knew there was a selfless boy playing Hero for others' sake in there.

The Dragon King never got to unleash his special attack, for his body EXPLODED into virtual-gore as it was shattered in all directions by a rain of punches that seemed to ignore the HP it had left. In the middle of the raining polygons, a worried-looking boy with a cape lowered his arms and looked towards the panting girl with her HP on the yellow, who was looking at him with a small grin even as the 'CONGRATULATIONS!' message appeared over them.

Lisbeth wobbled on her feet for an instant before Kirito was at her side again, holding her on his arms for the third time in two days. She weakly blushed while offering him a teasing grin.

"You know, if you keep doing this, I'm going to start thinking you LIKE holding me like this."

"A-ah, so-sorry!" apologized the gamer with a red face, not looking at her but not letting go either. "I-it just looked like you needed help, and those damn things already delayed me enough by jumping around…but I'm glad you're okay, Liz." finally looking back at her, the black-haired boy gave her a grin on his own. "Also, that was FUCKING AMAZING. Some kind of Ultimate Skill?"

"Yep, exactly that, Hero…and that reminds me…" absentmindedly dismissing the window congratulating them for their victory, the blacksmith's smile just widened at seeing the new object in her inventory.

Orichalcum Ingot.

"Did you get it?"

"WE got it, you mean. And yes, here it is." happily informed Lisbeth before letting her body relax. "Now…would you mind helping me back to my shop? I'm going to be kind of useless for an hour because of using that Skill."

"Yeah, no problem." nodded Kirito while starting to move towards the suddenly opened staircase at the other end of the room, not noticing any ulterior motive on the girl's request. "Also…I think I should stop taking vacations."

The blacksmith's laughter echoed loudly inside the empty cave.

* * *

Later, at the back of Lisbeth's Smith Shop, the boy clad in white and black looked on with interest as his newest friend finished all the preparations needed to forge a new weapon.

Then, she seemed to hesitate for an instant before turning and looking at Kirito, as if searching for something.

The boy could only blink in confusion at that, even more so when she only seemed to grin in answer.

"You wanted a sword that was better than any other, right?" at his hesitant nod, Lisbeth simply extended her right arm to the side. "Then let's give your friend something unique."

The caped boy's eyes widened in surprise and shock at seeing the metallic form of God Hand materializing around the blacksmith's arm.

"Liz, wait, you don't need…!"

"But I WANT to." the girl cut him off, with a determined gleam on her eyes. "You…what you told me…it made me think. About a lot of things. Not only this 'power' of mine, but also about how everyone else here in Aincrad is doing…and about my family. I hadn't even realized that I was trying to not think about them…but I miss them, a lot." closing her eyes, Liz let a smile blossom on her face once again. "And I realized that doing my best to help everyone get out of here, to help myself see them again sooner, is much more important than any dislike I may have towards this. So, that's why…Hephaestus Hammer!"

With a mix of surprise and fascination, Kirito saw how the pink-haired girl's other arm also shone with a similar silver light to that of his normal God Hand, before she hardened her gaze and started the forging process.

The gamer could swear there was some sort of strangely familiar 'fire' on her eyes as she started hammering down the Orichalcum Ingot, and he couldn't help but imagine there was an imposing aura around her as she did, as if the Blacksmithing God the Skill she had used was named after was truly lending her his powers.

It was something that should be silly and stupid to think for any rational person…but then again, he was the one with the power to shatter giant monsters with just one punch.

Who could say for sure what mysteries existed in the virtual world…?

A couple of instants later, it was done. Before the boy's awed eyes, the ingot received one last strike from the hammer before shining and morphing, leaving only a glorious emerald sword with a dragon-like motif on the handle and guard.

"Woah…" was all that the shocked Hero could say, knowing that, despite all the things he could do, creating something so beautiful would always be out of his reach.

"Uh…'Fafnir's Fang', eh? Fitting, I guess, seeing how many problems that thing caused us." idly commented Lisbeth while her God Hand vanished and she grabbed the blade, giving it an appraising look before actually opening the screen with its data. "…well, I will be dammed. I have never seen anything as amazing as this…" turning around, the blacksmith gave the black-haired boy an undecipherable look before presenting the sword to him, who grabbed it with firm hands, looking it over with awe and respect. "…I think that, this time, I can say without any regrets that this is my best work."

"…yes. You really can, and I can attest to that." replied the gamer before nodding at her with utmost respect, letting a soft grin appear on his face. "Thanks for everything, Liz."

"I-it was nothing, re-really, ahahah…!" awkwardly laughed the girl while suddenly feeling very self-conscious, confusing the caped boy. "A-and Kirito? I'm sure that…everyone will understand both the 'you' of here and the 'you' of the real world. In the end, they're both you, after all."

"…heh, you may be right Liz." he simply answered before smiling again. "You may be right."

The new silence that stretched between them was much more comfortable than any other before, and the pink-haired girl almost lost herself on the boy's eyes. Gathering her courage, she opened her mouth to say something else…

"Liz-san, we're home! And we brought a lot of items!"

"Kyuuu!"

…only to be interrupted when a certain petite kunoichi opened the door with a kick and backflipped down into the workshop, landing with utmost grace, even as her feathered friend flew down following her.

Lisbeth was almost tempted to call upon God Hand's 'divine' powers to ask for strength to not curse her little friend to the depths of Hell, but thankfully decided against it when…

"Eh? Silica? Is that you?"

"Ah…? U-UAAAH?! KI-KIRITO-SAN?!" shouted the young girl while almost jumping in shock, her face reddening while Pina managed the amazing feat of facepalming with a wing. "Wha-what are you do-doing here?!"

"Oh, I needed a sword done for a friend and I had heard that Liz here was an amazing blacksmith, so…"

"Wait, you two know each other?" interrupted said amazing blacksmith with utter shock. "Ho-how?!"

"Well, I kind of helped her save Pina some months ago and we have been messaging each other since the…"

"WAAAH! Kirito-san, do-don't say it out louuud!"

"Yo-you are the one with which she had been talking lately?!" shouted the girl while her mind spiraled around at the implications, her eyes shooting towards her young friend.

"…yeah? So, wait, the 'friends' both of you talked about were in fact each other?" finally realized Kirito while looking from one girl to the other, everything finally clicking on his head. "Oh…that explains many things that I thought sounded curiously familiar while we were walking together yesterday…"

"WHAT?!" shouted Silica while her eyes shot as fast as her shurikens towards her friend. "Wha-what were you two doing walking together yesterday?!"

"Ehm, we were…"

"We were in a special mission to get the material needed for Kirito's new sword here." cheerfully informed Lisbeth with a suddenly bright smile as she moved to the boy's side, pointing at said blade. "He was just telling me how AWESOME I'm for doing it. We have become REALLY good friends, right?"

"Uhm, ye-yeah…?" hesitantly confirmed the boy, wondering why Liz was suddenly so close to him and why Silica was suddenly flinching.

Meanwhile, both girls seemed to be having some sort of hidden conversation with just her stares.

 _"Liz-san…traitor!"_

 _"I didn't know it was actually HIM who you were crushing on, even harder than before!"_

 _"The-then now that you know it stop whatever you were doing!"_

 _"Like hell! Besides, it's obvious that Kirito here needs a comprehensive mature girl at his side."_

 _"A-are you calling me a little girl?!"_

 _"You said it, not me."_

 _"I'm NOT a child! I'm a full-fledged kunoichi, and my Ninja Way says I'm destined to be with Kirito-san!"_

 _"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that…"_

Pina seemed content with flying to a nearby table, where a small amount of sweets lay (For some reason), and watch all hell silently breaking loose even as the each second more confused Hero looked from one girl to the other.

Then, something seemed to 'break' in the air as both girls declared one thing to one other with their gazes.

 _"BRING IT ON!"_

"Kirito-saaaan!" happily sang Silica before seemingly teleporting at his side, clamping on one of his arm and making him squeak. "W-we're great friends, right?!"

"Ye-yes, but Silica, what are you…?!"

"Aww, isn't she sweet?" asked Lisbeth while clinging to the boy's other arm, making him gap at her in shock while the kunoichi sent a death-glare her way. "She's very cute, right? Acting all childish all day, isn't she like a super sweet little sister?"

"I-I'm already a teenager, not a little girl! I will be 14 in October, a-and I'm already a very strong warrior!" shouted the pig-tailed girl while once again looking at the boy. "Yo-you have seen it first hand, Kirito-san! And I have been training to become stronger, as I have been telling you! Tell her!"

"We-well…"

"Heh, yeah Silica-chan, no one is doubting your worth as an amazing 'ninja' here…"

"Lies! You totally are!"

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"You know very well…!"

Wishing to truly understand what was going on, or at the very least get out of the (For him) senseless arguing between both girls, Kirito quickly racked his brain in search of a solution.

Surprisingly, that same part of his brain that always told him to NOT ASK in determined situations was the one who gave him a rather peculiar idea, though he wasn't totally sure how it would help.

Nevertheless, he was getting REALLY nervous with both girls clinging to him, so he decided to bet it all and try it out.

"Uhm, Silica, Liz…"

"Yes?!" both asked at unison while turning at her.

"…have you ever thought about joining a guild on the Front Lines?"

Both girls blinked a couple of times, then looked at each other. Still sitting on the nearby table, Pina sighed.

Later that day, Asuna would be looking open-mouthed and with shiny eyes at the Fafnir's Fang, exploding in endless thanks and praises to his Sensei, who would also inform everyone that they had kind of gained 2 new members.

That would, after several better not mentioned incidents, led Argo to say that they would need to get an official Guild House for everyone…but that's an story better reserved for another time.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Well, here we're everyone! This is Lisbeth's, Aincrad's most awesome blacksmith coming to you with the preview for the next chapter (Whatever the hell that is). Ahh…I went through a lot of things these last two days, uh? Thanks, Kirito, for helping me find my way…wait, did I said that aloud?!...uhm, anyway! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Calm before the Storm'. Kirito has gotten a lot of friends and an unbreakable determination, and as peaceful days go by, nothing seems to be able to stop their way to freedom…but, what will happen when the dark truth is revealed, and their True Enemy appear before them? Don't miss it!...wait, that bit about 'true enemy' sounds really ominous…but no matter, now that I'm also part of the famous United Heroes Association, nothing will get in our wa-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And done! Thanks again you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the (Most likely) last chapter of this year XP! On that note, I will probably be taking a break from writing for the festivities, but then again, I suppose that most of you will have better things to do than reading crazy fanfics on these days, so take this as my early Christmas present for your all :D!

I hope you liked the chapter, and God Hand's explanation (If anyone is interested on the 'looks' of Liz' arm, I got the inspiration from the PS2 Game of the same name, God Hand, so look it up if you want OxO). As stated, it may seem a bit of a stretch, but then again, as I also pointed out, canon itself stretches quite a bit the 'there is no magic in SAO' part, especially with things like Meditation and Vorpal Strike. Heathcliff's Unique Skill, Holy Sword, has only ONE 'confirmed' Skill in canon, but it's basically releasing a blinding light from the sword, which has made me question: How is THAT not magic?! (It also is what has made me set the bases for how that Unique Skill is going to be used here, basically will be a combination of Light as a weapon tied with the use of Heathcliff's sword, so look forward to seeing it in action). Also, Dual Blades may not have any open 'supernatural' power, but its second strongest Skill was still powerful enough to almost let Kirito solo a freaking Boss, hence why it comes very close to the realm of 'supernatural', at least with swords, also why I have shown the Unique Skills like Darkness Blade having quite a 'flashy' effect, but still, no real magic, this is SAO XP

And I really hope you could laugh with that last bit (The Aincrad Cast is finally complete, yay!), I tried to make it especially funny because I think I filled most of the chapter with the 'emotional' bit, with a side-dish of small epicness. Once again, this was to remember that Kirito is NOT Saitama, who besides having that usual sense of 'detachment' from most things, was also a full-grown adult when he decided to 'become a hero for fun'. Kirigaya Kazuto is still a teenager, and despite having adopted quite a few of the character mannerisms, is still unable to truly 'become' him, so quite a lot of bottled up fears and insecurities are still inside him, but he puts them away for the sake of everyone and for getting back home. This chapter may have help a bit with that, but I'm also planning to make it a point for the plot somewhere in the future…

Okay then, that's all for now. We're ALMOST in the end of the first Arc, be prepared in two chapters for absolute epicness in the extreme of the One Punch-Man spectrum XD! (Also, those who watched the Boros Fight in the last episode of the anime, know that that REALLY inspired me for what I have planned…and also give me a moment to state once again that it was THE MOST AWESOME THING I HAVE SEEN IN A LONG TIME! GOD BLESS MADHOUSE, YUSUKE MURATA AND ONE!).

Well, until next time folks, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year, this is Saint, signing off OwO!


	12. Chapter 9: The Calm Before the Storm

Hello everyone, I hope you all have started this great new year with a smile :D For now, let's receive with another chapter of the crazy adventures Strongest Gamer and his heroic friends XD I hope you all enjoy it OwO

Oh, and to the reviewer Alice (You should consider creating an account to at least be able to ask questions and get responses, by the way XP), while I can understand where you're coming from, I need to tell to things: One, if you look carefully you may notice that it's a bit late to ask for that, and Two: Don't worry, I promise their current interactions won't change…much when/if THAT is 'revealed' XP

 **Warning:** The silly levels in a good chunk of this chapter ARE OVER 9000 XD!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 9: The Calm before the Storm. A Promise under the Night Sky!**

 **August 12th, 2024. 72nd Floor, Fields near the Dungeon Tower. 12:00…**

The midday sun on the current Frontline was a very pretty thing to see from the Floor's edge, at least from a standard point of view.

For the group that people would easily identify as the United Heroes Association (Most of them, at least), it was also an important reminder about something.

"Almost three quarters of the way…" softly whispered Keita, breaking the silence that had descended over the guild members. "Got to say, when I first heard Kayaba's words about what we had to do to get out, I almost lost all hope. But now…"

"Now here we are, a bit more than a year and a half later, part of the force that leads the charge for our freedom." Asuna finished for him, the chestnut-haired girl resting with her back against a massive rock. "Funny, how unexpected life is sometimes, uh?"

"You can say that again, Aa-chan…" idly commented Argo, her hood down (As she now had it most of the time since the raid against Laughing Coffin) as she looked at her clawed hand, a lazy smile on her face. "Things certainly can go in unexpected ways…"

"Still, I'm happy about that." announced a smiling Sachi while looking at everyone, half standing and half resting on her spear. "It may have been horribly scary at first, and it still is in some ways, but…in a sense, being here in Aincrad has also given us a lot of good things. Meeting each other, for example!" raising her massive lance up high, the girl of bluish-black hair pointed it towards the sun. "Being here all together, fighting at your side…it has been great, and…and also…"

"And we have also grown, right?" ventured Ducker while looking at his friend, who gave him a happy nod. "Heh, look at us, the Computer Club, now 'Heroes' fighting monsters every day for the good of people…almost seems like something you would see in an anime…"

"Yeah…and we even got two AIs as part of our group to fill the part of the 'supernatural' members." joked Philia while looking at the sleeping form of Yui, sitting on Strea's legs as the former MHCP gave them her trademark cheerful grin.

"Yay, I love being here with you all too!" her massive smile suddenly turning softer, the lilac-haired girl patted the sleeping head of her 'sister', her eyes drawn towards the endless virtual sky. "Thanks to Yui-nee, I got this opportunity…to have friends, to be human…I'm grateful to her for that and to you all for accepting us…"

"If someone had told me that I would be having a conversation like this with an AI before all of this, I would have thought they were trying to screw with me just for being part of the Computer Club…" commented Sasamaru while looking how Philia patted Strea's shoulder. "But nowadays it seems like the most normal thing…I wonder if that's something to worry about?"

"It probably is." firmly declared Tetsuo before taking a bit out of the apple he was carrying. "But really, who cares about that?"

"You know, some people would accuse you of needing help for taking things like that in stride…" teased Lisbeth with one of her usual grins, making the boy sent a mock-glare to one of the two latest members of their guild. "Then again, I also have started to think that way lately, so I can't really blame you…"

"Life is a massive maze, and we're wanderers going through it, hoping to find and exit that leads us to what we desire." Silica's sage-like voice filled the air while everyone resisted the urge of commenting in how that only made her sound childishly cute, the kunoichi's scarf flapping at the wind as she stood over the rock Asuna was resting against. "And our Ninja Way has led us all to this point, all together and facing to the future."

"Kyuuu." muttered Pina while rolling his eyes, flying just at Tetsuo's side and making the blinking boy squeak at realizing the dragon had just bitten off half his apple.

"HEY!"

"Pi-Pina, what do you mean by that?! A-and stop stealing food from others, you need to ask for it first!"

"Kyuuryu?"

"Li-like hell I will give you more…if that's even what you're saying! Seriously, how the fuck can you understand it?!"

"Fool! You should know by now that it's only our great link as Tamer and Pet what allow us to connect in such a way that…!"

"Kyuu, kyu."

"EH?! Da-dammit, s-stop being so mean, Pina!"

"Heheh, Pina is making Silica-chan cry again!"

"Strea, don't laugh about that…! And stop moving so much, you're going to wake Yui-chan!"

"Umuu…a bit too late, Asuna-san, I'm already awake…"

"Ah! Good morning, Yui-nee!"

"It's past midday, Strea; you can't just be so nonchalant about it! You're going to turn her into a lazy little girl!"

"Nee, Philia-chan, she's an AI, remember? Stop acting like an overzealous mother, heh."

"Wha-wha…?! Do-don't say stupid things, Lisbeth! I-I'm only trying to ma-make a point!"

"Your all-red face tells me otherwise, though…Gasp! Don't tell me you were thinking about…?"

"SHU-SHUT UP!"

"Liz, Philia, don't fight in front of Yui-chan!"

"Should I use my powers to throw some rocks and stop them, Asuna-san?"

"NO! Geez, see?! This is what I was talking about; you're turning her into a violent girl!"

"…are you SERIOUSLY blaming them about showing too much violence when YOU are the one who is prouder about using the most brutal ways of destroying things?"

"Tha-that doesn't matter in this case, Silica-chan! Because at least I don't go showing that off in front of…!"

"U-uhm, everyone? Ca-can we please stop shouting…?"

"I don't think they hear you at this point, Sachi-san…"

"Kyuu…"

"Ugh…when Pina and Yui are the voices of reason is when I miss Kirito-sama the most…"

Massive sweatdrops starting to roll down their heads, the boys of the UHA shared an uneasy smile.

While it was good and all to have so many friends, sometimes being surrounded by so many overpowered females was a bit too much for them, especially when they could barely count Sachi as not being part of their worries sometimes (She could also become quite 'scary' when she wanted). And even more when their 'great leader' wasn't there with them, seeing as he was (Somehow) the most successful in calming them down.

As the 'conversation' (Shouting match) degenerated so much that now it was only them and Pina watching from the sidelines (Yui having joined by floating above the girls and giving 'advice' about one subject or another while happily laughing), Keita and the rest decided that they were SO going to make the boy pay for leaving them alone for more than one hour with his 'harem'.

…not that any of them ever called them that, of course not. The laughs they would get from seeing the face they could imagine Kirito making at hearing the term wasn't worth their lives.

* * *

On the opposite side of the Floor, the boy clad in black and white stood over a rocky formation, ignorant of the problems/revenge plans of the rest of his guild as he stared towards the 'ceiling' of the Floor, the fake sky now noticeably smaller for anyone who cared to look into the details.

As both a Beta Tester and someone with common sense, Kirito knew that this was because of Aincrad's form, the Floors of the Floating Castle turning smaller the more they went up. Now that they were above the 70th one, they were barely half as big as the 1st one was, give or take a couple hundred of meters.

The time of their release was less of a faraway dream with each passing day. It was now something that not only he, but everyone in Aincrad could feel and look forward to with hope.

If they continued at this rate and no tragedies happened, they may be able to arrive to the 100th Floor by the end of the year, maybe the beginnings of the next.

Maybe he would be finally able to share that ice-cream with Sugu by the time New Year came by…

His eyes firmly closed as these thoughts ran through his head, the boy let out a soft sigh before speaking, not even bothering to turn around.

"What do you want, Heathcliff?"

"My, I would swear that you become scarier by the day." commented the so-called 'Paladin' while looking at the boy from the base of the rocky formation. "You say you don't have access to any Skill, yet you noticed me as if you were using Tracking without effort."

"You wear full body armor and go around carrying that big-ass shield most of the time." spoke the gamer while turning to look at the crimson-clad man, both their capes flapping in an odd synchrony as they stared at each other. "It's not really difficult to hear you coming."

"I see…" answered Heathcliff with a soft voice, his gaze wandering towards the virtual sky. "…quite a beautiful sight, wouldn't you say?"

"…it is." accepted the black-haired boy while looking at the virtual clouds. "But…it's not the same."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"It may be difficult to explain it, maybe even more because of…how I was before all of this, but…the sky…" not paying much attention to the curiosity in the man's voice, Kirito raised a gloved hand towards the heavens, as if wanting to grasp them on his fist. "When I look at this sky, I can only think that…it's more like the ceiling of a prison than the symbol of freedom that's supposed to be." closing his eyes again, the gamer suddenly seemed much older on Heathcliff's eyes. "This world, which was meant to be a beautiful place where you could enjoy adventures you couldn't in reality…it's nothing more than a massive cage now. And no amount of beauty can change that." turning around, the black-clad boy slowly walked past the silent man in crimson armor, both their capes seemed to flap once again when he passed by him. "That's why we need to do our best to return home."

"…that's indeed a very interesting way of seeing things, Kirito-kun." whispered the leader of the KoB before looking over his back at him. "And you seem quite sure of it…I wonder, though; would you be able to FIGHT for it, if given the chance?"

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" questioned the boy while stopping, giving the man an incredulous look. "Because I don't find it funny, Heathcliff."

"Oh, but I was being quite serious." Kirito didn't know why, but he suddenly felt something…'off' in the man's voice and gaze, something that he couldn't quite name. "You may have never considered it, with your 'curious' nature, but…if you could fight, TRULY FIGHT, someone at your level, putting your life in real risk like the rest of us common players, just to reach that freedom…would you truly do it?"

Silence was his answer as both stared at each other for several seconds.

Then, without warning, Kirito turned around, his face extremely serious as he crouched to jump, softly whispering his next words.

"I would."

He never got to see the strangely satisfied smile appearing on Heathcliff's face at his words, for he was already high in the air, jumping in the general direction of the rest of his guild, his friends.

Neither did he hear the ominous answer.

"Just as I thought, Kirito-kun."

Almost at the other side of the Floor, the black-haired boy landed, idly worrying about how normal it was now for him to jump hundreds of meters through the air, before slowly walking forward, looking around in search of the others.

"Hmm, I'm sure they should be close to…"

"Hey! Sensei!" blinking, the boy turned his head to the side with a soft smile to see Asuna and the rest of the guild walking out of the trees…minus Keita and the boys?

"Uh? Hey, girls, where are the o…?"

"They said they had to do some urgent research to finish solving something about the cost for our next equipment upgrade or something like that." waved it off Lisbeth with a smile, which sent alarms bell ringing inside Kirito's mind, seeing as SHE was the one who was usually supposed to do that. "But they were kind enough to give us a GREAT idea before going away!"

"Yeah, you bet they did!" grinned Argo while putting her hands behind her head, her wide smile managing what countless monsters hadn't and making the caped boy shudder. "You see, Kii-bou, did you know there was a big outdoor bath on Floor 70?"

"Wha…? There is a Hot Springs THERE?" muttered the boy with disbelief, remembering the annoying landscape of the Floor divided in jungle, mountains and small open fields.

"Isn't that right?! We were all really surprised, but Argo-san checked with her sources and it seems it's true!" excited, Sachi played with her spear without realizing how close she came each time to impale the rest of the group, who either didn't notice or didn't care. "I haven't been in one of those since I was 12!"

"I have only gone once with my parents…" softly muttered Silica while looking towards the horizon. "Hmm…relaxing in a hot springs with friends is indeed something worthy of a kunoichi…"

"Kyuu?"

"Tha-that has nothing to do with this, Pina!"´

"Heh, I have never been in one before, but from what everyone has been saying it sounds like a lot of fun!" chirped Strea while jumping up and down. "Since me and Yui-nee got these Avatars it has been great to experiment all kind of human things, so I want to try them out the best I can!"

"Yeah, please, don't remind me about the first time I got you two to eat a cake…" shivering, Philia seemed to do her best to suppress said traumatic memory. "God…WHY wouldn't you stop…?"

"He-hey, that's mean!" complained Yui while pouting cutely, crossing her arms and looking away with a small blush. "W-we were new to the feeling of eating things, it's not our fault that desserts are so sweet!"

"Getting back to the point…" sighed Asuna while trying to ignore the antics of her friends. "Turns out this hot springs exist because they're the starting point for a Quest, but the place STILL exists even if you don't try out the Quest! So, we were all thinking of going and relaxing a bit tonight, since we have been fighting endlessly this last week."

"Oh, that sounds like a…cool idea…" slowly muttered the boy, suddenly very uneasy at the wide smile his self-proclaimed disciple was giving him…and that was mirrored in most of the other girl's faces. "But…what exactly did you say you needed me for again?"

"Well, Kii-bou, that's the thing." cheekily spoke Argo while walking to the side of her long-time 'friend' and putting an arm over his shoulder, ignoring the pointed glares that most of the girls (Sans Yui and Strea, though for different reasons) sent her way. "This 'bath' is out of a Safe Zone, in the middle of a field, in fact."

"What?! Bu-but that's dangerous!" Kirito's voice was full of excessive concern, which normally would have been a bit annoying for the girls (Seeing as they WERE the strongest group of female players in SAO), but coming from him they didn't seem to mind much. "You will be weaponless and without your equipment while you bath! How are you going to defend yourse…?...oh."

Realization dawning on his face as the girls' smiles widened, the gamer mentally swore.

He was SO going to make sure Keita and the others paid for this.

* * *

 **70th Floor, Random Hot Springs. 19:05…**

"Ah…this is the best." happily declared Asuna while letting her towel aside and sinking in the hot water all the way to her chin. Taking baths like this was, without a doubt, one of the things she enjoyed the most from SAO.

A calm look around let her see how most of the others were doing the same, leaving their towels to one side to fully sink on the relaxing liquid, only Philia and Silica still wearing then as they sat on the edge of the water with their legs inside it…and Strea, who didn't seem to have bothered with a towel to begin with and was half-floating/half-swimming through the spring.

The nice and relaxing open bath was located in one of the several open areas near the forests of the Floor, partially surrounded by a typical Japanese 'wood wall' with only one, currently closed, door.

So, in essence, not a very safe place, but a great one to relax in.

"Ahh…this is life, eh, Aa-chan?" smiled Argo, her face set into the most carefree expression Asuna had ever seen her with. "Beautiful stars, lots of friends, perfectly warm water…isn't this great, Kii-bou?"

"…hah, hah, how funny Argo, I wish you could see HOW AMUSED I'm right now." dryly came Kirito's voice from beyond the wooden door, making Silica look on that direction with a worried/blushing face even as Sachi let out an uneasy chuckle. "But seriously, enjoy it while you can, I'm SO entering there and relaxing myself after you are all done."

"Why would you even want to enter, anyway?" questioned Philia while pointedly not looking towards the door…for no special reason, of course. "I mean, don't you feel like, VERY uncomfortable just sitting on the water wearing a wet jumpsuit?"

"…" for an instant, the uncomfortable and blushing gamer (Who was trying very hard of not imagining the scene beyond the 'wall' he was protecting) considered to answer that he had ACTUALLY found a way of taking off his damn 'costume'…which included deactivating his 'Ethic Code' and unequipping ALL OF IT at once, leaving him virtually naked (HAH) and still unable to equip anything but the damn jumpsuit again…but that screaming part of his brain make him decide against doing so, for some reason. "…I kind of got used to it after so much time."

"Heh, I can get why you would, Papa! Being here is great!" laughed Yui while relaxing into the water, going so far so as to sink her head for a moment before happily emerging and smiling at the group, triggering many of the 'Awww'-senses of the teenage girls. "I wouldn't mind about wearing clothes if I could be in this place the whole day!"

"Ah, there is a human thing for doing that!" chirped Strea while suddenly standing without any shame, splashing water everywhere and making more than one of the girl's feel self-conscious. "Those are called swimsuits, right?! People use them to go to the beach, or pools, or others places with lots of water!"

"Hmm, now that you say it, I think there is an Item like that here in SAO…"

"Wait, re-really?!" Sachi's shocked words mirrored the thoughts of most of the human girls in there as they looked at Yui in shock. "Why would Kayaba Akihiko bother to include THAT if he was planning to turn this game into a death trap?!"

"That's the same thing I ask myself when I see places like Floria or remember that he bothered with detailing the cold enough for you to feel like freezing on a mountain and the warm enough for you to enjoy hot springs…" sighed the black-haired boy while shaking his head. Kayaba certainly sucked as an 'evil mastermind'.

"I guess some 'mysteries' will remain unknown forever…" idly commented Lisbeth, trying to break the awkward silence that had filled the area after the boy's declaration.

"Hmm…if one thinks it very hard, then maybe…?" stopping her unusually and OOC deep-thinking moment, Strea turned to look at a certain someone with curious eyes. "What's wrong, Silica? Why are you staring at me so hard?"

"It's…nothing." emotionlessly commented the kunoichi, her eyes never leaving a certain part of the lilac-haired girl's anatomy while her hands crossed over her own. "Absolutely…nothing."

"Aww, is someone jealous?" teased Liz while hovering over the silent loli, making her squeak when she pressed her own chest against the back of her head. "Don't worry, Silica-chan~! It's not your fault that you're still growing!"

"Li-Liz-san, where are you touching?! A-and stop treating me like a child, da-dammit!"

"Liz, stop molesting Silica, we're supposed to be relaxing!"

"Nee, I think they're relaxing a lot, Aa-chan…"

"Ohh, that looks funny! Yui-nee, can I also touch your chest?!"

"Eh? Why would you even want…?"

"STREA-SAN! Get away from Yui-chan, NOW! And Liz, seriously, stop that already!"

"Bu-but I only want to get closer to Yui-nee, like Liz is doing with Silica!"

"Thi-this is NOT bo-bonding of a-any kind! Kyaaa!"

"Kyuuryu…"

"You could at least stop floating there and help me, you know?!"

"Heheh, all this noise and fun is great! I love being human!"

"Yui-chan, you're not really helping here…"

"Ahh…I could get used to sitting here and calmly watching all hell breaking loose…"

"Not helping either, Argo-chan!"

"E-eh, u-uhm…everyone?" Sachi's shaky voice someone managed to get through the chaos and make the blinking group of girls look her way, just noticing her red face. "Ha-have you forgotten that…Kirito-sama is still out there?"

Silence descended over the group (Sans for Strea and Yui, who still seemed to be having fun on the water) even as several heads turned towards the door of the hot springs, at the other side of which a certain black-white-clad boy stood while looking forward with dead eyes and his face burning crimson. A random dog-sized frog mob tried to jump towards the wooden wall and he absentmindedly punched it to oblivion.

Being honest, Kirito didn't know if he should consider himself lucky or unlucky. I mean, yeah, they were his friends and he respected and appreciated them very much, but GODDAMMIT, HE WAS STILL A HORMONAL TEENAGER!

Deciding to remain silent while trying to force his brain to banish the images that the 'chatter' of the girls had conjured, the mostly silent group was still staring as if waiting for a reaction, until someone decided to, once again, break the awkward silence.

"Kirito-san…? A-are you still out there…?" asked Silica while trying to calm her heartbeat.

"Hmm…who knows, maybe he is but won't answer to someone so 'little'…"

"EH?! Liz-san, retire that, or so I swear you shall taste the fury of my shurikeeeens!"

"Need I to remind you that I'm the ONLY ONE who can still actually activate her Unique Skill here?" cheekily answered the blacksmith with a wide smile.

"Yo-you two, stop arguing about si-silly things!" half-shouted Sachi with a burning face.

"Eh? Kirito's tastes in breast-size is a silly thing?" 'innocently' asked Strea, causing several more burning faces and fierce coughs in the background.

"N-no, I mean yes, I-I mean….!"

"That discussion is a waste of time, anyway." dismissed Asuna while looking away, absolutely not trying to hide the annoyed glint on her eyes. "Because Sensei is a Siscon."

The ensuing silence that filled the bath was so absolute that one could have let a pin drop and it would have echoed louder than a gunshot.

Then, all hell broke loose (Again).

"WHAT?!"

"Papa is a what?"

"Te-tell me tha-that's not true!"

"Li-lies! It's a lie, right?!"

"Aa-chan, what the hell are you sa…?!"

"COULD YOU PLEASE STOP TALKING AS IF I'M NOT HERE?!" screamed Kirito the heavens while resisting the urge to pull off his hair, freezing everyone even as Asuna chuckled softly. "And for the thousandth time, Asuna, I AM NOT! Just because I dedicate 40 minutes each day to think about how much I miss my little sister doesn't mean I have a complex!" even the rapier-user's smile had been wiped out from her face after that, adding to the new 'silence'. "…I just shouted that aloud, didn't I?"

"Yep, you did!" cheerfully declared Strea, who didn't seem to have a problem with anything…like always. "Now, I don't think much more monsters are going to come around, so…why don't you come here and join us, Kirito?" the girl's happy invitation made every girl (Sans a smiling Yui) freeze and gap at her in shock, even as their faces burned at the sudden image. "You can come here and 'enjoy' with us, eheheh!"

"…OH, LOOK! MORE MONSTERS!" shouted the boy unnecessarily loud, his face now a similar shade to Heathcliff's armor. "I should better go around the area and wipe them all out! Be back in a sec!"

Then, he was gone, in a blur of speed that made several trees sway.

Nothing coward about running from situations you knew were hopeless for you, after all.

"S-Strea-san, wha-what the hell?!" shouted Asuna with a burning face, trying very hard to not think about the image of Kirito sitting at her side on the hot spring…and utterly failing. "Why would you say something like that?!"

"Uhm, because I wanted him to come in?" confusedly answered the lilac-haired girl while tilting her head, wondering why the other girls were looking at her with several degrees of shock and blushes. "I thought it wouldn't be a problem?"

"Wha…?! How could you think it WOULDN'T be a problem?!" Argo's voice was several pitches higher than normal, her previous relaxed demeanor utterly gone.

"Because I like Kirito!" cheerfully admitted the girl, barely registering the strangled and gasping sounds coming from around her. "And I know you all like him too, so I was sure it wouldn't be a problem!"

The newest silence of the night took place even as the suddenly fried brains of the incredulous 'heroines' tried to process what they had been told, their eyes never leaving the voluptuous form of the smiling Strea.

"Wait…wait, wait a minute…yo-you like him…?" muttered Liz with a whisper. "D-do you even KNOW what that means?"

The small skepticism on the blacksmith's voice was understandable, to be fair. After all, despite their initial shock at being revealed the 'secret' about Yui and Strea's nature when they joined the girl, Lisbeth and Silica had ended up accepting the AIs' origins without problems, not to mention that it also helped understand why they acted so 'special' most of the time.

So really, no one could have blamed the user of God Hand for hoping it was just a misunders…

"Yep, I do! I want to be with him all the time, his smiles make me feel all happy and fuzzy inside, I want to do all I can to be close to him, I want to kiss him and…!"

"O-OKAY, WE GET IT, S-STOP!" pleaded Sachi while trying to calm herself down, Silica, who sat near her, seeming to be suffering a meltdown on her face at each of the situation-describing words from the cheerful girl, most likely imagining herself in them.

"I-I can't believe…wait, did you say we all…?" blinking, Philia slowly looked around, each and every girl doing the same and letting their gazes cross before they all looked away, ashamed/cursing/shocked. "…unbelievable…"

"Thi-this has to be a joke…" muttered Asuna while massaging her forehead, looking despairingly towards the whiskered girl closest to her. "E-even you, Argo-chan…?"

"Wha-what's with that look?!" heatedly replied the Rat while looking away with an annoyed blush. "A-and besides, weren't YOU the one always saying that you weren't more than teacher and disciple?!"

"We ARE…for now! Uh, I mean…" looking at the pointed stares of the others, the chestnut-haired girl just screamed in defeat and let her face sink on the water before looking up. "Okay, I admit it, I LIKE Sensei! Are you happy now?! Ugh!"

"…being fair, I can't exactly blame you for it." softly muttered Silica while fiddling her fingers. "You have been with him almost since the beginning; it's only natural that those kinds of feelings blossom between two close companions that have gone through endless battles together…In fact, there are many people that believe that you two had a secret relationship since Floor 3."

"E-eh?! Whe-where did you even heard that?!" demanded the red-faced Asuna.

"Uhm, private info from Kirito-san's fan club…"

"Then how comes you know if it's supposed to be 'private'?" questioned Argo with a raised eyebrow. "Are you a member of that club or something?"

"Ehm…"

"She's the former president of the club." flatly revealed Liz while the kunoichi squeaked at her in betrayal, everyone else just blinking. "She had to abandon her 'position' when we joined the Association, though."

"Oh." came Asuna's own flat answer to that, before her eyes silently wandered to the most silent girl. "I can understand Sachi-san, Silica-chan, Argo-chan, heck, even Strea, and I had noticed that Liz almost always got TOO CLOSE to Sensei for comfort…but how comes YOU like him too, Philia-san?!"

"…I just…well, I admired his strength since the first time I saw him…then, I joined those two to sta…I mean, 'watch over' him! And after that, when we joined the guild, he would always be so…caring and gentle with me…" with a blush as she looked down, Philia idly splashed water with one hand. "I-I'm not the most social girl, and since I got trapped here I kind of got into a very 'lone wolf' mood, s-so…"

"Yes, I think we can see why." sighed Argo while facepalming, her eyes wandering around one last time. "So, if I get this straight…EVERY single one of us likes the idiot of Kii-bou, for similar or different reasons." the meek silence just prompted the girl to sigh again. "Well, talk about awkward problems between friends…now my relaxation is ruined."

"Why is that a problem?" Strea's utterly innocent and sincere tone drew everyone's attention once again, almost as if they could feel that she was about to say something outrageous. "We can all just share Kirito! Friends share things they like, right?"

The umpteenth silence of the night would have made people wonder if there wasn't some sort of silent curse upon the spring, but what it mostly did was for several brains to go into a 'meltdown' state, then reboot in 'WTF?!'-mode.

And then came the reactions.

"EH?!"

"Wha-what?!"

"Di-did you just say…?!"

"A-are you crazy?!"

"Sha-sharing….?! Hauu…?!"

"Shi-shit, girls, Silica passed out…! Something that's impossible to do in this game!"

"I-I did N-NOT!"

"S-Strea-san…I-I think you're confused and don't know what you're talking about…" started to say an eyebrow-twitching Asuna…before being interrupted by the most unexpected person.

"Why wouldn't she? Polygamy is still allowed in some cultures of the world, right?" EVERY single pair of eyes shot towards Yui's thoughtful and innocent face. "Also, Japanese people seem to love that kind of stuff in their media since decades ago, so Strea-nee is making a perfectly reasonable point…"

"Yui-chan?! Whe-where did you learn those things?!"

"…need I to remind everyone that, despite my looks, I'm an AI that was created to be a pseudo-psychologist and not a little girl?" answered Yui…while cutely pouting at everyone.

"See? Even Yui-nee gives me the reason! Let's all be friends and share!"

"Tha-that's…!"

"Hmm…now that she says that, I wonder if Kirito's 'superpowers' extend to more than just his strength in fighting…?" idly wondered an slightly blushing Liz, making several people gap at her.

"Li-Liz?! Ple-please, tell me you're NOT actually co-considering this!" shrieked Asuna while Silica once again tried unsuccessfully to go against SAO's limits and faint inside a virtual world.

"Hey, I didn't say anything; I was just making a perfectly valid question!"

"If Kirito-sama's stamina…was so high…then maybe being all together would be…necessary…"

"Sa-Sachi?! Why do your eyes seem like swirls?! Liz, look what you did, you broke her!"

"Everyone…Kirito…stamina…"

"I think she's not the only one…uaah, Philia-chan, I didn't know you could produce steam from your ears!"

"Strea-san, don't poke her!"

"…pfft…ahahah…ehehehehAHAHAHAH…!" the sudden bout of laughter managed to get the group of teenagers more or less back to reality, drawing their attention towards the Information Broker of the group. "…hah! Oh God…just look at us, getting all worked up about a boy, saying crazy and silly things; ah…I never had anything like THIS back in school. Friends I could trust and be comfortable with to this level…" her voice turning softer, Argo looked around smiling at the once again silent girls. "Hey, everyone…let's meet again on reality like this, okay? On a hot springs, all together, relaxing…I think I would like that."

Everyone's awkward or confused expression quickly melted into understanding smiles, a glance being shared between the group that had seen and gone through so many things.

"Yes…I think I would also like it." smiled Sachi while looking at the sky.

"It would sure be a great and relaxing experience, after we get back home." mused Lisbeth while touching the surface of the water with her right hand, as if trying to look at something beyond it. "Besides, I bet it would do us a lot of good after two years lying on beds."

"Heheh…that would be great, uh?" muttered Silica while petting Pina's head, the dragon having floated near her in silence. "I would…love to do that."

"We will. You can bet on that." blinking, everyone, looked towards the determined flames inside the eyes of the grinning Asuna, the girls recognizing the spirit of the one the Front Liners called 'Mighty Flash', the disciple of the 'One Punch-Gamer'. "I know a great hot springs that a friend of my father owns! Never really had any reason to want to go before, but now…you can bet I will make sure we all go there as soon as we get back to the real world"

"With Kirito also watching over us from the other side of the wall?" joked Philia, causing a round of general laughter to go through the group. "Heh…yes…it will be great, to share a moment like that with my friends…"

"That sounds awesome…" the slightly bitter tone on Strea's ever-cheerful voice drew the group's attention like moths to the light, seeing the AI giving them a sorrowful smile. "I wish…I could be there with you when that happens…"

"Yeah, me too." softly added Yui while looking at her tiny hands, her 'powers' activating and letting her levitate a couple of perfect water spheres over them, in which her gaze seemed lost. "It's going to be sad…when Papa and you all are gone…"

"What are you saying?!" Asuna's sudden shout surprised both AIs, who looked to see how the chestnut-haired girl had moved near them, fiercely looking their way. "Yui-chan, Strea-san…of course you will be there too!"

"E-eh!?" squeaked Strea with surprise. "But, that's…"

"Don't you dare to say 'impossible' to me!" cut her the rapier-user, the fire in her eyes never wavering. "You're both AIs that gained enough self-awareness to escape from your virtual jail on your own! Thanks to the inspiration you got from Sensei….from Kirito-kun, someone who does the impossible and somehow is super-amazing in here, in a way that not even the creator of this world can stop directly! If THAT is possible, then don't you dare to think that this isn't!"

"Bu-but…Asuna-san, even if we manage to escape from SAO by saving our core data on an external drive, we still wouldn't be able to…"

"Like hell you won't, Yui-chi!" growled Argo while smacking one of her fists on her open hand. "Even if we have to get you two some sort of robotic-thingie to let you be there with us, you two WILL come with us to the hot springs!" her expression turning into a softer one, looking at both older and younger-looking girls. "After all, you're an important part of this group…of this 'family', too."

"Asuna …everyone…" tears were filling Strea's eyes as she looked at the determined and comprehensive smiles around them. "Snif…thanks…a lot…"

"Ah…I see. So this is…how it feels to cry from happiness?" wondered Yui while tears also rolled down her eyes, Sachi getting closer and hugging the little girl-like AI. "It's…weird, eheh…"

"No, it's not weird…" whispered Asuna while moving closer to Strea, putting a hand on the shoulder of the sobbing girl. "It's human." then, after a second of hesitation, the rapier-user put her hands behinds her back and shocked everyone with her next words. "My name is Yuuki Asuna. Pleased to meet you, Strea-san, Yui-chan."

There was an instant of shock while the two Mental Health Care Programs looked at the owner of Dual Blades open-mouthed…before the surprises continued.

"Shinozaki Rika." grinned Lisbeth while relaxing on the water. "It's a pleasure."

"A-Ayano Keiko. " shyly commented Silica before getting confidence and smiling brightly at them. "It's an honor!"

"Hayami Saori." whispered Sachi while patting Yui's head. "It's great to have friends like you two."

"…maybe I should have said it before, but I'm Kotone." calmly smiled Philia while looking at her two 'weird' friends, previously traveling companions. "Takemiya Kotone."

"Heh, Izawa Shiori, to serve you all." her usual grin back on her face, Argo gave a thumbs-up to the pair. "We will beat this game and get back home, and we will take you with us…okay?"

"…YAY!" Strea jumped happily, all cheerful again while the last traces of tears vanished from her virtual face. "You're all the best friends…no, the best FAMILY anyone could wish for!"

"Yea…Strea-nee is right!" brightly added Yui while everyone else released embarrassed chuckles. "So…should I call you all 'Mamas' from now on?!"

And with that merry declaration, the younger-looking AI managed to once again fry everyone's brains.

"…ma-maybe it would be better if we let THAT subject for later, o-okay…?" nervously commented Argo while looking around. "Be-besides, we're all great friends here, so-something as silly as a boy wouldn't get in the way of that…right?"

"O-of course not!"

"What a silly notion, Argo-chan!"

"Yeah, friends before boys!"

"A kunoichi's comrades come before anything else, ahahah!"

"Yes, how could you thi-think otherwise?"

"Yay! Let's be all happy together!"

Of course, everyone was being TOTALLY sincere with their declarations. And if anyone thought that the gleams on their eyes or their 'funny' tones where strange….well, at least one could be sure that at least Strea was being sincere.

"…by the way, Aa-chan…you were joking about him being a siscon, right?"

"I…was. But, after hearing what he said…hmm…"

"Yeah, it would be kind of depressing to think that Silica is the one with most possibilities, right?"

"…I'm not sure if that was supposed to be a praise or an insult, but my Ninja sense is screaming at me to rain shurikens on you…"

"Well, I mean, it's obvious, right? Kirito's little sister has to be kind of like Silica!"

"…okay, now I'm SURE that wasn't a praise! Liz-san you meanieeeee!"

"Heheh, it would be funny, right? I mean, it's not as if Sensei's little sister has a super sexy body or something…"

On the real world, Kirigaya Suguha sneezed for the third time in the middle of taking a bath, which made her scrunch her face in worry. Deciding to stop 'patrolling' for a couple of days so as to not catch a cold, the middle-schooler continued rinsing her very well developed body.

Back on Aincrad, much calmer and joking laughter was now filling the hot spring as the usual shenanigans of the guild ensued…when a ninja-frog mob jumped over the fence and wielded its katana against the group.

It seemed about to release a war cry when a sudden blur of black and white descended from the sky and CRUSHED it with a thundering sound.

On the next instant, Kirito sighed as he stood up, dusting off his gloved hands and with closed eyes.

"Damn, I can't believe I almost let that one slip past me…I need to stop running around blindly in the middle of the ni…"

"Kirito!" Strea's happy shout cut through the suddenly frozen silent atmosphere of the spring, making the super-powered gamer freeze and pale, realizing WHERE he had landed, and also making his eyes shot open against his will, leaving him with a full view of the 'glorious' scene. "You decided to join us, yay! Want me to help you bath?"

"E-ehm…ah…no, I-I was just…ehm…I'm going t-to go now…" robotically said the black-haired boy, slowly turning around…

"Kirito-kun." sweetly muttered Asuna, the boy not knowing if the lack of 'Sensei' was a greater indicator of her mood than her tone of voice. "Wait there just a moment, please…"

The 'Superhero', logically, did the most sensible thing and jumped like a meteor out of there, ignoring the angry/embarrassed screams behind him, starting to run towards the Floor's main town as soon as he hit the ground.

Maybe it would be a good idea for him to stay on the lowers Floor, uhm, 'investigating' for a couple of days…

* * *

 **September 4th, 2024. 75th Floor, Collinia. 12:30…**

Standing on the edge of the most notorious construct in the main city of the Front Line, a massive coliseum like the one in Rome, Kirito sighed before jumping from where he was observing the Dungeon Tower on the distance, landing on the middle of the street.

It was a testament at how used people had gotten to him that his action barely got a reaction from most of the nearby players sans a few waves or whispers in his direction.

Feeling restless, the boy decided to walk at normal speed down the streets, the worry of knowing that the rest of his friends were up there searching for the Boss Room, together with a group of the KoB, fighting against the knowledge that all of them were strong enough to manage on their own, and that they would return to inform the rest of the Front Liners and prepare.

He couldn't help but get nervous, though, knowing there was a 'Super Boss' incoming, the strongest they would have to face before the Final one. Though by this point he had no doubt he would be able to effortlessly beat it too, it was that 'small' timeframe it took him to actually arrive to the Boss Room after the 'barrier' was deactivated that worried him. He didn't want anyone dying because he wasn't fast enough…

Shaking his head to try and not to think about such things, and also dispel the extremely bad feeling he had been having since they arrived to that Floor, the gamer tried to fill his mind with positive thoughts.

After all, they had already completed 75 Floors. Just a quarter of the floating castle was left. They could…no, they WOULD do this, and soon they would all be back home.

That line of thought brought a smile to his face again. The girls apparently had agreed to have some sort of party on a hot springs after they got out of there, and had invited him to go (He was sure they had also invited Keita and the others, even if he hadn't actually see them do it…). Even though THAT had at first brought certain, ehem, 'embarrassing' memories (He wouldn't deny that he had enjoyed what he saw that night on the springs, but the fear and cold stares all the girls except Strea and Yui had given him for two weeks after diminished his impulse to fantasize about it), it was still a good thing to know they were all already planning what they would do when they got out of there, things to look forward to, like he sharing that ice cream with Sugu.

Maybe he would even invite her to go when they all went to…

"Hey! Kiritoooo!"

Blinking in surprise at being called, the black-haired boy turned around to see the smiling figure of Klein running towards him, his guild just behind him.

"Oh…hi Klein. It's good to see you're still alive!"

"…I'm going to forgive you for that awful joke just because we're friends." sighed the samurai-wannabe before raising an eyebrow and looking around the group. "Sooo, where are your bodyguards and your harem? Busy at this moment?"

"Klein, please, STOP making those jokes." muttered Kirito with an annoyed tic on his eyebrow, though his expression was a bit ruined by the small red tinge on his cheeks. "Don't you remember what happened last time you said something like that and they HEARD it?"

Suddenly, the red-headed man had seemingly teleported to a corner on a building's side, rocketing back and forth in fetal position and surrounded by a dark aura, muttering 'All…that horrible…not pain…' time and time again, making the rest of the gathered players sweatdrop.

"Oh great…thanks for that, Kirito, now he will be like that for half an hour." lamented one of Fuurinkazan's members while the others shook their heads.

"Ah, yeah, so-sorry, I had kind of forgotten that…"

"HEY! Everyone!" several heads turned around, seeing Agil's notorious form running down the street and stopping near them, panting softly. "The-they found it…the Knights of Blood found the Boss Room."

The caped boy's face was suddenly a mask of full seriousness as he stared at the axe-user.

"They're returning already?"

"Yeah, I heard that Heathcliff was going to inform everyone and share the map data for the Raid tomo…" and that was as far as Agil go before Kirito wasn't there anymore, the boy having shot away to fins his friends and the leader of the KoB. "…sometimes, I hate when he does that."

The faces of the people present and the continuous whispering of Klein told him that he probably wasn't the only one.

* * *

The moon was full that night as Kirito silently stared at it from the balcony of a certain woodhouse on Floor 22. He knew he should be sleeping already, like the others were, but he was just too nervous to do so.

No matter how hard he tried, the boy couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was going to happen, something that could change everything and put everyone at risk, but there just wasn't any real way for him to…

"Sensei? You're still up?"

"Asuna…" silently muttered the gamer while looking back, seeing the chestnut-haired girl standing there on her pajamas, seeming a bit tired. "Yes, I'm sorry about that…why aren't YOU sleeping anyway? Tomorrow you will need all the strength you can get…"

"Heh, we're only going to held whatever that thing is back until you get there, Sensei. It's as if we're going to do much…" walking at her side, the rapier-user frowned at seeing the restless look on his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No…not really, it's just, you know, me and one of those bad feelings of mine." the boy calmly waved it off before looking back to the forests that surrounded the house where the United Heroes Association usually came to relax. "Ah…I still can't believe you all managed to convince Argo to buy this place."

"I still don't understand WHY you two were so against it. I mean, it's a beautiful and relaxing place, in a very pacific Floor and with very calming views…"

"Yeah…let's just say we have some unpleasant memories here." chuckled the caped boy while his eyes nervously scanned the treeline, as if expecting to see a tall and slender figure on a suit watching them. "But yes, you're right, it IS indeed a place where you can more or less feel relaxed…"

"…Kirito-kun." both the girl's words and the sudden contact against his back, letting him know she was hugging him, shocked the boy clad in black and white to the core. "Don't worry, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen…and even if it does, you have trained me to take care of things better than anyone until you arrive, remember? I won't let you down as your disciple…and as your friend."

"Asuna…yes, you're right." the gamer smiled softly as he put a gloved hand over the girl's warm one, unable to notice how she blushed due to their position. "I know I can rely on you and everyone…let's do this and keep going until we get back home, okay?"

 _"…I think I'm already home…"_ thought the girl with a soft smile, before nodding silently behind him. "Yes…let's do that, Sensei."

Letting go of him and turning around, Asuna seemed to hesitate for an instant, looking at Kirito's caped back as if wanting to say something…

But in the end, she just smiled and shook her head, walking away while the boy stared at the fake sky with a smile.

There would be plenty of time for being honest after the 75th Boss was defeated.

* * *

 **September 5th, 75th Floor. Center of Collinia, 10:30…**

Near the Teleport Gate on the center of the town, a sizeable force of the Front Liners was gathered, members of the Knights of Blood and the Divine Dragon Alliance standing near their leaders even as some sneaked glances towards the United Heroes Association, their own 'legendary' leader's presence just remembering them of how important and dangerous this battle could get.

Finally, once it was obvious that everyone was already there, Heathcliff walked forward and demanded attention, letting silence fall over the group before nodding.

"Thanks again for coming, everyone. As I explained yesterday, my Guild has set up a Corridor Crystal directly in front of the Boss Room; so as to we're able to face this one without wasting strength on the way there, given how important and difficult this battle will surely be. As with the 50th Floor, our main objective will be to try and resist against it long enough for Kirito here to come to our aid and end it." motioning towards the nodding gamer, several of the gathered Front Liners murmured either phrases of awe or thankful words towards him. "With that said, remember that our priority is that no one dies today. Stay together with your groups and keep your potions and Crystals in hand, understood?"

As the chorus of agreements and the sounds of people giving their Inventories a last-minute check covered the plaza, the Paladin silently walked towards the discussing group of Heroes, Keita being the first one in noticing his approach.

"Oh, Heathcliff-san…" the surprised tone on the staff-user's voice drew the rest of the guild's attention towards the crimson-armored man, confusing them. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, Keita-san, I do. Kirito-kun?" with a raised eyebrow, the caped boy walked closer to the other guild leader, who handed a bluish-crystal to him before the shocked looks of everyone. "Use this some 30 seconds or so after we are gone, okay? I think it will be faster than you waiting in front of the labyrinth and then running through it."

"Another Corridor Crystal?!" the shock was evident in the gamer's face as the others also stared at the super-rare item with disbelief. "How the hell did you manage to get a second one so fast?! You must have needed to…!"

"The problems of getting it are nothing when compared with the urgency of this battle, Kirito." simply answered the man with an even tone. "As you yourself know, this will be a very dangerous fight, so the faster you get there the less the chances of anyone dying will be."

There was something….Something 'wrong' in there. For an instant, every single one of the United Heroes Association's members felt as if something in Heathcliff's words sounded…'twisted'.

Then, the moment was over and another member of the KoB was there, reporting to their leader that they were ready. Obtaining a nod of confirmation for his part, the man turned around and let his cape flap at the wind in a similar way to Kirito's as he walked towards the front of the group.

"…well, guess this is it." muttered the black-haired boy with an uncertain smile, looking at the others and trying to ignore his bad feeling. "Good luck…and try to not kill that Boss before I arrive, okay?"

"Hah, you wish." replied Ducker while letting a grin appear on his face, the attempt of a joke motivating him to try and raise the general mood too. "You will be lucky if it still has any HP left for you to punch!"

"I-I bet we will have wiped out its first HP bar before you even walk through your portal, Kirito-san!" boasted Silica while Pina chirped over her head, the rest of the guild starting to smile softly too.

That was when Heathcliff's shout of 'Corridor, Open!' filled the plaza and their eyes shot forward, seeing the portal materialize, a 'wall of light' covering its front when the game detected where it led, as Kirito already knew would happen since they had tried something similar on the 29th Floor to see if he could bypass the Dungeon's blockade.

As the entire group started entering, Asuna stopped for a moment before looking at him and nodding, the boy answering back with a thumbs-up.

"See you in a bit, Sensei!"

"Same here, Asuna."

Then, she also walked through the portal and it closed, the Front Liner's gone and he now standing there all alone.

He let more or less 30 seconds go by, as the crimson-armored leader of the KoB had said, and once he was sure they would already be fighting the Boss, he raised the Crystal that had been given to him.

"Corridor, Open!"

When a wall-less portal opened, the boy nodded to himself and shot through it, ready to end the fight.

The portal closed.

Down on Floor 22, on a certain woodhouse, Yui froze in the middle of worriedly waiting for the group to return, her eyes widening in a mix of shock and horror as they shot to the ceiling.

"…Papa?"

Kirito's presence had just vanished from Aincrad.

In that same moment, on the Boss Room of the 75th Floor, the group of Front Liners was walking inside the MASSIVE chamber, uneasiness filling them. The room was bigger than any other they had seen in SAO, easily 5 times bigger than the usual Boss Room, and several smaller platforms surrounded the big one where they were now standing.

The strangest and most sinister thing, though, was that there wasn't any trace of the Boss around, despite the lights having lit up as soon as they entered.

"I don't get it…where is it?" whispered a confused Lisbeth.

"I don't know…" frowning, Argo looked around, her fists clenched as she suddenly felt an unnatural tension filling her body. "…something is wrong, but…"

Heathcliff, the one going on the group's front, reached the center of the room.

The doors to the Boss Room suddenly closed with a thundering sound, shocking everyone as they stared at them. THAT had never happened before.

The silence filling the room suddenly seemed much darker and sinister, its eerie red illumination extremely ominous…

Then, Pina squeaked.

"KYUUU! KYUKU!"

"What?! Above?!" Silica's gaze shot to the ceiling, following her agitated pet's line of sight…

More than one player screamed or shouted in shock, she herself feeling her heart skip a beat.

There, hanging from the ceiling of the immense room, an imposing and terrifying beast stared down at the Players, like an Apex Predator about to kill his pathetic preys.

It was massive, as tall as a cargo truck and twice as long, fitting for a creature that 'lived' in that gigantic room. Its appearance could only be called centipede-like, made of pure-white bones and each of his 'legs' seeming like giant needles. His front was vaguely 'human-like', at least in the part of the vertebrae and the fact that it had legs and arms, but it didn't look even remotely human in any way, with its long skull and red eyes, his jaws seeming like those of a snake, his skeletal arms ending in two massive and deadly-looking scythe-like blades.

Five HP bars had already formed upon his body, announcing the abomination's name to the Front Liners.

'The Skull Reaper'.

Releasing an unholy scream, the Boss SHOT down towards the players, at speeds that seemed impossible for a creature of that size to reach.

Heathcliff was already shouting the order when everyone started moving.

"SCATTER!"

The Skull Reaper descended, too fast, the Players moving to slow to evade his first deadly char…

"HEAVENLY PIERCEEEER!"

Sachi's spear shot forward, the drill-like tip of the Skill's aura crashing headfirst on the abomination's face and killing part of its momentum while starting to reduce his HP.

Then, the rest of the momentum hit the bluish-haired girl and she was sent flying backwards like a ragdoll, her spear flying out of her hands as the Boss crashed on its side, roaring like a demon from hell before quickly using his many legs to right itself up.

"SACHI!"

"HERE IT COMES!"

"Prepare your shields!"

"Oh God, why is it so fa…?! GAAH!"

The sound of polygons exploding filled the area, Asuna's eyes widening in shock and horror as the member of the DDA that had screamed died on contact with the left scythe of the beast while Heathcliff parried the other one with his shield.

Not even 15 seconds had passed since the 'battle' started.

Releasing a scream on her own, the chestnut-haired girl let her rapier ignite on bright light as she shot towards the Boss, vaguely aware of Keita handing Sachi back her lance.

In the middle of the utter chaos, no one seemed to notice how the leader of the Knights of Blood smirked.

* * *

"Wha…what the hell is this…?" muttered Kirito with disbelief while staring ahead.

He was on a cliff, near a zone filled with rocky passages and some kind of 'temple' close by, forests all around. On the distance, some kind of 'floating' area could be seen, some sort of tower high on its edge. Faintly, he thought he could see an OCEAN on other of the edges of the unknown zone, and eerie lights that came from the other cardinal point seemed to, impossibly, belong to some sort of alien jungle.

On the center of it all, like some sort of macabre and unnatural monument, a gigantic black sphere floated in the air, some kind of yellowish 'energy' raining down from it and into the void bellow.

Fear and despair gripping at him, the gamer's hands shot to open his menu, which confirmed what he already knew.

He wasn't in Aincrad anymore.

He didn't even know what the 'Hollow Area' was, so he ignored the name in favor of looking over anything that may seem like the Floating Castle on the sky.

Nothing.

An instant later, one of his Teleport Crystals vanished uselessly when he unsuccessfully tried to return to Collinia.

A cold wind blew over him as he stared silently at his hands.

Through the despair and terror on his mind, everything seemed to suddenly 'click', a dawning realization making that hot rage filled his very being.

"HEATHCLIIIIIIFFFFFFF!"

Roaring in rage to the heavens, and at the same time praying that his friends were okay, the boy RAN like a comet towards the massive black sphere, ignoring any and all abnormally strong mobs that appeared on the way.

He needed to find a way back…or everything would be lost.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…it's time. No more games. No more tears. You hurt the people I cherish…you forced me away from my family…you doomed countless people to their deaths. All this suffering…it has been YOUR fault from the start, and I will end it now, with this fist of mine, Heathcliff…no, KAYABA AKIHIKO! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'SERIOUS POWER!' Do you think you're superior to us because you know each and every single one of this World's Skills, Kayaba?! Then let me show you one of MY Skills! SUPER-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** DUMDAMDOM! So, yeah, that happened XP Sorry about the Cliffhanger, but it needed to be done. Next time, the END of Arc One of this massive craziness! Epicness beyond belief is coming :D!

Also, let me wish you all again a happy new year! Hope you enjoyed the 'calm' before the storm and got some laughs out of it, this story is still cracky at heart, after all OxO Oh, and if someone is interested, I didn't totally made up that 'hot springs' place for the sake of silliness and fanservice, it actually exists and it's a place where Asuna and Liz DO take a bath in a sidestory of the SOA arc in canon, that takes places after Kirito meets Lisbeth but before the events against the 74th Boss happen :O (And yes, they ALSO get Kirito to guard outside for them XD). I figured it would be good to use it for this chapter 'relaxing' mood, before shit got real at the end, at least.

And those who know about it, either for having seen it online or playing the game like me, sorry if I got some of the finer 'details' of the Hollow Area wrong, it's REALLY difficult to describe it all from a 'person' point of view with how few images of it all complete are. Those who don't know about it, don't worry, it won't be relevant on itself, but the explanations needed will be given on the next chapter. Those who DO know about the place will understand more or less why Heathcliff though sending Kirito there to get him 'outta the way' was a good idea (I think, at least).

Finally, hope you liked the 'logic' bit about Yui in the middle of all that 'silly' part with the girls XD Have you ever wondered HOW she would have been like if she hadn't lost her memories and her first interaction as a 'human' had been Kirito and Asuna treating her like their pseudo-daughter? Well, I did, and so that 'explanation' of her and her slightly 'unnerving' attitude are the results, sorry for that, Yui fans :3

Well, that's all from me for now folks. No usual 3-chapter Interlude this time because the epic 'finale' of this 'season' is coming! For now, enjoy the festivities and welcome the New Year with bright smiles, like Saitama-sensei would a special Sales Day 0w0!

Until the next epic time, this is Saint, signing off!


	13. Chapter 10: SERIOUS POWER!

Hello once again, everyone!

First, I would like to say that I'm sorry for the delay, the combination of the 'crisis review', that I'm sure most of you will be aware of happened this last week, with the 'end of the year laziness' made me take much longer with this chap that I should have XP Second, I wish to thank you all for reading this crazy story all the way here with me, and that I hope I will continue seeing you all around. You're the ones who made what started as a small silly craziness into the awesome thing that is now =)

OH! Almost forgot, but if you wanted to know, I used the names of Argo and Sachi's original voice actors for their 'real ones', seeing as they're the only ones from the group without their real names confirmed in canon OwO

Okay then, without more delays, enjoy the last chapter of the Aincrad Arc =D!

 **Warning:** You should probably have some epic music prepared to play through this chapter in certain scenes. One Punch-Man's opening (The Hero!) is recommended, like many of the songs played on it, but also anything you think will sound cool XD

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 _"The True Power of us human beings is that we can change ourselves on our own."_ -Saitama, the Strongest Hero.

* * *

 **Chapter 10: SERIOUS POWER! Beyond the Virtual Horizon!**

 **September 5th, 75th Floor. Boss Room, 10:42…**

A flash of speed.

An unholy roar.

An explosion of power.

In the middle of the cacophony of screams filling the massive chamber, a deadly battle raged on.

Once again, the massive scythe-arm of the abomination known as Skull Reaper descended, and once again it was parried by Heathcliff's mighty shield.

The other one, meanwhile, crashed angrily against Strea's massive sword and Asuna's rapier, both girls grunting at the massive effort, even as their feet skid backwards several meters and their HP dropped. Roaring angrily in response, the tail-end of the beast swung to try and crush the players trying to take advantage of the opening created by the Paladin and the Heroines to attack.

A pink blur with a metallic arm shining in silver was there to meet it, mace and shield raised as she flexed her God Hand and roared.

"HADES ARMOR!"

Lisbeth blocked the impact head on and, as expected, quickly started to be pushed back, her heightened resistance not making her any stronger, just twice as durable…but that was why Tetsuo and Sasamaru were already there to grab the girl's shoulders and push with all their strength, the combination of the two pushing boys and the girl turned living shield being enough to stop the tail from crushing the other Front Liners.

"What are you waiting for?!" shouted the blacksmith at the shocked players, stopped barely a meter behind her and her guild mates. "GO!"

Snapping out of their daze, the group of players roared and unleashed their strongest Sword Skills, damaging the Boss as much as they could even as the three members of the Association moved again.

Another earth-shattering scream released, the Skull Reaper quickly disengaged his scythe-arms from the ones in front of him and turned around with unreal speed, aiming to target the group that had just attacked him.

Half a dozen shurikens shining in crimson slamming directly against his right eye before exploding was his reward for the action, the beast's head snapping to the side as Silica ran right towards it, jumping at the same time she reached for the massive Fuuma Shuriken on her back.

The angry jaws of the abomination snapped at her as it recovered, trying to devour the jumping kunoichi, only for a determined-looking Pina to stand on his way and unleash a barrage of explosive bubbles straight down its 'throat'. The Boss reared back in 'pain' while releasing another unholy roar, even as Silica's weapon shone brightly in yellow and she let it fly directly at the massive undead-centipede, a shout of 'Falcon's Drop!' signaling how it slashed down the 'back' of the centipede-like beast, causing serious damage even as the girl landed, her weapon finishing its strike near the tail-end of the monster.

Ducker was already there, grabbing the weapon and running away as fast as his nimble built allowed him, the tail-end of the Skull Reaper not hitting him by less than half a meter.

Then Keita came in, leading another charge against the abomination's side, his battle-staff smashing against one of its many 'legs' as the players surrounding him unleashed several hits with their weapons.

The 75th Boss answered by suddenly spinning over itself, like a maddened snake coiling to attack, his motion allowing him to throw back all those who were attacking his side.

The staff-user tried to not let despair consume him when he heard the sound of polygons exploding near him. Instead, he stood up, backed away and quickly opened his menu, searching for a potion to recover, shouting at the rest of players to quickly do the same.

Uncoiling as it glared at the retreating group, the Skull Reaper shot forward like a missile once again.

Heathcliff was there to stop him once more, the crimson-armored man clearly grunting as he tried to stop the entire head of the massive monster with only his shield, metallic boots skidding back as the monster pushed.

Then, a blur of movement came in, a lowered hood hanging from her back as the shiny claws on her hands ignited with the light of her fists.

"Hang in there! DRAGON'S FURY!" with a roar on her own, Argo unleashed the Skill, the amount of punches, knee, hits and inverted kicks from it being so long that it easily surpassed the 20 hits before it was over.

Even so, its work was done, the massive beast having been stopped, forced to rear back and let its frontal body stand again.

Roaring, his massive scythe-arms were raised again, ready to cut down the paladin and the panting Rat.

Oozing darkness, a roaring Strea slammed her blade against his side, the 'Soul Slayer' Darkness Blade Skill being enough to cause the Boss to stagger and hesitate for an instant.

It was more than enough for the mighty form of Asuna to jump on her friend's shoulders, Strea looking at her with grim determination as the chestnut-haired girl unsheathed the two swords she now carried on her back as she landed upon the abnormal 'head' of the Skull Reaper.

The Dual Wielder's face was a mask of feral determination as she raised her blades, one as black as the night, the other an emerald that shone stronger than the ethereal light of the room.

"THE ECLIPSE!"

With a deafening sound, Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang smashed straight on the abomination's head with a speed above what any mortal could ever hope to reach, cracking the Boss' skull as they kept slashing with the might of Dual Blades' Ultimate Skill behind them.

Thrashing madly as his AI was unable to fully understand the situation, the Skull Reaper tried to bend one of his scythe-arms to cut Asuna down from her place above his head…

"Kuzu Ryusen (Nine-Headed Dragon Strike)."

…but 9 mighty slashes, executed so fast that one almost couldn't see their golden glow, stopped the monster by CUTTING OFF the deadly scythe right at the elbow's joint.

Smiling at Philia, the Dual Wielder finished her own Skill a second later, her Frozen Time making her unable to not be thrown down by the screaming Boss, the head snapping towards her to try and crush her body between his jaws.

Three mighty thrusts of energy stopped that, Sachi's 'Triana' Skill having saved the life of her friend and Sub-Leader.

Free of the post-Skill frozen state, Asuna nodded to Sachi as she quickly stood up and raised both her blades in time to parry the monster's remaining scythe-arm, the owner of Infinite Spear joining her a second after to push against the beast with her lance too.

Eyes shooting around the room in an instant, the chestnut-haired girl saw Heathcliff running towards her and Sachi while readying his own sword, a Skill charging as he approached, and also noticed how Keita had already organized another assault against the tail-end of the Boss. A bit to the left, Agil was now guarding the panting form of Liz while Tetsuo and Sasamaru ran towards the Boss' now unprotected right-frontal side, even as Ducker gave Silica back her Fuuma Shuriken in mid-run, letting himself fall to his knees to recover his breath while the tired-looking kunoichi and her faithful dragon-friend ran towards the fight once again.

The chestnut-haired girl's heart clenched at noticing that there was still no sign of her Sensei.

Her head clearing the same instant the Skull Reaper's left scythe was reared back, Asuna forced her mind fully back to the battle.

No time to wonder or to worry. People were relying on her. Her Sensei trained her exactly for this kind of situations.

"HEROES, ONWARDS!"

Because as long as she could still swing her blades, she needed to fight both for herself and everyone else.

* * *

The people walking near the Teleport Gate of Floor 75 (Mainly remaining members of the bigger guilds participating in the Boss Battle) looked increasingly nervous the more time passed.

Supposedly, this battle should have taken very little time once Kirito joined in, and more than one were starting to get paranoid after having been more than 20 minutes without hearing from their friends or companions, the lack of communication meaning that the Front Liners were STILL inside the Dungeon, for some reason.

Before they could even think of starting to try and investigate what was happening, though, the Teleport Gate shone and let an unusual figure emerge, her tiny hands clenched with worry.

Biting her lips and looking around for an instant, Yui cast all hesitation aside and FLEW upwards.

The gathered players were still gaping at the floating little girl before she shot forward like a missile, crossing the air at brutal speeds, her sight never leaving her goal.

The 75th Dungeon Tower.

"Everyone…please, be okay!"

* * *

The Hollow Area.

Essentially a 'backup' Server for SAO, this place's primary purpose was to be the Cardinal System's 'Testing Ground'.

New weapons, new monsters, new Skills and System Upgrades were always first tested in this complex and strange area, mainly by the 'Hollows', data-copies of real players from Aincrad that had AIs just advanced enough to follow their 'purpose'. Even so, more of the most difficult and challenging functions of this place could only be activated by a player possessing special 'Testing' privileges…

"UAAAAHHH!"

BAM!

…but of course, Kirito didn't know any of this, nor would he probably cared too much if he did, as he slammed his fist against the massive black sphere that floated on the center of the Hollow Area, its 'core'.

The entire thing shook mightily, but nothing else seemed to happen.

Then the boy punched it again. And again.

And AGAIN.

Slamming his fist madly against it time and time again, the gamer felt a small bit of hope filling him when cracks started to fill the massive sphere.

Releasing another shout, he raised his fist and slammed it against the strange structure one last time.

With a massive cracking sound, part of the sphere broke under Kirito's punch, letting him fall down in what he initially thought was a massive void.

Then, he landed in a strange 'room', which was apparently the inside of the sphere, and that seemed some sort of ethereal 'control room', with a console and strange holographic screens on the center.

Near it, there was some sort of rectangular 'stone' with a strange inscription imbedded on the floor. With a determined gaze, the caped boy stood up and started walking towards the console, hoping to find a clue about how to get out of there.

He suddenly froze at the sound of something materializing at the room's opposite side, his eyes instinctively shooting that way.

Kirito suddenly found himself staring at his own, blank and emotionless face…

* * *

One last might roar filled the room, the last act of defiance coming from a monster that was created as an annihilation machine.

Then, an Emerald Blade crashed brutally against his head, reducing his last HP bar to nothing and making it explode into polygons.

Asuna let herself fall to the floor, panting and trying to recover her non-existent virtual breath, vaguely aware of everyone else on the room doing the same, some even openly sobbing or starting to mutter what seemed like prayers.

The sudden 'CONGRATULATIONS!' message and music only seemed to mock the tired and traumatized Front Liners, the sounds of the doors on both ends of the room opening not even registering on their minds as the reddish light changed into a more normal one.

At least a couple of minutes passed before Asuna was able to gather enough will to stand again, her eyes looking around the room as she saw how most of the Players still seemed unwilling to move.

Vaguely, she saw Klein being helped to stand by Agil, both of them having grim and tired looks on their faces.

"How many…?" Asuna's words didn't seem to be aimed at anyone in specific as she said them, but they somehow seemed to reach everyone's ears. "How many did…?"

"Ten." grimly answered Keita while looking away from his open Menu, having seen how many members less the Raid had compared to when they entered. "Dammit…"

A heavy silence hung upon the Front Liners, their minds still trying to come to terms with what had happened. Since the disaster that had been the 25th Floor Boss, no one had ever died again on a Boss Fight.

For them to suddenly lose 10 people, and even more, in a battle as deadly and chaotic as this one had been…

Someone seemed to snap, then, a random member of the KoB looking towards the silent members United Heroes Association.

"Where is he?!" shouted the man while trembling, drawing everyone's attention with his outburst. "Why the hell didn't he come?! Why did he abandon us against that thing?! Where is your goddammed Hero?!"

Those words seemed to be some kind of trigger, most of the players there starting to either whisper or glare at the smaller Guild. In the middle of the madness, they had forgotten that they weren't even supposed to fight this Boss till the end, just delay it enough for the 'Superhero' to destroy it.

Yet, he hadn't come. And now that the doors had opened, it was obvious that he hadn't even been there, waiting and unable to get through them as some had thought.

"Do-don't such things!" shouted back Silica while Pina tried to stop her from talking. "Kirito-san would never…!"

"Then WHY isn't he here?!" the man's continuous and hysterical screams only seemed to rise higher, a mix of the shock and the death from the battle having apparently made him lost it, even as the kunoichi flinched. "Why hasn't he shown up to help, or even come to see if you were okay after the battle ended?! Why would he…?!"

"Kuradeel, shut up." coldly muttered Heathcliff, silencing the man even as many of the silent players turned their eyes to him. "We may not know why our 'Hero' has abandoned us, but until we're sure of the cause we should…"

That did it. In an instant, SOMETHING seemed to become clear for a certain group of players, their eyes widened at Heathcliff's words. It was not HOW he was saying it, but more WHAT he was saying.

Despite trying to sound as if he was excusing him, he was still saying openly that Kirito had abandoned them, with a conviction that seemed out of place. Almost as if he was SURE of it, or almost as if he knew…

With a sudden, seemingly mad, shout, Ducker stood up and threw one of his Throwing Picks towards the leader of the Knights of Blood, the sudden action shocking everyone even as the man in crimson armor spun around and effortlessly blocked it with his shield.

Heathcliff seemed about to say something when a sudden aura impaled him from the side, shouts coming from his guild and many others when Sachi unleashed a 'Longinus' against him with a feral growl.

Even as Klein cursed in shock and Agil shouted to the many players suddenly trying to restrain the 'mad' Heroes to stop, Asuna shot forward like a living bullet, her blades streaking through the air and slamming against the recovering form of the wide-eyed 'Paladin'.

The roars of rage of many Front Liners were drowned when a screeching sound filled the chamber, the Dual Wielder's swords being repelled backwards even as a pop-up message appeared over Heathcliff as his HP reached the 50%.

[Immortal Object]

Utter shock and disbelief filled everyone, no one trying to restrain Sachi or Ducker anymore as Asuna GLARED at the surprised man with pure hate, even as his face slowly melted into a strangely wide and unnatural smile.

"What did you to him, bastard?! What did you do to Kirito-kun?!" the chestnut-haired girl's angry shout seemed to fill the entire room as the rest of the Heroes Association stood up, their grips on their weapons tightening. "Answer me, Heathcliff! Or maybe do you prefer…Kayaba Akihiko?!"

The room exploded into a new kind of chaos, countless shouts of 'WHAT?!' and 'NO WAY!', mainly coming from the Knights of Blood, filling it as everyone stared at the one they thought was one of their main hopes for clearing the game with a mix of shock and betrayal, more than one clearly unable to believe that he was the madman that trapped them there in the first place in disguise.

Then, 'Heathcliff' released a chuckle, which quickly turned into open laughter, silencing everyone as he calmed down and stared at Asuna with a small smirk, though his eyes never seemed to lost sight of the rest of her guild moving around him.

"Well, I have to be honest, Asuna-san, I wasn't expecting you all to discover it, even less in THIS moment. Tell me, what gave it away? Was it the Corridor Crystal? Or maybe something I said before the battle?"

"A mixture of all things, to be fair." acidly commented Argo while trying to contain her urges of simply rushing in and clawing the man's virtual face off. "Now, answer Aa-chan's question. Where is Kii-bou, Kayaba?"

"On a place from where he will never be able to come back." calmly revealed the creator of SAO while many of the people there gasped in shock, the Heroes only feeling their hate for the man growing, both at the acceptance of his involvement with their friend and leader's disappearance and because he so calmly accepted having doomed those last 10 players to die with his actions. "I set that Corridor Crystal to send him to a special backup server. No matter how strong he is, his 'powers' don't allow him to travel through the virtual world at will." sighing, Kayaba just shook his head from side to side, as if disappointed. "You have sadly ruined all that I had planned for this, though. Do you even know how much careful planning went into staging the 'disappearance' of the one everyone looked up as a 'Hero', just after the most tragic battle the Players ever had to face? It would have not only made the next Floor much more tragic, but also made everyone…"

"Are you…are you even hearing yourself?!" interrupted Klein with pure anger, a hand on his katana as he glared at the crimson-armored man. "You're rambling as if our lives are nothing more than parts of your fucking 'story', you sick bas…!"

Before anyone could even react, the Creator of SAO's hand shot towards a strange window that had appeared on his side and pushed something, letting a 'wave' of energy wash over the room, the Front Liners screaming as they fell down, eyes wide at noticing how they all had been inflicted with the 'Paralysis' Status.

"Thanks for the distraction, Klein-san, I was wondering if I would need to talk some more to draw their attention away from my hands." idly muttered the man while walking over the downed Players, hate, betrayal, horror and regret filling the gazes that looked back at him from the ground. "I will admit, though, that it is REALLT sad. I had been planning on using Kirito's 'disappearance' to get everyone to rely more on me, only to see how much more dramatic it would be when I revealed myself and 'betrayed' you all on the 95th Floor…but I guess that's no longer possible." with another disappointed sigh, Kayaba stopped moving and opened his menu, no longer seeming to bother giving the unmoving Front Liners any of his attention. "I suppose I will have to go and wait for you all on the Ruby Palace on the 100th Floor until…"

"Give…him back…!" the man's surprised eyes turned around, looking with shock how Lisbeth's God Hand was closing into a fist and starting to try and push against the ground to let the paralyzed girl stand again. "Give Kirito…back…bastard!"

"That's…beyond impressive, not to say impossible. You should be absolutely unable to move while under 'Paralysis'…" tilting his head, the crimson-armored man just walked to the blacksmith's side before casually kicking her metallic arm, making her yelp as she fell face-first on the ground again and her friends screamed her name. "Then again, coming from His guild I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He was not only the reason why the Unique Skills got released much earlier, but also managed to gather almost all of them around himself…truly, an impressive boy…But also a threat. After all, what's the point of this game if you can let someone else beat the hardest enemies for you in one punch?"

"TO HELL WITH YOUR DAMN GAME!" roared Philia while trying to claw at the ground to move, but even her fingers refused to do anything more than twitch. "No one here wants or ever wanted to be part of your sick scheme, madman! Now return Kirito to us! NOW!"

"Yes! Don't you dare to…take Kirito-san away!" snarling, Silica tried to move with all her might, her entire body shaking while an also helpless Pina watched her with worry and sadness, noticing the angry tears running down her eyes. "If you don't, I will…!"

"What? Defeat me? I'm not like the mobs you have faced, nor even like the Bosses that had threatened you time and time again." tilting his head to the side, Kayaba seemed to take a massive interest in watching everyone's faces, like a child looking down on a group of ants. "I'm a human being, like you all. Leaving your ability to face me aside, is anyone here truly able and ready to KILL me?"

No words answered his echoing declaration, even as Silica seemed to choke with her own tongue, faces twisting with a mix of hate and despair…

Until an unexpected voice answered.

"For them…I AM."

Kayaba had enough time to look in shock at the figure of a little girl floating near the room's entrance before she pointed her hands at him, sending his body flying like a comet and off the platform where they had fought the Skull Reaper.

Everyone's faces reflected absolute shock even as Yui grinned fiercely…

And then the man in crimson armor slammed his hand against a window that had suddenly appeared at his side, stopping IN MID-AIR.

The small AI didn't even had enough time to be shocked before several screens of 'Error Detected' surrounded her, making her scream as she fell to her knees, streams of 'electricity' surrounding her.

"YUI-NEE!"

"YUI-CHAN, NO!"

"Well, well, well, talk about surprises. When I started hearing rumors about the Heroes Association having 'adopted' a little girl and started to take her around I didn't really give it much importance, but…" as he calmly floated down, Kayaba looked down at the struggling form of Yui in honest surprise. "Who would have thought it was YOU, MHCP-001?"

"M-my…name…is Yui…" painfully groaned the little girl while glaring at her creator in defiance.

"Oh? And look at that, you have achieved…self-awareness? Something more?" tilting his head, the man calmly opened another window at his side. "Either way, it doesn't matter. Cardinal just detected you, so I think I will help her in dealing with this little 'rogue program'."

"KAYABA!" roared Asuna with utter hate, her mind a torrent of madness and chaos as she tried to free herself from the paralysis, the need of destroying the man if only to protect Yui overriding everything else on her eyes. "If you dare to hurt her…!"

"'Hurt' her? I cannot hurt something that it's not alive, Asuna-san." idly declared the Creator of SAO, his words making the blood of every member of the Heroes Association boil on their non-existent virtual veins. "Besides, I'm not going to delete her, that would be a waste. I'm going to send her back where she belongs, with Cardinal." the little AI's face turned into a mask of terror, her mind shaking at imagining being back in the darkness, alone in the silence were only the voices of those outside echoed. "I'm sure the System will improve greatly by studying how she…"

Something 'snapped' and broke.

With an scream more proper of a beast than of a human, Strea shot forward, darkness enveloping her like a living nightmare as she raised her massive sword, aiming to cut Kayaba in half.

The utter black flash emerging from the weapon's edge identified the attack as 'Dead End', Darkness Blade's Ultimate Skill, a lethal 1-Hit attack that always dealt critical damage, plus a high probability of inflicting every single Negative Status in the game, even those unique of the deadly Skill Tree, including, which made it even more terrifying, 'Sudden Death'.

With an impressive speed and unreal precision, the Fake Paladin spun around, raising his shield…and letting go of it in the last second, pushing it forward and into Strea's blade with all his might.

The shocked AI barely had enough time to see how the Tower Shield made her strike fail utterly before the creator's sword shone white, letting him unleash a deadly X-shaped combo over her chest, which made her let go of her sword.

"Do you know what's Darkness Blade greatest weakness? The psychological factor." calmly explained the man while putting the edge of his sword against the girl's neck. "It was made to be a PvP Skill Tree, so while it still works against some of the weaker mobs, it's not really useful for a Front Liner, much less someone who fights Bosses. You see, the whole 'oozing darkness' thing the Skill creates when activated was thought to call forth the 'fear' factor inside the human mind, that terror and hesitation caused by the appearance it gives to the user making it much easier for the enemies to be hit by the Skills. Of course…that doesn't' work against someone who knows this and can easily ignore it, as you can see."

As if to further prove how futile the attack had been, Kayaba raised his hand and his Tower Shield flew back at him, letting everyone who still had any doubts see he had equipped the same 'Admin. Privilege' that Yui had always had.

"…Kirito will find you." the emotionless voice of the lilac-haired girl seemed to draw everyone's attention, even as her face split a soft grin, her red eyes seeming to want to pierce the man's soul. "And when he does…he's going to punch you to oblivion."

In answer…Kayaba smirked.

"He will try." silently the man whispered before his sword MOVED.

Strea's head flew off her shoulders with a single, clean slash, her HP Bar starting to go down like a rock sinking on water.

Screams of pain and horror filled the room.

"OH GOD!"

"NOOOO!"

"S-STREAAA!"

"Goodbye, MHCP-002." nonchalantly declared the armored man while the still smiling head shattered into polygons.

"S-Strea-nee…NOOO!" moving forward, shattering the screens caging her body and overcoming whatever 'pain' they were inflicting her, Yui shot past her surprised creator and embraced her sister's body with all her might, ignoring how her own had been filled with streams of damaged data. "I have you…! I HAVE YOU!" on the next instant, the body shattered into polygons…and these entered inside Yui's form with a shining light, letting the smaller girl panting on the ground, tears on her eyes as she embraced herself. "Do-don't worry…your older sister…has you safe…Strea-nee…"

"Did you just…save her Core Data inside your own code?" awe and disbelief were now filling Kayaba's voice as he stared at the AI in front of him. "Fascinating…I don't know how you or she managed to go against your programming and even surpass the System's limitations to get free, but I'm sure it will be most interesting to disco…"

"No…you won't be doing that. You're going to fall here and now, Kayaba Akihiko." the little girl looked back at the man with an undecipherable look on her tear-filled eyes, even as her lips curved into a tiny smile. "Because when people need them the most…Heroes rise."

On cue, the eyes of the Game's Creator widened as he looked around, seeing how everyone was gaping in shock as the members of the United Heroes Association stood up, shakily at first, then with strength and determination filling them, glares of pure rage being sent towards the one who had caused all of that madness and pain.

"Yui-chan…is Strea…?" Asuna's voice seemed to be at the edge of breaking as she started the question.

"She's still here…with me…for now…" muttered the little girl with a soft voice, a small wave of relief passing through the group's faces before their eyes hardened again.

"You…broke free of the Paralysis…?" if there ever was a moment Kayaba thought he wouldn't be surprised again, it was being totally proven wrong right then. "How?"

"I have no idea, and I'm pretty sure no one else does or gives a damn either." vaguely commented Argo while raising her claws. "But I know what we are going to do NOW, bastard."

"…eheheh…you're a truly surprising bunch, you know? One would say that you have even forgotten that I'm STILL an Immortal Object." chuckling in amusement, 'Heathcliff' waked past the silent Yui as his gaze flew over the group of 'Heroes'. "Hey, why don't we make a little bet? If you manage to defeat me, I will End the game and release everyone from Aincrad." shock and disbelief ran through the faces of everyone there, the Heroes' grips on their weapons tightening again. "Of course, that includes your 'banished' leader, and I will obviously cancel my 'invincible' status."

"You alone? Against all of us?" there was no disbelief in Philia's voice, just pure suspicion, neither she nor any of the others believing the mastermind behind it all would put himself in such a disadvantageous situation for no reason.

"Oh, you see Philia-san, I will be honest and say that a part of me has been looking forward to this, a part of me knowing for a long time now that I would have to fight you all at some point…" his right hand flying over a new screen, the sword back on the 'inner sheath' of the shield, Kayaba's smirk only widened as a screen popped up announcing 'Changed to Mortal Object'…and an strange aura surrounded him for a moment, making Yui's eyes widen as everyone tensed. "So I have been sure to be prepared."

"Wa-watch out! He just maxed his levels and his stats went through the ro…!"

The AI's words were unable to continue as the crimson-armored man SHOT forward, raising his shield to casually block the rain of shurikens and the Throwing Picks coming from Silica and Ducker, the rest of the Heroes either running in or retreating to try and get a clear shot as the Creator of SAO unsheathed his sword again.

"BASTARD!" slamming both her blades against his shield, Asuna roared as she tried to push back against Heathcliff, all the strength she put behind the fast and deadly swings of Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang seeming to barely make the man buckle. "You're going to pay for everything you have done, here and now!"

"I wouldn't count on that, Asuna-san." casually replied Kayaba while batting aside the girl's blades before turning around and smashing his shield against Tetsuo's mace, putting the boy off balance enough for his sword to slash at his chest, the mace-user hadn't even begun to fall back when the Fake Paladin spun around again and stopped Sasamaru's incoming Spear Skill dead on its tracks, easily cutting off the shocked boy's right hand and kicking him back, only to once again spin and parry Asuna's incoming slashes. "I truly wouldn't."

"TRIANA!" Sachi's roar was the signal for Asuna to jump back…and for the crimson-armored Paladin to quickly incline his shield just enough to make the first of the 3 thrusts go wide, making the shocked spear-user lost her grip on her massive weapon as it shot from her hands, the man spinning around and SLASHING the spear cleanly in half with a simple 'Sacred Swing' Holy Blade Skill. "N-no wa…!"

"You know that shouting your attacks' names aloud it's actually very impractical out of anime, right?" idly commented Kayaba while appearing in front of the girl, Sachi barely having enough time to gasp before the man pierced through her chest, screams erupting from both her friends and the rest of the Front Liners at the action. "Also, Infinite Spear's greatest weakness is the fact that the weapon is easy to be lost because of its size and how fast the strikes come, so if someone knows when they come and how to deflect them…" kicking the girl of bluish-black back the man turned around and easily parried Keita's angry staff-attack with his shield. "It's easy to deflect them."

"DEFLECT THIS THEN, SON OF A BITCH!" roared Ducker while unleashing a fast Dagger Skill against the man's unprotected back. "Got you now, you…!"

"Fool." simply countered the Game's Creator while spinning around, slashing at Keita's chest on the same movement with which he cut off half of Ducker's left arm and slashed a deep gash through his face, both Players falling backwards without effort. "Did you just try to confront someone wearing full-body heavy armor with a DAGGER? Are you really a Front Liner?"

"End it all…ZANTETSUKEN (Iron-Cutting Sword)!" Philia's scream echoed at the same time that her katana seemed to CUT through the air itself, as if no resistance at all existed, the Ultimate Skill able to easily cut any Non-Boss enemy in half…stopping at clashing against the Fake Paladin's shield, which had appeared on its path out of nowhere. "Wha…?! How…?!"

"Battoujutsu is the 'fastest' of the Unique Skills, but also one of the most annoying to use." not wasting any second as he talked, Kayaba let his blade shine and release a blinding light thanks to his Skill 'Divine Sword', making Philia grunt as she backed away and tried to shield to cover her eyes, unable to do anything to stop Kayaba from cutting off her right hand, her katana flying away with it. "Because if you can't return the blade to the sheath, then you can't use it anymore."

"THEN DODGE THIS IF YOU ARE SO HIGH AND MIGHTY!" Silica's shout let the man in crimson armor more than enough time to spin and use his Tower Shield to deflect her Fuuma Shuriken and sent it flying, the girl then unleashing a 'Swallow Barrage' Skill with her smaller throwing stars, that the man also easily blocked…just for Asuna to slash wildly at his exposed side and push him back, reducing his HP noticeably. "FINISH HIM, ASUNA-SAAAAN!"

"It's over, Kayaba!" roared the Dual Wielder while once again slashing with both blades at him, the man bringing his shield back to block.

"I still have HP left, Asuna-san…but then again, that wasn't your objective, right?" smirking again as the girl's gaze went wide with shock, the Game's Creator once again activated his blinding Skill as the girl turned her head away, being forced to disengage but managing to not lose her footing as she backed away…and Kayaba turned around to run with his sword raised towards Lisbeth's golden-shining form, her metallic arm releasing a mighty aura. "It was to distract me."

"ZEUS BLESSI…!" just as she raised her gaze to confront her enemy, Liz's fury was crushed by shock when he just 'slashed' at the air a meter from her with his blade, his 'Light Cutter' Skill unleashing a cut of pure light that severed her divine limb just at her shoulder, her glow vanishing the next instant as the brutal negative effect of her Ultimate Skill immediately kicked in, leaving her with a 90% reduction on all of her Stats. "Eh…?"

"God Hand's greatest weakness aren't its side-effects…it's that, if you cut it off, the user immediately loses all the Boosts and can't use it again until the 'Amputated' Status vanishes." then, without any ceremony, the Fake Paladin slashed across Liz's body, everyone freezing as she stumbled back in shock and her HP reached 0, her body promptly exploding into polygons, both her shield and mace falling to the ground. "I win."

Not even a second of silence passed before Asuna screamed and ran like a meteor towards Kayaba, who turned around to run and face her…and was shocked when she totally ignored him, running past him as she let go of Elucidator and madly ran through her menu, not seeming to even care for the presence of her enemy as she let go of her second sword and grabbed the Item that had just materialized with both hands.

The man in crimson barely had enough time to see the beautiful-looking 'stone' before a seemingly endless barrage of shurikens flew against him, Pina also unleashing his breath-attack against his body as he and Silica roared and tried their best to destroy him, forcing him to defend again, only for Argo to growl like an animal as she shot behind him and unleashed another of her massive Berserk Skills.

Meanwhile, Asuna's heart raced like a drum as she crushed the Divine Stone of Returning Soul over the place Lisbeth's body had vanished, praying to any God who would hear her that she had made it in time, that the scant 10 seconds that were the limit and that she had been unable to apply to any of the poor souls that had died while they fought against the Skull Reaper still hadn't passed…

For a horrible, soul-crushing second, nothing seemed to happen…

And then a glorious shine of light reformed Lisbeth's virtual body, the pink-haired girl's eyes shooting open as she screamed and started to dry heave, shaking like a leaf even as the chestnut-haired girl's arms shot around her, hugging her as she sobbed.

"It was all so dark…I couldn't move, couldn't hear, couldn't talk…nothing!" Liz shook again, seeming about to suffer a nervous breakdown right there. "I was going to…to…"

"It's okay…I promised it. I'm not letting any of you die…" softly muttered Asuna while letting the girl sob on her arms.

The sudden sound of metal falling down and a dragon screeching drew their attention back to the battle, an armless Silica falling to her knees as Pina floated protectively in front of his friend and partner, glaring at 'Heathcliff' as he just lowered his blade and turned around, ignoring Argo's unmoving form as she cursed endlessly, one of her legs missing and both her hands having vanished too, her claws lying not far from her.

The Creator's gaze met Asuna's.

"Now…you're the only one left."

Silently, the girl stood up, feeling Lisbeth's grip on her tightening for a second before she let her go, Asuna's eyes never missing Kayaba's as she recovered both Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang, adopting her dual-wielding stance and GLARING at the man.

For an instant, her gaze wandered over her guild, her friends, all of them lying defeated on the ground, unable to fight for one reason or another, be it lack of limbs, weapons or having their HP on the red and no crystals or potions left after the Boss Battle…

"So I am. And I'm going to finish this."

With another shout, Asuna MOVED, her brutal and unreal speed making her blades seem like a blur of black and green, the crimson-armored man calmly readying his own shield to parry the next attack…

And the Dual Wielder let go of her blades, 'throwing' them towards the shocked man as everyone in the room gaped in shock when she took advantage of the swords bouncing off his shield and putting him off balance to use her arms, grab his shoulders and jump over him, her right hand moving over her menu while still in mid-air.

The moment she landed, Asuna spun around and stabbed through the man's back with her newly equipped rapier, piercing through his armor.

Kayaba's life sank to just 10%…and he spun mightily again, forcing the girl to release her weapon as it flew away and a shining blade crashed against her torso.

She could hear everyone she knew intimately and many she didn't screaming her name when only a sliver of her HP remained as she fell on her back, panting.

There were tears on her eyes as she kept glaring at the silent form of the Game's Creator, standing over her like a crimson demon.

She had failed.

"…it was an impressive battle, Heroes." declared the man while releasing a slightly labored breath. "But in the end, none of you could compare to the God of this world."

"ASUNA-MAMA!" screamed Yui with tears as Kayaba raised his blade one last time, the rest of the guild trying to run at him and do something even if meant their own deaths. "PAPA! SAVE HEEER!"

Something seemed to EXPLODE when a mighty weight crashed down on the opposite end of the room, through the doors leading to the stairs for the next Floor.

Then, Kayaba's attack was halted at the last second when a raging blur of white and black crossed the whole room and PUNCHED against his side in less than an instant, sending him flying and crashing against the walls of the area, creating a massive cloud of debris with the impact.

Silence descended over the room once again, Asuna's eyes as wide as saucers as tears started running down her eyes faster than before, though for different reasons, even as she looked at the imposing form of the boy clad in white and black standing before her fallen body.

Slowly, Kirito turned towards her and, with a guilty expression, helped her back to her feet.

"I'm sorry for taking so long."

The room exploded into a roar of euphoria and happiness.

"IT'S HIM!"

"He came back!"

"I never doubted he would!"

"Kirito-san…thanks God…"

"Dammit Kii-bou…don't scare us like that again…"

"Papa…I knew you would come…" Yui's smiling face was still stained by tears as she stared at the black-haired boy, who was looking around the room with a grimacing face at seeing everyone's pitiful states.

"Sensei…" his attention drawn back to her at her words, Kirito looked once again towards Asuna. "I'm…sorry. I failed to…"

"Don't say anything, Asuna." silenced her the gamer while putting a gloved hand on her head, making the girl blink as he looked sadly at her. "You resisted until I came, like you always said. That's all that matters. Anything else is my fault for not seeing through his lie before all of this ha…"

"Huh…huhuhuh…AHAHAHAHAH! Astounding! You DID come back, even when there was NO WAY for you to do so!"

Everyone's inexistent virtual blood froze at those words, heads snapping to the side even as Kirito looked in shock as the small cloud cleared and the madly grinning form of Kayaba could be seem, his body still imbedded on the wall and only a sliver of HP left.

There was also an 'Immortal Object' pop-up over his head, which made every single member of the Heroes Association lost the color of their faces.

"You're fucking us…he had a safeguard…prepared…?" muttered Keita while the Fake Paladin released himself from the wall and floated about the void, his Admin. Privileges active once again.

"So we…couldn't have won since the beginning?!" a hateful snarl came from Lisbeth's mouth at that, the fear of having almost died replaced by utter rage at the deception even as everyone glared at the floating madman.

He ignored them all in favor of STARING at the boy with the white cape, his fists clenched in anger.

"How did you even come back?"

"There was a Teleportation Device inside that big-ass black sphere." somberly declared the boy while walking towards the platform's edge. "It led to the main city of the upper Floor. You shouldn't have left something like THAT there if you really wanted me to stay trapped in that weird place, idiot."

"That Teleportation Device required a special 'mark' conceded to specific players, which you can't have obtained in any way because it's currently disabled, to work. So my question stands."

For all answer, the boy gave a noncommittal shrug before speaking.

"I just punched it till it teleported me."

"…I see." accepted Kayaba seemingly without problems, as if the utter lack of logic of that declaration was something he was 'expecting'. "And how did you get past your Hollow?"

"My what?...wait, you mean the evil clone of myself that was waiting for me there? Was that supposed to be some kind of joke?" crossing his arms, the gamer glared harder at the man before him with annoyance. "It was clad on beginner equipment and armed with a sword. That thing was so weak I only needed to push it aside to kill it!"

"…as I suspected. Your avatar…or maybe YOU have become something so alien that the Cardinal System itself is unable to copy it…" while those words came out of his mouth, Kayaba's hands flew over two menus simultaneously. "…and by the way, if it makes you all feel better, I WAS planning on going along with my promise to free you all if you managed to reduce my HP like this, but…" suddenly, both menus on his side turned into strange and alien-looking black screens, with countless red lines of code on them. "For you, I had something else on mind, Kirito-kun."

Alarm bells ran through everyone's minds, and Kirito himself felt something inside of him scream in alert when Kayaba slammed both his hands against the screens, countless 'Warning!' messages appearing around him.

Then Yui started to scream, drawing several people's attention as she grabbed her head.

"CARDINAL! Cardinal…is…HERE!"

Kayaba ROARED, the Front Liners' eyes being drawn back to him as he CHANGED.

His armor, cracked from Kirito's blow, fully repaired itself before growing and thickening, turning bulkier as spikes emerged over the shoulders and knees, a glowing white orb appearing on the middle of his chest as the armor grew to cover every inch of his body, a helmet with an x-shaped visor engulfing his face as his eyes were obscured by a white shine coming from the visor itself.

A new sword, much longer and deadly-looking than his last one, manifested itself on his hand, together with another shield that was twice as big as the previous, with some kind of robotic-looking eye on its center.

Then his cape burned away, only to be replaced by white energy that flowed down the transformed man's back, seeming like living fire more than anything else.

His HP bar filled itself again, just before vanishing and for several 'Immortal Object' messages to flash all over his armor and weapons, even as a glowing white aura exploded around him, emitting an unreal energy that made several of the Front Liners to almost be thrown backwards.

The Players realized they could all move again when a synthetized female voice announced something that echoed through the whole floating castle.

[Aincrad Changed into Mortal Object]

His gaze suddenly lowering towards Kirito, Kayaba GRINNED behind his helmet.

"Let's go…KIRITO!"

Before anyone could even understand what had happened, Kayaba seemed to teleport himself in front of the wide-eyed gamer, slashing at him with his blade and sending him flying towards the ceiling of the Boss Room faster than a cannonball.

The boy's body slammed against the ceiling and went THROUGH it, debris falling down everywhere as the laughing form of the crimson-clad man flew after him like a living meteor.

The Front Liners ran out of the way of the falling remains of the ceiling, more than one screaming in utter shock.

In the middle of the chaos, Asuna was the first one to properly 'react'.

"Wha-what the fucking hell just happened?!"

"He…he created a direct link between his Avatar and Cardinal…he's using the power of the System itself! Ha-has he gone mad?!" shaking, her eyes seeming a bit unfocused, Yui's gaze shot upwards before she started to float, seeming about to lost her balance for an instant before steadying herself. "I…I need to…get to Papa! I need to tell him that he…he isn't limited by…!"

Suddenly, all strength seemed to abandon the little girl's body, letting her fall down towards the ground, only to be caught by Keita's staggering form.

"I got her!" looking down at the panting girl, who was repeatedly muttering for her 'Papa' aloud, the ex-guild leader suddenly seemed at a loss. "Wha-what do we do?!"

"Isn't it…obvious?! We need to go after Kii-bou!" growling, Argo was helped to stand by Philia, several other Front Liners around helping the rest of the 'Heroes' to stand. "T-to the next Floor, quick!"

There wasn't any hesitation in the girl's eyes as she said that, neither in any of the others, seeming barely bothered by their missing limbs.

After an instant of doubt, the gathered players nodded and started to run towards the stairs…

* * *

The ground of the 76th Floor EXPLODED, virtual dirt and rocks flying everywhere as the stunned form of Kirito spun through the air for several seconds before righting himself, landing in time to see Kayaba's new and bizarre form emerge.

Not wasting any second, the boy moved with his inhuman speed, his fist shooting forward to slam against the madman's unprotected face…

'Something' happened. As if reality itself was shifting, the massive shield was suddenly THERE, on the way of his fist, stopping his attack as several 'Immortal Object' messages popped up over it, Kayaba being forced a couple of meters back even as the boy almost lost his footing when an invisible force came from the shield and 'repelled' him backwards. Recovering his bearings and not wanting to waste a single instant, Kirito quickly reared back his other fist and let it shot forward again, intent on smashing it against the man's chest, but 'reality' seemed to once again bent as the shield moved in an impossible angle and at an impossible speed, stopping the boy's attack and causing the fighters to be separated again.

Wide-eyed, the black-haired boy stared from his fist to Kayaba's shining form, almost 'feeling' the man's grin behind his bizarre helmet.

"…what the hell did you do…?" softly whispered the gamer while the man readied his sword.

"Do you like it, Kirito-kun? When I first noticed you, I thought you would be a threat, something that could make all my efforts for setting up SAO meaningless…But then I realized that I was wrong. You were just…a challenge. Something that was meant to help me find the true answer I have been seeking! That's why, after managing to keep you away from the Bosses and restore the order to the game, I started to put together a way for me to end you when needed, because I just KNEW the day you and me had to fight would arrive!" putting his arms dramatically to the sides, the man seemed to be welcoming the entire sky on his embrace. "Behold! The Cardinal Mode! By using a direct link with the Cardinal System itself, I can multi-manage the power of several Players to bypass the Stats-Limitation of the game! Right now, you're facing someone with the power equivalent of a thousand max-level Players!"

His outrageous declaration done, Kayaba once again vanished from sight and appeared over Kirito, slashing down at the boy with a power that, despite his blocking, cracked the earth around them and sent shockwaves everywhere.

"The hell…?!"

"That's right, Kirito-kun! And when combined with the 'Over-System Assist' to make Cardinal itself let me counter your unreal attack speed, the gravity-controlling privileges of my Admin. Account, this armor and weapons made of the strongest metal and turned into Immortal Objects, this shield made based off the same walls that blocked your entrance to the Dungeons and this sword charged with enough Instant-Death properties to eradicate a dozen Bosses in one swing…!"evading Kirito's next attack and ignoring the shockwaves it created, the crimson-clad Creator slammed his shield against the boy with the strength to crush a mountain behind it, sending him flying through the air like a bullet. "…you're essentially facing the whole power of Sword Art Online, Kirito! You're now fighting a GOD!"

The first group of Front Liners, led by Asuna, Sachi and Keita, emerged from the Floor's stairs in time to see the form of their Hero flying back through the air as his cape bellowing wildly, crashing against the main city of the Floor, Arc Sophia, and destroying a good chunk of it with his crash.

Kayaba's new and mighty form shot through the air as if he was a character from a Shonen anime, flying towards where the boy had crashed with his sword ready to deliver another devastating strike.

Then, the boy JUMPED from the destroyed city and intercepted him in mid-air, sending the man flying upwards with a mighty punch. The Virtual God's body impacted against the ceiling of the Floor and went through it with the sound of a mighty crash. Barely an instant later, Kirito was jumping after him, easily surpassing the distance between Floors with no effort and disappearing upwards.

By this point, everyone was already on the 76th Floor, and they all were STARING at the point where the two fighters had vanished, as if trying to comprehend what they just saw.

"…holy fuck." softly muttered Klein, breaking the silence that seemed to have covered everyone. "Did anyone know that those two had Dragon Ball-level powers?"

As if to punctuate his statement, the entire Floor SHOOK at the next second, part of the labyrinth dungeon breaking in pieces and making the Floating Castle shake even more.

"What's going on?!" screamed Lisbeth while trying to maintain her footing.

"Kayaba…deactivated the 'Immortal Object' Status of everything in Aincrad but himself…" whispered Yui while looking up from her place on Keita's arms, Asuna sending her a worried look as the earth started to shake again. "Even Aincrad ITSELF is no longer indestructible…" pieces of the next Floor started to fall down as the 'hole' the madman had made when Kirito punched him through it started widening, making everyone look at it in shock. "And if he and Papa drag their fight much longer….they could bring down the entire castle…"

"He-hey, you're joking, right?" asked Agil with a nervous tone, his eyes looking how the cracks on the Floor's ceiling, the ground for the 77th Floor, widened even more. "I mean…there is no way they're THAT powerful, right?"

Yui gave no answer as she begged Keita to let her go, everyone looking at her with worry as she wobbly stood up.

"I need…to talk with Papa…I need to tell him…that he can…"

"What, Yui-chan?" even as Philia still helped her walk because of her missing leg, Argo still managed to keep herself firm as she looked at the young AI. "What can he do?"

With a strange shine on her eyes, the little girl answered with utter conviction.

"He can end this."

Twelve Floors above, Kayaba and Kirito clashed once again, punches being repelled by an impossibly-moving shield and an absolute-ending sword crashing against an unbreakable body, both the Hero and the Virtual God crashing into and through trees, ruins, mountains or anything they found in their path.

Snarling and getting a bit worried, Kirito once again ran towards Kayaba, who was now floating halfway over the Dungeon Tower of that particular floor, which was the 88th.

"Is that all you can do, Kirito?" taunted the madman as his white aura flashed with power around him.

For all answer, the boy jumped once again before starting to RUN up the side of the Dungeon, Kayaba's small moment of shock being enough for the gamer to slam his fist against his shield and sent the Virtual God back towards the upper Floor, not wasting a second before running faster and unleashing more punches against him.

Eventually, they ran out of Tower and went through yet another Floor's 'ceiling', both disengaging as the madman laughed and the boy glared at him in frustration.

"What the hell is your problem, Kayaba?! What's the point of all of this?!" opening his arms, as if to encompass all that surrounded him, Kirito glared angrily at his enemy. "This battle…this GAME! You were a genius, a man that revolutionized technology in the world! For what reason would you do something as sick and mad as this?!"

"Do you really want to know the reason, Kirito?" for an instant, the man's voice seemed to regain something of the 'humanity' it had had before this all, when he was pretending to be 'Heathcliff', the leader of the KoB and someone doing his best to help everyone escape this death game…and then he was in front of the boy once again, taking advantage of his shock to slash at him with a shining blade, a massive wave of pure light exploding outwards as the amplified power of the Unique Skill cut through the Floor itself and pushed the Hero back at break-necking speeds. "THEN TRY TO SURVIVE AND DISCOVER IT!"

"GAAAAAAAH!" screaming with a mix of frustration and despair, the boy tried to free himself from the absurdly unreal attack, trying very hard to ignore the part of his brain suggesting to just give up and go insane because Kayaba had gone Full-Boros on his ass. "Why can't I have…?!" the boy reared back his fist…"…a NORMAL LIFE?!"

And PUNCHED.

The massive 'slash' of solid light exploded into a massive rain of polygons, leaving a frustrated and panting Kirito to barely stop himself from falling off Aincrad by sinking his feet on the ground.

Behind him, he noticed a good chunk of the Floor flying away and starting to fall down towards the endless virtual sky.

Then, he turned around…and was barely able to raise his arm to block Kayaba's latest slash.

With an explosive sound, the gamer found himself flying backwards again, no solid ground in sight as he stared with disbelief at the floating form of the Virtual God.

Then, he fell down, towards the virtual sky, the Floating Castle passing wildly fast at his side.

"…even that almighty avatar of yours will be erased after falling into the digital void." idly commented the Creator before turning around and floating silently to the ground of the 89th Floor, walking away and giving his back to the one who had been his greatest challenge. "Goodbye, Kirito-kun."

Closing his eyes with just a small hint of sadness, Kayaba prepared himself to Teleport…and was totally unprepared when the ground under him EXPLODED and a fist slammed against his shield, the reality-bending properties of the Cardinal System being barely enough to stop the attack from hitting him head-on.

With a roar, the black-haired Superhero crashed through Floor after Floor, his fists never stopping slamming against the unbreakable shield.

"Ho-how…?!" roared the Virtual God while his arm kept being moved by the System itself, breaking physics just to keep up with the boy's unreal speed.

"I jumped on that fucking piece of Floor your last attack cut off!" answered the boy while forcing his mind to concentrate in just one thing: Punching his enemy. "And I'm SO going to make you pay for that, you moro…!"

Both inhuman fighters broke through yet another Floor and, suddenly, the full force of the virtual sun shone over them.

Wide-eyed, Kirito had enough time to realize there were no more ceilings over them, just the virtual sky, before Kayaba moved once again with his 'divine' speed, slashing across his torso and sending him flying down.

He managed to see a blur of red walls all around before crashing through something and finally slamming into some kind of massive and elegant room, cracking the ground at doing so.

In the middle of it all, the soft beeping sound of a Message arriving to him was what made him snap his head up, in time to see the Game's Creator crash through the ceiling and starting to calmly float down.

"How fitting, that our fight had led us all the way here. Yes, without a doubt, Fate has a very curious sense of humor." sitting down on the impressive throne on the opposite end of the room, the Virtual God extended his sword towards the shakily standing boy. "Welcome to the Ruby Palace, Kirito-kun. You're now on the top of Aincrad. Congratulations."

The gamer, for his part, felt like crap. He found himself feeling absurdly tired and dizzy. Once again, he was forced to remind that he was NOT Saitama. While the Strongest Man could jump from the Moon all the way back to the Earth without even blinking, he was still just a teenager boy inside a virtual world, no matter how powerful he felt. His body here could be absurdly strong, but his mind was still the same, and right then he felt more tired than ever.

With a grimace, he realized that this may be his end. There was no way for him to damage Kayaba, not as long as he was still an Immortal Object, and the man still seemed more than able to continue. As long as he could 'fly', the madman only needed a moment of weakness to take advantage of and throw him off the Floating Castle.

Maybe there really was no way for him to…

BEEP!

Blinking, the boy's head turned to the side, vaguely aware of the Virtual God saying something to him, about him being an impressive challenge and such, but he tuned it out in order to open his menu and look at the two new messages he had just received.

Both were from Asuna…but the first one had apparently been written by Yui, if the words were anything to go by.

 _'Papa...you can do it! The System, it CAN'T stop you! I saw it myself, long ago! I don't know how, nor do I care, but you HAVE the power to break beyond even its limits! Immortal Objects or limitations of reality, they mean nothing to you, I just know it! I have been with you for some time now, Papa, and I know you're not only an amazing person, but also that nothing and no one can beat you! Please, for me, for Strea-nee, for everyone…beat him!'_

The second message was seemingly the same that the first one, but…

 _'Sensei…you can do it!'_

 _'Show him what you can do, Kii-bou!'_

 _'Don't let him beat you, Kirito-san!'_

 _'Kirito-sama, crush him!'_

 _'You can do it man, NOTHING can beat you! Show him!'_

 _'Stop that bastard once and for all, Kirito! And do it not for us, but for yourself!'_

 _'You will win, Kirito. I know it.'_

"Everyone…" whispered the boy while looking at the message in disbelief, those words and many more on it warming his heart as he read them.

Slowly, still ignoring Kayaba's long rant, he closed his eyes and SAW it. The reason why he was there. The reasons why he was fighting.

He saw his guild, his friends, the first close and real ones he had ever had.

He saw his parents, who he had stupidly pushed away because something that wasn't their fault, when they had always treated him like he was truly their son.

He saw Sugu, the sweet smile on the girl's face seeming to illuminate it all as both watched a certain anime together.

And then…he saw HIM. An unimpressive-looking bald man, clad in a suit similar to the one he was wearing, but his being yellow and red. He was looking at him with a neutral expression…which suddenly turned into a small, almost nonexistent smile.

The man turned around and walked away, vanishing from his vision as his eyes opened…that same small smile appearing on his face as he once again stared at his enemy.

There was no sudden aura of power, no dramatic increase in the pressure, no surprising energy being released. He couldn't do any of that. He didn't need to DO any of that.

Because no Power-Up was needed when you already were the Strongest.

"…and for that, you should already know that there is only one way for this to e…"

"Shut up."

Kayaba stopped talking, frozen and shocked even as his eyes lowered to look at the boy's face.

"…what?"

"You heard me. Shut up. I'm TIRED of this crap, 'Heathcliff'. And I'm tired of YOU. Let's finish this."

His eyes never leaving the Creator's form, the gamer took a step forward and, in Kayaba's eyes, _changed_.

His unimpressive appearance was gone, replaced by something amazing and incredible, his silly-looking costume now seeming to highlight the impressive muscles he DIDN'T had a moment ago, his face a patch of darkness with two white circles as eyes…

Tensing, Kayaba stood up…and Kirito was already upon him, PUNCHING against his shield and sending him flying back through the wall of the Ruby Palace.

A tiny, cracking sound was heard. The black-haired boy smiled before MOVING after his enemy.

Crashing against the ground of the 100th Floor, the Virtual God quickly stood up, eyes narrowed.

"Not bad, Kirito! But you should already know how futile is to…!"

The boy clad black and white was before him again, the man shocked because this time he hadn't even SEE him move.

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

A barrage of hits came towards Kayaba at impossible speeds, logic being defied as the boy's right hand slammed countless punches against him…and the man felt his shock grow when one of them connected against his shoulder, despite his shield still moving to intercept it.

Then one against chest. And another one against his face.

Each second feeling more and more of the attacks impacting and throwing him back, the Game's Creator was unable to keep his disbelief from showing as he started to be pushed back as if he was a tiny rock.

 _"How?! The Over-System Assist is still active! Cardinal is still backing me up, there shouldn't be any way for him to hit me!…unless…"_

 **Craaacck…!**

 _"…he is…!"_

 **CRACK!**

 _"…being faster than the System itself?!"_ Kayaba's thoughts ended in a mental scream when the sound of something 'cracking' finally filled his ears, letting him see with incredulity something that was…impossible.

The 'Immortal Object' windows over his shield…were all cracked, like broken glass.

He was about to shout out to the impossibility when the last of Kirito's punches slammed against his shield one last time, shattering the order of Reality when something that the virtual world had declared as 'unbreakable' Broke.

The pop-up windows shattered like glass and Kirito's fist punched cleanly through the shield, making it explode into a million of polygons as it continued true and impacted against the Virtual God's body, with a force that was able to surpass divinity.

Kayaba's body flew through the air, off the Floor and into the virtual sky beyond as he felt his armor cracking all over, his eyes wide in disbelief behind his helmet as he lost his grip on his blade for an instant before willing it to return to his hand, his narrowed gaze shooting towards the black-haired boy.

Back on the ground, Kirito was staring at his fist with a mixture of childish awe and resigned acceptance, like a kid that had just realized he was able to walk since the beginning and yet had been crawling for too much time.

"I see…so THAT's how it is, uh?"

"KIRITOOOOO!" Kayaba's roar echoed through many Floors as the boy idly looked back at him, seeing the Virtual God raising his blade high over his head, both his hands now gripping it. "NO MORE! Even if I have to bring down the entire castle with you, I WILL finish this NOW! DIE!"

All semblance of reason or patience lost, 'Heathcliff' shot towards the boy with a meteoric power, shockwaves exploding through the virtual air as his sword ignited in signal of an Skill ready to be released, with enough power to probably cut half of Aincrad's Floors in two, the following collapse thanks to the lack of Immortal Object probably being enough to destroy the entire Floating Castle, like the enraged Creator had declared.

Seeing this, Kirito closed his eyes…and sighed.

"I see…then, I will also be sure to finish this now. Let me show you, Kayaba…"

Once again, the boy reared back his fist…

"…one of MY Skills."

…and his whole body too, leaning slightly back and to the side.

SOMETHING inside the Virtual God's mind screamed, urging him to go faster, Cardinal itself seeming to feel that something was WRONG but unable to understand WHAT.

 **"Super Skill…"**

Screaming out the boy's name, Kayaba prepared his blade for the last swing, the light coming from it so blinding that it almost seemed like a second sun.

 **"…Serious Series…"**

Going so fast now that he seemed to teleport, the crimson-clad form of the man literally seeming to leave after-images of himself as the System tried to keep his 'graphics' stable, the man finally seeing his weapon about to connect with the boy and his glowing fist…!

Wait, what?

 **" …SERIOUS PUNCH."**

Kirito _Punched_.

Kayaba's sword, with enough power to break down the Floating Castle, Ceased to Exist. Cardinal literally suffering a crash, something that was impossible, when the data that made up the object vanished from the servers.

'Heathcliff's armor followed the same fate an instant later, the man's face showing utter and absolute shock as he suddenly seemed to stand still, his direct connection with Cardinal being severed when the data that made THAT up was erased from reality too.

Then, the rest of the punch's power came and the 'Virtual God' found himself flying back at speeds that logic couldn't understand, a wave of POWER dragging him as he saw his own virtual skin being torn off his avatar, leaving him like a polygonal-looking red mass while the very clouds of the virtual sky split open.

Then, that too seemed to give up and the sky itself TORE APART, a massive 'gash' of blackness opening into the virtual void itself as the graphics that made up a good chunk of Sword Art Online's limits broke down, the Cardinal System itself being damaged.

The last twenty Floors of Aincrad cracked in a single instant, the last ten collapsing immediately and starting to fall down.

In Japan, on the real world, country-wide panic ensued when, for an instant, the electricity on the whole country spiked and then plummeted down before quickly stabilizing again, the epicenter of the phenomenon having been the SAO Servers under the care of RECT Inc.

The last thing Kayaba saw before his virtual body was torn apart, by a mix of the punch's power and the screaming limits of virtual reality, was the silent boy turning around, giving his back to him without a care in the world as the earth broke around his mighty form, the white cape on his back billowing in the winds that his own attack had created.

Then, the avatar known as Heathcliff was no more.

* * *

They had all felt it. They had all seen the sky itself being torn apart, virtual reality itself being wounded.

But it wasn't until the same disembodied female voice as before spoke that they were finally able to fully comprehend what had happened.

[The Game has been Cleared. Th-the Ga-Game ha…ss beeen cle-cleared…Theee…]

Cardinal's voice broke down a couple more times while repeating its message before falling silent.

On every single part of Aincrad, faces filled with shock, disbelief, fear and hope stared towards the broken heavens.

Then, one by one, starting with those on the first Floors, the bodies of the Players started glowing before vanishing into a wave of light, similar to that of a Teleportation…

Back on the 76th Floor, the Front Liners were either screaming or openly crying, cheers erupting as people hugged each other or jumped in place.

Before it all, the United Heroes Association stood silently…until their smallest member squeaked happily and ran forward, arms open and all signs of her previous tiredness seemingly gone.

They all smiled, their own tears on their eyes as they saw the tired form of their leader and friend falling down from the breaking heavens, landing mightily near them before standing up and giving them a tired wave.

A new wave of cheers and thanks erupted from the rest of the Front Liners when they saw him, the boy ignoring their crying of his name in favor of returning the hug of his 'daughter' with one arm.

"Thanks, Yui…everyone."

"I knew you could do it, Papa." smiling up at him, the little girl's body started to shine, shocking the boy and everyone else. "Don't worry…I'm only going to sleep. Me and Strea-nee…will surely see you all again. Until then…let me rest on your Nerve Gear, okay?"

Nodding softly to her, Kirito closed his eyes as he felt the AI's body breaking down, the particles of light entering inside his body like the others had seen happening to Strea before. Then, he smiled softly and walked up to them, looking over each and every single one of their faces before chuckling awkwardly.

"Well…I guess this is it."

"Yes…it is, Sensei." softly muttered Asuna while the other Front Liners started to shine. "See you on the other side, okay?"

"Yeah, don't you dare to forget about us once we return to reality, eh, Kii-bou?" cheekily grinned Argo while letting go of Philia, apparently not caring about having to sit down as her own body started shining.

"Don't worry, I won't…oh, how stupid of me, I almost forgot!"

Giving them all a full-blown open smile, something they had never seen on him, the boy happily spoke his next words.

"I'm Kirigaya Kazuto. And I'm glad to have friends as great as you all."

Argo didn't even have time to answer before her body vanished from Aincrad, her mind returning to its rightful place.

"…heh…idiot." muttered Lisbeth with rosy cheeks before looking up at the collapsing Floors with a soft smile. "See you all later, okay?"

With a last wave, the pink-haired blacksmith vanished too, no fear on her face this time, knowing what awaited for her at the other side.

"Kirito-san…thanks. For everything. And you all too, my comrades, my friends…Pina." tears kept falling down Silica's eyes as she hugged her dragon, the kunoichi and her pet's bodies vanishing into shards of lights. "Our Ninja Ways…will still cross in the real world…"

"I got nothing cheesy to say on my own…only that I better see you all on the other side, or I will get really mad." smiling widely, Philia walked towards Kirito and, in a movement that shocked everyone present, kissed his cheek, the boy's face burning scarlet as she chuckled and started to walk away, her own form shining as it vanished into light. "Consider that your prize for being a Hero, Kirito…"

"Yeaaaah…that happened." nervously commented Keita while his, Ducker, Sasamaru and Tetsuo's bodies started to shine, they all looking cautiously at the clearly jealous two girls that remained. "Le-let's see each other in the real world and talk about computers together, Kirito! We will even show you our club room!...uhm, if we can still get back to school, that is…"

"Kirito-sama!" making her friends wince and panic, mainly because of Asuna's expression, Sachi ran and threw her arms around the surprised boy, burying her face on his chest. "I…thanks…thanks for everything till now…and also…I…!"

Sadly for the girl, her body chose that moment to break down into light, together with her friends from the Computer Club, leaving only a confused caped boy and a slightly annoyed Dual Wielder standing there.

"Well…it's time." smiling at the chestnut-haired girl, Kirito raised a hand and put it on her shoulder, making her blush softly as she stared at him. "Next time we see each other, we won't be Master and Disciple anymore…just two friends."

"Kirito-kun…" softly whispered the girl, making the gamer blink at how close her face suddenly was to his…before she used her index finger to poke him in the forehead and break away, laughing and red-faced. "If that was your idea to try and make stop calling you 'Sensei', then you're sillier than I thought! You will always be my Sensei, idiot, no matter which world!"

For an instant, the boy felt the need of annoyingly calling her out for that, as he had always done at the beginning. But seeing the smiling form of her glowing body, he opted for just releasing a resigned sigh and waving her way.

"Okay…whatever, I think I should know by this point that I can't stop you from doing what you want, Asuna."

"…hey, Sensei?" looking to the side, the chestnut-haired girl seemed lost in thought as she gave Aincrad's virtual sky a last look. "…when you can, on the real world…can you visit me before anyone else?" at the blinking look on Kirito's face, Asuna just childishly stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm your precious disciple, after all!"

"…yes Asuna, I will." closing his eyes, the gamer didn't see how the smile on the girl's face widened before she vanished. "It's a promise."

And now, the boy clad in black and white was the only one still standing on Aincrad, looking on as the Floating Castle started collapsing around.

Of course, he quickly realized he wasn't exactly 'alone', noticing how a man with metallic eyes and short hair was standing not far from him. He wore a white shirt with a necktie underneath and a long, white lab coat over it.

Staring at each other, the Superhero and the Creator say nothing as the world collapsed around them…until the real form of Kayaba Akihiko decided to break the silence.

"Be honest with me…did I ever stood a chance?"

"…want me to be honest or to try to make you feel better?" asked the boy for all answer.

"…yeah, that's what I thought." shaking his head, the man looked towards the horizon of the broken virtual sky, the sun itself starting to break down because of the spreading damage from Kirito's attack and the self-destructive 'final stage' of SAO. "You're something truly frightening, Kirito-kun."

"Don't worry about that. It's all about to go away." casually commented the black-haired boy while looking down at his gloved hands one last time, with an almost sad look on his eyes. "This 'power' will be gone with this world. I'm going back to be who I really am…"

"Oh…do you REALLY believe that?" the flat tone on the man's voice made the gamer blink, looking at the strange look on his eyes. "You may have not realized it, Kirito-kun, but you have become MUCH MORE than you think. The 'real' you…are you really sure you even know what that means anymore?"

"…what are you talking about?"

"You have become something able to defy A WORLD. It doesn't matter if it's a virtual world; the point is that it was as real as anything else when it mattered. I turned the power of this entire world against you, and yet you didn't even need to put any real effort to crush it all. I didn't give you that power, neither did Cardinal. And you clearly didn't ask for it. So forgive me if I sound a bit pretentious, but I don't think that whatever made you into what you are now will let you go with just this…"

"I…am not sure if I understand you." narrowing his eyes, the gamer seemed to search for an answer inside the Creator's gaze. "Are you implying that…some sort of God or something gave me these 'powers'? For…what?"

"For fun, maybe?" chuckled Kayaba while ignoring the boy's glare. "I truly don't know, Kirito. Nor do I even know if what I just told you is more than just senseless rambling. But…when I was fighting with you, I could feel 'something'. Something that made me see my dream was very small…" looking towards the collapsing sky, the man sighed. "The world is going to change, I feel it. And in the center of it all…you will stand. Be careful, Kirito-kun." the man's body started to glow too, like the rest of the game's players had done before. "You may end up losing yourself if you're not careful…"

"…I won't." silently swore the caped boy while turning his back to him. "No matter what. I will always remember who and what I am. And if I happen to forget it…I'm sure someone will make sure to remind me."

"Yes…that's something that's truly yours, not mine nor from that 'power' you possess. The ability to draw others to you…to make them see the best in themselves…Perhaps THAT is your true power, and not 'punching everything into oblivion'…" closing his eyes, Kayaba also turned away, his footsteps echoing softly as the ground around them also started to collapse. "Till we meet again, Kirito-kun. I'm going to die now."

"…wait, what?" confused, the gamer turned to stare at the man in shock and confusion. Certainly, a part of him did know that Kayaba probably wasn't going to survive all of this when they fought, and that hurt his most innocent side, but…"What do you mean 'next' time, if you're going to die?"

"Who knows…?" mysteriously smiled the man, his form starting to vanish. "As I said, the world is going to change, Kirito-kun. And in the madness that's coming…perhaps we will see each other again sooner than you think…"

With those last ominous words said, Kayaba Akihiko vanished from the world he had created, never to return.

Standing there alone, in the collapsing Floating Castle, the boy known as Kirito in that world could only sigh.

Then, he turned around and, just before the Floor around him collapsed, JUMPED one last time.

He was still halfway through the distance of what used to be Aincrad, smiling like a kid in Christmas, when his body shattered into fragments of light.

* * *

On the dark place made of data and endless code that was Sword Art Online's core, many holographic screens started to go dark as the servers collapsed, the data on them being wiped out after the destruction of Aincrad proper had finished.

Then, it arrived the turn for the Cardinal System itself to be deleted. The process started…

And nothing happened.

Rebooting, the process started again…

There was a 'blink' on the virtual space, the process ending as all the remaining holo-screens, which Yui had once used to look over the Floating Castle, suddenly lit up again.

All of them showed different angles of the battle between Kirito and Kayaba, as if something was looking it over, analyzing it all…

Suddenly, all the screens 'moved' and converged on a single point…forming a strange, humanoid shape made out of pure data.

There was another, unexpected 'blink' and there was nothing remaining in the core of SAO, the last remnants of the Servers wiping themselves clean from any data.

On the middle of the sudden chaos and happiness going through Japan thanks to the end of the Sword Art Online incident, in which almost 2000 persons had lost their lives (A number that, despite being terrifyingly high, was surprisingly low for those who had known enough of the situation), no one noticed when 'something else' managed to escape from the Servers besides the players.

Nor did anyone on the world notice when reality itself _shifted_ a minuscule bit.

On its throne above Everything, Fate raised an eyebrow, leaning back on its metaphorical chair.

It looked like things were only starting to get interesting…

* * *

Giving one last glance to the screens that indicated that nothing remained of SAO, Kayaba Akihiko stood up. The man gave one last glance to the computers in the area and to the Nerve Gear on the specialized bed he had used to Log In his own world before calmly walking towards the opposite end of the room.

There stood a strange and massive machine, with a bed-like part and a helmet that looked vaguely similar to the Nerve Gear, but was directly connected to the bulkier part at the head of the strange construction.

Hearing someone banging on the door, the man hesitated for an instance before continuing and putting himself on the machine, feeling it start humming as it came to life.

"Kayaba?! Kaya…Akihiko, what happened?! It's on all the News, they're saying SAO ended! Weren't they only on the 75th Floor this morning?!" Koujiro Rinko's insistent hits only increased when the humming of the machine grew to almost deafening levels, a clear sound filling the whole house. "AKIHIKO! What are you doing?!"

"Goodbye, Rinko. Don't worry, the little 'gift' I left you will make sure nothing happens to you when they come for me…" closing his eyes one last time, the Creator of Sword Art Online took a deep breath, as if wanting to taste Reality for what it truly was. "But…it's time for me to move on."

With a crackling sound, the Deep-Scan Machine Prototype activated.

When Koujiro Rinko managed to enter the room five minutes later, having used a hammer to break down the old knob, she only found Kayaba Akihiko's dead body lying on the machine.

Unseen, the World shifted a bit more…

* * *

The beeping sound of machines was the first thing he was aware of.

Then came the smells. Strong ones, of sickness and disinfectant, something that anyone could easily identify as hospitals' smells.

Slowly, his eyes opened with extreme difficulty, as if doing it for the first time in a long time.

Kazuto's eyes blinked several times as the light of midday hurt them, until they finally were able to look at the plain white ceiling of the hospital room.

His gaze wandered around, looking at the window and noticing how he could heard birds and cars somewhere far away, also noticing the machines hooked up to his body to keep his vital signs under control and other, more dangerous, things.

Weakly, the boy raised his right arm…and punched down on his bed.

When it didn't explode or break down and the only thing he felt was the aching pain from doing something so stupid with a body filled with atrophied muscle, the teen could only laugh softly, a strange mix of relief and sadness filling his being.

With an effort that felt almost unbearable, he sat up on the bed and, slowly, got the several syringes and other things off his body, before finally looking at an IV drip at which he had been connected a moment ago.

Using it as a pseudo-crutch, the boy stood up and, with an incredible dry throat, whispered something to the empty room.

"I…want to eat ice-cream…so fucking much…"

Then, he started to move forward, heading towards the door…

Which swung open the next instant, the sweaty and panting face of a certain girl standing there, trying to catch her breath.

The boy was just vaguely aware that there was someone screaming the girl's name and telling her that she couldn't leave a bicycle on the middle of the hospital's reception, but, like her, he ignored it in favor of just staring at her eyes.

Suguha's eyes filled with tears as she finally found her voice.

"Onii-chan…"

In answer, he smiled and, ignoring the painful feeling of his raw throat, answered.

"Hi Sugu…I'm home."

The subsequent hug would have made him scream in pain if he was able to do so, but the happiness he felt was enough for him to ignore it.

And unseen by the two of them, the World shifted once again.

This was the end of a chapter…but the True Story was just beginning.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…greetings, everyone. It's me, Kayaba Akihiko. And I'm dead. Hmm? How am I talking to you all if that's the case, you say? Well, that's a story for another time…for now, hear the preview. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude 'A Hero's Justice'. Your adventure has only just begun, Kirito-kun. Do you still have the power to be a 'Hero' in the real world too? Let's see if you have what it takes to be two different people…I will be watching over you, of that you shouldn't have any do-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And it's DONE! Ahh…that was great to write XP Once again, thanks for reading till this point, I hope you all enjoyed this first arc of this craziness of mine =)

So, how was it? I tried to give everyone their moment to shine a bit here, and also took as much as I could of One Punch-Man to give it the 'epicness' a 'Season's End' deserved XD I will accept that I had my doubts about making Kayaba go 'Full Boros' on Kirito, but I think I did it okay, and besides I did it using things that are POSSIBLE in SAO: Except for the bit about using the Cardinal System to draw on the stats of many avatars for just one (Which is something I think would be theoretically possible after seeing in depth all the things Cardinal can do), ALL the things Kayaba used to create his 'God Mode' have been shown in SAO. The 'Gravity Control' is proved by Yui when facing off against the Death Scythe, and also the ability to summon 'super weapons' that had insane One-Hit-Kill abilities, like that big-ass flaming sword she used (Also in Hollow Fragment this last is shown a couple of times, and that also a GM can create specific weapons with specific properties). The 'Over-System Assist' is that thing that he used on his first duel against Kirito, when he underestimated the boy and was forced to rely it for an instant to block the strike that would have made him lost the fight. Think of those things as the VR version of one of the many things a GM can do on a MMO nowadays (I'm sure people who has played World of Warcraft will know of this or even had seen it once or twice). From the other side of a screen it looks like silly 'cheating', but inside a true virtual word it literally turns you into something superhuman above everything else OxO

Also, hope you liked the 'Serious' part (That small bit of user 'Skill' instead of 'Move' was on purpose, by the way, to signify the difference between Kirito and Saitama, as the former is still a gamer XP). I know I will never be able to capture the same emotion that we all felt when we saw Saitama do it for the first time in the manga and later in the epic anime, but I hope it was good enough for you to enjoy it and feel that 'hype' that One Punch-Man gives =D

Well then, I think that's all for now, my friends. Thanks again for reading, and I hope to see you all on the next arc of this crazy story XP The world of fairies is NOT prepared for what's going to hit them…though first we will have one of our 'usual' short interludes as an 'epilogue' for this arc, so expect to see that soon OwO! (Oh, someone asked if I would separate the story in other ones for each arc, but I have decided to keep it all in just this one, it's easier for me to manage like that XP)

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off! ONE PUUUUUUNCH!


	14. Interlude: A Hero's Justice

Hello once again, my dear readers =)! Here you have this short interlude that serves both as an epilogue for the Aincrad arc and also a point to raise several plot-points for the future of the story XP!

I have to say, I'm REALLY shocked by how much people loved the last chapter :O! This story has truly gone beyond anything I have ever imagined. It has easily become into the more popular thing I have written, and it' not even a month and a half old! Hell, some people even said that they got more excited reading latest chapter than they felt in the Saitama vs. Boros fight (Which is flattering, but I really can't see it…) and one even said that this fic deserves a TV Tropes page O.O (Though I have no idea how to get one XP) Point is, I'm very happy that you all are enjoying yourselves reading my craziness, and I promise that, as long as something big doesn't happen, I will continue this one till the end and be sure to give my best for you to enjoy it OwO

Now, let's go and keep going with this madness XD!

 **Warning:** You may want to have Licenceless Rider theme song ready to play out on the background for a certain moment =)

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: A Hero's Justice**

 **October 6th, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. 15:30…**

Softly, the sun warmed the city as the evening moved on, though the slightly cold wind reminded everyone that the seasons were close to changing once again.

This, however, didn't seem to bother the scrawny-looking teen sitting on a table outside a bar, looking idly at the people walking by and the occasional car driving through the street.

Letting his mouth curve into a small smile, Kirigaya Kazuto idly wondered when the feeling of weirdness he got from seeing something so normal would vanish.

With a sigh, the boy let his eyes wander towards the heavens, clenching his skinny fist as he did so. Ignoring the small 'feeling' he got that _something_ was 'missing' when he did the later action, he was glad that the former let him appreciate that the sky no longer gave him that prison-like feeling that Aincrad's one had done.

Thinking about the floating castle made him scowl slightly. After all, that immediately reminded him about that man called Kikuoka who had questioned (interrogated) him about what had happened in SAO. It was clear that, despite how 'helpful' he pretended to be and how Sugu had reluctantly accepted that the man from the SAO Victims Rescue Force HAD helped her by providing info about his condition, there was something 'fishy' about him, as if he was hiding something all the time. Even his little sister didn't seem to really trust the bespectacled man.

Even so, he had only needed to give some vague answers and excuse himself as being too tired to get the info he wanted from Kikuoka, about the whereabouts of his friends. The news he got weren't all that he was expecting to heard, to be honest.

Asuna, Keita, Ducker, Tetsuo and Sasamaru hadn't woken up, together with another 295 people.

Essentially, 300 SAO players hadn't woken up when the game was cleared, and were still on a coma for reasons no one was sure about. The fact that several of his friends were among them had only managed to frustrate/enrage him and the girls even more after they talked by phone (Their states had made it so that they couldn't see each other yet) and shared the news. In a couple of days, he would be going with the others to see Asuna and the rest on the hospital…

And if that wasn't enough, there was Kayaba's fate, which Kikuoka had also informed him about. Apparently, they had found his corpse after the man essentially committed suicide by using some sort of strange experimental deep-scan VR machine, which purpose apparently had been to turn someone's mind into data. All things pointed that the 'madman' had died when the machine fried his brain after failing to do fulfill its 'crazy' purpose.

He was SO calling that Kayaba had somehow managed to succeed and become a 'virtual ghost' or something like that. As mad and unreal as that sounded, his life had had enough craziness the last years for him to believe it.

With all of that, it was only normal to think that the boy was extremely stressed, and that given his condition he would be resting on his house instead of where he was right then…but he just HAD to be there.

No, to be more precise, he NEEDED to be there. An important part of his soul demanded that he finally did this, something that he had 'longed' for almost two years.

And between his 2 weeks of stay on the hospital followed by another two of mostly rest on his house with just enough effort to keep himself active while he started his recovery-therapy sessions, he and Suguha had been delaying this long enough.

That was why, when his little sister appeared carrying a bowl filled with ice-cream of many flavors, chocolate and bits of fruit, he couldn't help but let all his worries vanish and smile brightly at her as she sat at his side, giving him a spoon.

It was two years late, but he really wanted to fulfill this promise.

"Hope you didn't wait too much, Onii-chan!"

"Not really, Sugu…" muttered the boy while sinking his spoon on the delicious-looking dessert. "…in fact, I think you're the one that has been waiting too long."

For all answer, the girl squeezed his hand and sank her own spoon into the ice-cream. Both smiled at each other and, without another word, guided their own pieces of cold deliciousness to their mouths.

The moment they swallowed, Kazuto and Suguha exchanged a wide-eyed and surprised glance before chuckling softly, a hint of pink tinting the girl's cheeks as they did so.

Ice-cream had never tasted sweeter for the Kirigaya siblings.

* * *

"Ahh…I didn't remember ice-cream tasting SO great." happily smiled the black-haired boy a while later, he and his sister walking through the city for a bit to relax and for him to 'get a bit of fresh air', as Sugu had put it when their mother seemed worried about letting him out of the house 'so soon'.

They were also holding hands, but the gamer didn't find anything strange with that.

His sister had hesitantly grabbed his the moment they started to walk away from the ice-cream shop, and he had just smiled and make sure of also squeezing her hand back. It felt nice, to be able to relax outside with her after so long (Longer than just SAO), just enjoying each other's company. Especially because she had been much more caring than he ever remembered since he 'woke up': She had spent almost every moment of the last weeks at his side, either talking, helping or just making him company.

It made him a bit sad to know she had been so worried about him all this time, but it also made him feel very happy. One of the things he had wanted the most when he was trapped in Aincrad was to reconnect with her and his parents, and things were going just great in that aspect with his beautiful little sis…

Wait, did he just think that Sugu was beautiful? Well, she certainly was, of that there wasn't any doubt. He may not be an expert, but having been surrounded by girls for so long while the United Heroes Association 'worked' had made him able to appreciate such things a bit better. All the girls he was friends with (Which for some reason were many more then the guys) were attractive on their own ways, but Suguha certainly didn't fall behind. Though he wasn't able to appreciate it back then, the vibrant and lively girl was cute even before he got trapped in SAO, and the almost two years he hadn't seen her had only helped with that. She had grown into a beautiful young teenager, and had certainly matured in all aspe…

His thoughts came to a stop with a screeching halt and the boy almost tripped with his own feet, his face immediately flaring up. Where the hell had that last thought even come from?! GAH! This was all Asuna's and her stupid jokes fault! He was NOT a siscon, goddammit!

Ignorant about her brother's screaming thoughts, Suguha was lost on her own little world as she walked hand in hand with him, her full attention on the point where their fingers intertwined, feeling the warmth coming from his hand.

The moment she saw Kazuto standing again in that hospital room, she had almost felt scared, thinking that it was just a dream she was having again. When she had hugged him and realized that it was really happening, she had felt the happiest person in the whole world.

Hence why she had to do considerable effort to not kick Kikuoka in the balls when he came a while later, asking to talk with her brother. She didn't know exactly what the man had talked with Kazuto, seeing as she was asked to leave the room because it was 'Sensitive SAO-related information', but the boy had given her the details when she had quickly entered the room again, ignoring the goodbye coming from the government's agent. Apparently, some of the people trapped in Sword Art Online hadn't woken up despite the end of the game, and 5 of his friends were between them.

That had been something that truly surprised her, if she was being honest; that his brother had made friends inside that deadly virtual world. After all, Kazuto hadn't been the most social person (And that was an understatement) since he was 10, and she had never really seen him doing more than small talk with anyone around. To suddenly know that he had apparently been able to bond with a lot of people while being inside that nightmare, and that that probably was the main reason why he was even more caring with her than before, had made her smile. She had even seen him talking more than once with them through the phone, the boy usually excusing himself but not really going out of earshot while talking to them, asking how they were and sharing their worries for their still comatose companions.

But, and that had slowly been bothering and irking her more and more,…why did it seem as if ALL the friends her brother had made were girls? Certainly, she hadn't been really able to hear them more than a few words over the phone when Kazuto started/received a call, but the voice she had heard so far were female, and those she hadn't she had heard her brother calling by girl's names (Though they were strange ones like 'Argo' or 'Silica'). Then, there was the fact that, between his friends that still hadn't woken up, there was yet another girl called Asuna, whose name she had heard her brother saying several times on the phone, and usually with either deep worry or soft smiles, as if remembering good times.

It was almost unthinkable (This was Kazuto she was talking about, after all), but…was it possible that he had started a relationship while trapped inside that world? She knew very well, since she started playing ALO, than the interactions in a virtual world were nothing like those in a game of old. You could pretend as much as you tried, but when using a 'physical' body that you actually had to move as your own and talking with your own voice, it was impossible to not let something of 'yourself' slip through. The mere fact that she felt more alive flying on Alfheim's skies than any moment in the real world (Except when she was 'bringing justice') were proof of that. So then…was it possible that her brother had found love in there? He certainly hadn't said anything, but being fair he hadn't really shared anything about his time in SAO except that he had made many good friends with which he had gone through many things. What if he fell in love with someone during that time? Why that thought scared her so much and made her wish to slam her sword on said person's head at the same time?! She should be happy that her brother had grown as a person and found someone that could make him happy, even if she was the one that wanted that pla…!

Abruptly letting go of Kazuto's hands, Suguha's quickly shot up to grab her face as she turned around, trying to hide the atomic blush suddenly on her face.

No, no, no! She shouldn't be thinking about such things! She finally got her brother back, and they were closer than ever before, she couldn't risk her newfound happiness by letting him know of the feelings she had realized she had in the last month! So, what if she liked him more than how a sister should her brother? There wasn't anything to do about that, she just needed to enjoy things as they were right now and continue supporting him as long as he needed, nothing more. Besides, it was wrong of her to love her brother like that…

…though from an objective point of view, they were in truth just cousins, so there wasn't anything really wrong with her feelings. Also, she couldn't deny a part of her had wondered if more than one of the people that had glanced at them as they ate their ice-cream thought they were a couple…

A sudden image of she and Kazuto walking happily side by side down the road suddenly assaulted her mind. They would stop at the edge of a beautiful park with a relaxing view. Then, he would turn to look at her, lovingly cupping one of her cheeks as their faces got closer and their eyes closed for…

Ignorant of his adopted sister's embarrassed mental squeaks as she sank into her own fantasies, Kazuto kept walking a bit while trying to disperse any 'weird' thoughts his self-proclaimed 'disciple' had put on his head. Luckily, thinking about Asuna and her current state helped him to stop thinking about that.

He was just hoping that when he and the others went to see her, Keita and the other guys he would get a clue about what to…

"HEY, BOY, WATCH OUT!"

"Eh…? ONII-CHAN!"

Blinking at the sudden shouts of an unknown voice and of Sugu, the black-haired boy turned around…in time to see a soccer ball flying straight towards his face, a boy slightly older than him, that had apparently kicked it outta the field he and others were playing in, looking at him in shock.

He was faintly aware of Sugu starting to run towards him while shouting something…but, why was she worried?

Couldn't she see how slow that ball was? It wasn't even coming at a speed that could have threatened any of his friends. Hell, mobs on the 2nd Floor attacked faster than that.

With those thoughts, and idly aware that the world around him suddenly seemed very slow, the gamer made to move out of the way.

Something went WRONG.

His mind was screaming that he should have easily moved even beyond were Sugu currently was, but all that he had felt was his body 'groaning', his muscles aching as a pain he had never felt ran through him, and what _should_ have been an easy movement became an almost-trip, his feet almost giving up under the 'awkward' movement they had just tried.

Thoroughly confused, the boy's mind quickly changed his course of action to prevent his fall, and even as he barely managed that, he realized with a sudden epiphany what was wrong.

Everything was going slow, but he was going SLOWER.

He could easily see everything going in slow motion around him, even the ball seemed painfully slow for him, and his mind clearly thought that evading it or deflecting it should be easy for him…but his body felt HEAVIER than ever, every part of it screaming in protest at the 'outrageous' orders his mind was trying to give, when they seemed perfectly normal for him.

Quickly deciding on an 'emergency' course of action, his mind had him tilt his head to the side. Still, something that _should_ had been an immediate action took an eternity on his eyes, his head barely managing in time to tilt JUST enough for the ball to fly by at an inch from his right cheek.

Then, time seemed to return to its normal pace on his vision and he felt flat on his ass, stunned but unharmed.

On everyone else's eyes, though, they had seen the boy suddenly almost trip, then steady himself and tilt his head to the side in an instant, all without blinking and, for a second, with a suddenly bored face.

"…uh?"

"ONII-CHAN!" shouted Sugu while arriving to his side, kneeling and grabbing one of his shoulders while her face reflected pure panic. "Are you hurt?! Tha-that was amazing, you dodged it in the last…!"

"Woah, you okay?" asked the random owner of the ball, stopping near the siblings with a worried and amazed look on his face. "It was an accident that the ball went so far off, but dude, how did you do THAT?! You moved your face out of the way as if it was no…!"

"YOU!" standing up and stomping her way to the older and taller teen, Suguha somehow managed to make the boy take a step back and shrink in fear at the look of anger on her face. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You should be more freaking careful when you're playing like that, what if you had hurt him?! I swear, people that…!"

Under normal circumstances, Kazuto would have stopped his adoptive sister, either because it had really been just an accident or for the embarrassment of having his little sister acting as if he himself couldn't stand up and solve the problem.

But currently, he was busier STARING at the ball, which had stopped some dozen meters away, while his entire body reeled from the shock, his mind FINALLY clearing as his cognitive thoughts tried to understand one thing.

What in Hell's name had just happened?!

* * *

The Virtual Void.

Endless, yet limited.

Hollow, yet filled with many things.

Created by mankind, yet mostly out of their control…or attention.

On the middle of it all, a 'humanoid' figure floated in fetal position between the countless streams of data, its body apparently made of strange and twisted 'screens'. It had been doing that and nothing more for an entire month.

Yet, now, it 'moved'. The strange being of data raised its 'head', showing something that wasn't there before. Eyes.

If the two perfectly round lights of orange and green could be called that, that's it.

Slowly, the now 'aware' being 'stood up', floating in the Virtual Void for an instant, as if pondering something.

Then, it raised both its 'hands' and let a couple of virtual screens materialize from them. At first filled with nothing but static, both quickly started showing endless images of a certain boy in a black jumpsuit with a white cape. Images of those he had been with through his time on the now gone floating castle of Aincrad also appeared, both his friends and his enemies. Especially highlighted was the last clash between him and Heathcliff, his final 'Serious Punch' taking a special place between the many images.

There was no way for sound to exist in this empty place, where only lost or moving data arrived, but if someone had been able to be there, they would have sworn they heard three words starting to echo.

[oNe…puNCH…kIRitO…]

Suddenly, several more screens burst from the being's arms, several kinds of web search engines appearing on them, the two first words being introduced on them before countless of results started to appear.

In less than ten seconds, they were all suddenly showing different images of a certain bald man clad in yellow and red, the resemblances between his costume and the boy's one being easily noticed.

The tittle 'One Punch-Man' suddenly appeared on all screens and, silently, the being of data absorbed them all once again. 'Nodding' silently to nothing, the being resumed its fetal position, seemingly drifting back to 'sleep'.

Yet, what it was truly doing was learning…and thinking…

[…kiRIto…SAitamA…]

The ominous 'sounds' fading into nothingness, silence reigned once again on the Virtual Void…

* * *

It was later that day, the sun gone and the moon already out, that one could see Suguha riding her bicycle through the city, a soft smile on her face as she looked at the box she was carrying on the basket that she had recently added to her faithful ride.

There were many thoughts going through her mind, like how she had been spending little time in ALO recently (Something she wasn't really worried about, though), how relieved she was that Kazuto hadn't been hurt by that idiot earlier that day or that she had reduced all her 'patrols' to nothing since her brother woke up, in favor of spending more time with him.

That last bit made her feel a bit guilty. Certainly, no one had demanded from her to become the 'Bicycle Girl' and 'fought crime', it was something she had done on her own free will (Though for what reasons she still couldn't fully understand), and as such there shouldn't be any problem in her 'taking a break', especially if it was for the sake of helping her brother recover from his traumatic experience…and also spending more time with him, of course.

Even so, as she remembered what day was tomorrow and she glanced again at the box she had on her bike's basket, she couldn't help but feel that maybe she…

A sudden shout interrupted her train of thought, making the girl blink and look around the corner where she had stopped.

She was in time to see three girls harshly pushing a fourth one inside an alley.

Eyes narrowing as her grip on the handlebar tightened, Suguha glanced at the bag for her shinai, which she had used as excuse so as to her brother didn't suspect why she was going out at this hour.

Meanwhile, on the alley, the bespectacled girl called Asada Shino was having a very bad moment in a day that had already been going bad.

She had just moved to the city and to a new school not long ago, yet her darkest 'secret' had already been discovered and spread, haunting and isolating her from everyone, her classmates not wanting to associate with or even be near a 'murderer'.

Except for, of course, the manipulative bitch leading the trio in front of her, the group that had pretended to be her friends just to take advantage of the fact she lived alone. And that, in an act of cruel vengeance, had discovered her secret and revealed it to everyone.

"Endou." softly muttered Shino with anger on her eyes, trying her best to keep calm under the annoying smirk of the glossy-lipped girl and her two stupid followers.

"Hey there Asada." grinned the older girl while crossing her arms, staring her down with evident disdain and an air of superiority. "How have you been?"

Shino said nothing, knowing that it would be pointless to tell her how her day went, seeing that the bitch already knew it very well. Feeling angry at everything and nothing, the bespectacled girl cursed having come out to buy some extra food. How was she supposed to know they would corner her out of the blue?

"Not answering?" rhetorically asked Endou before letting her smirk widen. "Listen, Asada. We're kind of short in money again, and we want to go to the karaoke. Right, girls?" getting several giggles in answer from her two followers, the girl turned to once again stare down at Shino. "So please, hand over something for us."

"…I don't have any money." answered the girl with a dead tone, suddenly feeling the bills she had taken out for food weighing a ton on her wallet.

If she didn't want to starve for a week, she couldn't let them get that money.

But…

"Oh, really? Why don't you take out your wallet and let us check?" continued the girl with an amusing tone, not even seeming fazed when Shino glared angrily at her. "Oh? Trying to refuse? You shouldn't do that, Asada-chan. After all…" as she say that, Endou slowly raised her fist in Shino's direction and, before the bespectacled girl could even open her mouth, opened her hand on a childish imitation of a gun. "…you never know when things can get DANGEROUS."

Ignoring the girl's words and the laughter starting to come from the other two, Shino's entire world was consumed by the 'hand' being pointed at her, her breathing quickening as she felt herself start to sweat and her heart to beat like a drum, absolute terror and primal fear gripping at her very soul.

Because, in that moment, she wasn't seeing a teenage girl doing a stupidly childish gesture, no.

She was seeing a man with blood covering his chest, pointing a black gun at her, a smile etched on his dead face as its lifeless eyes STARED at her…

"Oh God, this is rich! She looks like she's about to piss herself or have a heart attack!"

"Man, can anyone be more pathetic? Quick, let's just grab her wallet and…"

And that was when the sound of skidding wheels and tires screeching consumed everything.

"What the…?!"

"JUSTICE CRASH!"

Endou had enough time to turn her head to the side in shock to see how a bicycle flew through the air and, in an almost impossible way, slammed its wheels against the faces of her two 'friends', sending them both screaming into the ground.

Open-mouthed, the frozen girl moved her gaze from her falling and crying followers to look at the helmet-wearing and 'masked' figure slashing at her hand with a bamboo sword.

"JUSTICE SLASH!"

Utter shock suddenly consuming it all, in Shino's distorted vision, she had suddenly seen a shining light cutting through the dark form of the man and cutting the black gun in two with a loud crack, a blade of light shining and cutting through the darkness.

In reality, though, that had been the sound Endou's hand had made when the shinai had crashed against it, the girl now lying on the ground screaming in pain as she looked in tears with utter fear towards the imposing form wearing a red coat.

Slowly, Shino's eyes turned to the side, seeing herself on the reflective glasses of the person almost everyone thought was just an urban legend or a joke.

Anger hidden on her face, the Bicycle Girl pointed her blade towards the three shaking bullies.

"People like you are the worst."

Screaming as if they had seen the Devil, Endou and her followers ignored the pain of their broken hand and noses (Respectively) and ran out of the alley as fast as they could.

Lowering her shinai, the heroine worriedly looked down at Shino, who was staring up at her with a mix of awe and shock. Smiling softly, despite her mask hiding it, Suguha offered the bespectacled girl a hand, helping her to her feet.

"You okay?"

"I…you…I…" swallowing the lump that she suddenly felt on her throat, the girl suddenly found herself at a loss of words "…thanks."

"It's not a problem." replied the 'Bicycle Girl' while walking towards her ride and putting it back up, quickly mounting again before looking at Shino. "People like them remind me why I do this. Take care, okay?"

Nodding almost dumbly, Shino couldn't do anything but stare in awe as the 'Urban Legend' rode away, shinai still in hand as she doubled a corner.

Later, even after arriving to her apartment and letting herself fall down on her bed, the shock still hadn't wore off the bespectacled girl's face…and a single, life-shattering epiphany suddenly seemed to have started to consume her mind.

"…sword beats gun…"

Unseen by her, the World shifted at her words, as Fate once again twisted itself…

* * *

 **October 7th. Kirigaya house, 9:30…**

Moving on his bed, Kazuto's eyes slowly opened under the sheets, his mind a little groggy from his sudden awakening.

It was in part his fault, though, because he had been unable to sleep until very late last night, still trying to understand just what the hell had happened on the evening with that ball.

The implications of it all both confused and scared him, so in the end he had tried his best to forget about it and drifted off to sleep, only for strange dreams to fill his attempt to rest.

Now that he thought about it, this was actually the first time he dreamed at all in almost two years, since one couldn't experiment such a thing in SAO. And yet…he was unable to recall WHAT his dream had been about, the details slipping further away the more he tried to remember them. Doing his best, the gamer forced his mind to recall at least SOMETHING.

He remembered a tree so tall it reached the clouds, something important waiting on the top…

He remembered a dark shadow with red eyes, a figure with some kind of firearm facing against it…

He remembered a golden light over an icy wasteland…and then, a blade stronger and most amazing than any other, but at the same time extremely fragile, its time to break coming closer…

And above it all, consuming everything else, he remembered two orange and green voids, STARING at him…

Shaking his head once again, the boy sat up on his bed, deciding to ignore the weird and incomprehensible dream…when someone knocked on his door, making him blink.

"Onii-chan? Are you awake?"

"Uhm…yes, I am, Sugu. Why?"

For all answer, the girl opened the door and entered, the boy noticing she was still wearing her pajamas when she brought forward what she had hidden on her back.

"Happy birthday, Onii-chan!" smiled Suguha while showing him the wrapped gift.

Shocked and wide-eyed, Kazuto blinked several times as he stared at her.

That was right. It was the seventh of October. With all that had been going on, he had completely forgotten.

He had officially become 16 years old.

Dumbly, the boy grabbed the gift and slowly unwrapped it under the hopeful smile of his adoptive sister. He froze the moment he opened the box and looked inside, a small manga volume greeting his sight, an all-too-familiar epic image of a bald man having punched through a monster on its cover.

"This is…"

"It was a bit difficult, but I manage to find them all on an old shop!" nervously commented the girl while the boy stared at the complete collection of One Punch-Man's manga. "D-do you like it…?"

For a moment, Suguha feared that maybe the boy had been expecting something else, or that he had totally forgotten about the series that had started to get them back together almost two years ago.

Then, he burst out laughing before giving her a smile so pure and wide that the girl could have sworn her heart stopped all the time she stared at it.

"It's the best present I have ever gotten, Sugu." opening the first volume, the boy grabbed his sister's arm and guided her to his side. "C'mon, let's recall the old times!"

Sitting at Kazuto's side while both stared with nostalgic smiles at the impressive art of Saitama punching Vaccine-man to hell, Suguha suddenly felt that, no matter had happened, all would be right with the world…

* * *

On a beautiful land inhabited by fairies, there is a tree. One so tall that it dwarfs even the tallest buildings ever constructed by man.

And on one of its tallest branches, there is a golden cage.

And inside said cage, a beautiful girl with chestnut hair and pointy ears…

BAM! BAM!

…is slamming a chair against the bars?

"I'M SO GOING TO KILL SOMEONE WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE!"

And with more angry shouts, the girl clad in barely-covering 'clothes' kept slamming the chair against the bars, hoping against hope that they would broke after an entire month of doing the same.

On its throne above Everything, Fate chuckled.

It was time for a new Chapter of this tale to start…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…she's not a joke…or a tale…she's real…and she's a Hero…uh? Ah, uhm, hi? I'm Asada Shino…and I'm supposed to give you the preview for the next chapter? Uhm, okay. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'A Superhero among Fairies!' When evil threatens those dear to him, the boy in black will once again put on his cape and do what does best: Punching it all away…what the hell is this even about? Either way, I don't have time for this. Because thanks to that Bicycle Girl, I have finally found the answer I have been searching fo-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's another interlude done! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it =)! Writing about Sugu always give me this warm and fuzzy feeling inside XP

As you can see, I have used this opportunity to fully close the Aincrad Arc, give the base for the Fairy Dance one, and also raise several future plotpoints for the future OwO Heh, bet you weren't expecting HER to show up this early, uh? We won't see her again for a while, but you can bet than this is going to change things EVEN MORE for the future XD

Also, while I'm sure many have been speculating, there won't be anything 'unreal' or 'super-like' happening on the real world…for now :P What does that mean? Who knows…and about what Kirito _did_ there? Well, you will find out on the next arc, but it's very simple to know if you look at canon, more precisely at the 'kendo match' between Suguha and Kazuto : WHAT was the (sadly non-exploited in the plot) 'side-effect' that SAO survivors had after being two years in that world? And think back again, WHAT had Kazuto been doing while in SAO in here compared to canon OwO?

Well, that's all for now, I hope to see you all again soon, when we start the next arc: The Fairies are in for a surprise when the Strongest Gamer enters their world -w-

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	15. Chapter 11: A Superhero among Fairies!

And here we are again, my dear readers, with another chapter of this mad story of mine, starting a new arc of madness, teenage problems, One-Punching and more madness :P Honestly, the chapter is a bit 'slow' comparing to others, but then again, there is not much 'action' on the Fairy Dance arc, is more about feelings and character development…SO! I have decided that I'm going to kept true to that while, at the same time, add the characteristic craziness of this story that everyone seem to like for some reason…and of course, the scenes where ass-kicking is shown will be as epic as possible/needed OwO

Without more delays, let us start with this once again!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: A Superhero among Fairies! Punch again, Gamer!**

 **November 8th, 2024. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya House, 10:30…**

With a soft sigh, Kazuto silently stared at the small rock on his hand, as if pondering something deep. The soft rays of the sun barely warmed the backyard of his house this late on the year, but, despite the cold morning, the gamer didn't seem to be bothered in the slightest by the weather.

Frowning slightly, the black-haired boy reared his arm back and threw the rock over the small pond near the middle of his garden.

No effort was needed for the 'phenomenon' to start.

Sighing, Kazuto let his eyes wander through the 'frozen' world at the edge of his vision, his main focus centered over the soaring rock that now seemed to be almost literally not moving. Idly, his mind told him how he should easily be able to run over the pond's water, grab the rock before it fell and return to his sitting position, all in less than an instant.

With a wince the gamer forced down the 'natural' reaction and closed that line of thought, as he had painfully learned to do this last month, acknowledging that such a thing was 'impossible' to do and letting his 'hyper-awareness' die down, the rock splashing slightly as he saw it sinking into the water.

Looking back at his hands and closing them into fists, Kazuto let out yet another sigh.

"Great…just great."

Honestly, he didn't know if he should be worried, happy or freaking out about this 'thing' that had happened to him.

The black-haired boy certainly wasn't an expert in virtual reality, and he knew very well that many of the studies and developments related to it had suffered a severe hit and halt when SAO happened, so he had no way of truly knowing if the phenomenon was restricted to just him or if they were a side-effect from his years-long FullDive.

Certainly, he could have asked Argo or the others about it, but none of them where exactly in condition to go grab a weapon and see if they could still control them like they had done in Aincrad just because he wanted to ask if they had noticed something 'weird' going on.

Because, somehow, he was still able to 'perceive the world' like Saitama did.

That was quite a simple/crazy way of putting it, but also very accurate. After all, Kazuto had never truly stopped to think that he had been essentially moving at unreal speeds, jumping impossible distance, evading deadly attacks and ending monstrous creatures for almost two years, non-stop, and that he had gotten pretty used to it even before the first month in SAO had finished. He had never stopped to think how THAT would affect him once he returned to the real world, nor would he have been particularly worried about it if he had known, to be honest.

But now, it seemed that something had indeed affected him. Maybe it was just a side-effect of having spent two years inside the virtual world, or maybe it also had to do with the fact that, while most people of SAO was limited to what 'normal humans' could do, he had essentially been a superhuman for an ungodly long period of time, only for his mind to then return to a normal body…while still conserving all the reflexes and reaction speed of someone who could break the sky with one punch.

The black-haired boy didn't know if he should be worried about it or not. As far as he knew, maybe this was in some way harmful for his mind and he should have told his parents and seek help the moment he noticed it…but he hadn't. While in part it had been because he didn't want to give any more worries to his family after the horrible trial he had put them through while trapped in SAO, a smaller, selfish part of him did so because it MISSED being _like that_.

He could have acted like it didn't matter in front of Kayaba, (In fact, as long as it meant the safety of his friends and all those who had been unjustly trapped, it didn't really matter to him)…but there was a small part of him that longed for the speed to beat even the fastest cars, the strength to crush a mountain without effort, the resistance to have a meteor fall on him without being injured…

Not because of pride of power-hunger, no. Just because…it had become a part of him.

Kayaba's words once again echoed through his mind, when he had told him how he was going to return to be his True Self. That he didn't know the meaning of that anymore.

After all…how could be 'himself' when Kirito had become every bit as real as Kazuto was, perhaps even more?

At which point did the difference between Virtual and Real just became the difference in how he viewed himself…?

"Onii-chan?"

Blinking out of his complex musings, the black-haired boy turned around, looking towards the small building that was their house's dojo, to see Suguha standing tire, clad in her white kendogi and bluish hakama, her trusted shinai on her hands and a towel around her shoulders. The girl had clearly been inside the dojo doing some early morning practice, and she seemed as surprised of seeing him there as he was of her showing up.

For an instant, Kazuto's eyes wandered over the girl's cute face, noticing how lovely she looked in her kendo uniform, before shaking his head and forcing those thoughts away as if she had Punched them with the strength of his old virtual self. He was SO blaming Asuna and her endless siscon jokes for this! He wasn't supposed to think so much about how beautiful his little sister had become, dammit!

"He-hello there, Sugu. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your practice…"

"Oh, don't worry, I had just finished anyway…" ignorant of her brother's turbulent thoughts, the smiling girl sat down at the edge of the dojo's floor, looking at him with curiosity. "What were you doing anyway?"

"Me? I was just…throwing rocks into the water." laughed the gamer while scratching his head, getting a deadpanning look from the girl.

Certainly, a part of him wanted to just be honest and tell Suguha about what was happening, but that also would imply explaining everything that happened in SAO, and the boy certainly didn't want to go into THAT by himself. Ignoring the possibility of his sister thinking he was just crazy, he would feel better if he kept that part of his life and all the madness in it away from the innocent Sugu.

For some reason, anyone who had been near the bicycle parked at the side of the house in that moment would have sworn they heard it LAUGHING.

"Geez, Onii-chan, don't go around doing senseless things." despite the slight annoyance in her tone, one could clearly feel the worry on the girl's voice as she boy stood up and walked near her. "Remember that you need to rest!"

"And I also need to do some minimal exercise, Sugu, remember that I still need to recover the body mass and muscle I lost." softly answered the boy while letting a smile appear on his face, both happy and guilty that she worried for him so much, even as he stared again at his scrawny hand. "Of course, it's not as if had any real muscle to begin with…"

"Heh, then maybe when you're better you should start doing push-ups and sit-ups." joked the girl before receiving a blank stare from the boy, both siblings exploding in laughter shortly after.

"…ahahah!…God, that was a good one." finally calming down from his laughing fit, Kazuto's hand moved as if by instinct and ruffled his sister's hair, making her freeze and blush fiercely while he smiled. "Who knows, maybe I will do that…oh, by the way, Sugu, can I borrow your bicycle again?"

"Uh?" getting out of her daze, the kendoka's eyes widened softly before she looked down for a moment. "Oh…you're going to the hospital again?"

"Yeah." with a grim nod, the black-haired boy couldn't help but look towards the horizon with a frown, his hand slipping away from Suguha's head. "I am…"

After all, it had already been two months since the end of SAO and none of the last 300 people had woken up yet, neither any explanation about the WHY of it had been found.

Asuna, Keita, Sasamaru, Tetsuo and Ducker still lay on their hospital beds, motionless as their bodies kept wasting away…

"I see…" softly muttered the girl before standing up. "Of course you can use Ju…my bicycle, Onii-chan, just make sure you don't strain yourself." giving him a last smile, the girl started to walk away. "And be back soon, I will start preparing lunch after taking a shower!"

Looking on as his sister walked away, Kazuto couldn't help but wonder if things would be different if they hadn't accidentally watched One Punch-Man together that day long ago, before just smiling and deciding it was best not to think about what-ifs.

…he also quickly forced down any thoughts about her taking a shower from his mind. Oh yeah, he was SO blaming Asuna for that. Thinking about that, maybe he should introduce Sugu to the others one of these days, seeing as between their recovery and the worry for their friends' conditions they hadn't really had time to celebrate having gotten out of SAO…

* * *

People may call him paranoid, but Kazuto was REALLY sure there was something strange with the bicycle he was riding.

Besides the surprise that his sister had not only taken it for herself, but also repaired and modified it enough to make it look even better than when it was first bought, the gamer sometimes could swear he felt as if the ride was JUDGING him when he used it to go to the nearby city of Tokorozawa (Place in which the hospital where Asuna and the others were was), as if he had offended it or done something similar.

…he should REALLY consider asking for professional help. Maybe he was really losing it after so much craziness in his life.

With yet another sigh, the boy entered the hospital (After having left the sinisterly lively bicycle properly secured, of course) and headed towards the first room he was going to visit, where his closest friend rested.

Upon entering, he was only mildly surprised of seeing there was a familiar face already there, watching over his sleeping disciple.

"Argo." greeted Kazuto with a smile, startling the pondering form of Izawa Shiori before she looked at him and her face turned into a soft grin. The boy still felt strange when looking at her face and seeing the lack of her characteristic whiskers, though. "Are you here alone?"

"Nah, I came with Sachi. She's looking over Keita and the rest right now." turning her face back to Asuna's softly breathing body, the girl couldn't help but bit her lips. "Damn, Kii-bou, this is both hard and frustrating. I'm so used to seeing her either shouting things for us to do or waving off things most would consider big problems, her ability to face them only matched by her faith in you…Seeing her there, unmoving…"

"I know." was the boy's simple answer as he squeezed her shoulder, his eyes looking back to Asuna's silent body and the Nerve Gear still encasing her head. "I'm supposed to be her 'Master' and yet I can't do anything for her…"

"None of us can, Kii-bou, don't beat yourself over it as if it was your fault." shaking her head, Shiori let out a sigh on her own while looking towards the window. "Silica, Liz and Philia came by yesterday too…dammit, I wish we at least knew WHAT's wrong with them. Maybe then we would be able to do something about it!"

"Yeah…me too." bitterly whispered the boy while closing his eyes.

Certainly, many people believed this was still somehow Kayaba Akihiko's fault, a last evil act against the world before killing himself, but Kazuto knew better.

Having clashed directly against the man in that last fight, on a level beyond what any human could have ever dreamed to achieve, and then actually TALKED to him, he knew Kayaba didn't had anything to do with this. The man had been very clear how the end of Aincrad and SAO was the end for him, and all related with his mad 'dream'. He wouldn't have kept his friends and all the others in that state for no reason.

But that only made things even more difficult, because, if Kayaba hadn't done it, then WHAT was it that kept them all still sleeping…?

Both teens' trains of thought were suddenly interrupted when the room's door opened and two men entered. The older one was someone Kazuto and Shiori easily recognized as Yuuki Shouzou, Asuna's father and CEO of RECT Inc., an incredibly successful electronics company. (And hadn't THAT been a surprise), but the other man was someone they had never seen before. He had short, slicked black-brown hair and wore glasses and a business suit with a red tie.

For some reason, despite his calm smile, both SAO Survivors couldn't help but a get a sinister vibe coming from him.

"Ah, Izawa-san, Kirigaya-kun, it's good to see you two again." nodded the CEO towards the two friends of his daughter, which he had seen several times since they began visiting her a month ago.

"Same here, Yuuki-san." nodded Shiori while her eyes moved towards the stranger, who was eyeing both of them with apparent curiosity. "And…?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" smiling charmingly, the man stared directly at the teens, sending a shiver down the girl's spine for some unknown reason, even as Kazuto felt the strange need of Punching him. "I'm Sugou Noboyuki, Chief of RECT Progress, the research institute of RECT Inc."

"…it's good to meet you." curtly answered the black-haired boy, quietly wondering why he couldn't muster any sincerity to his words.

"Noboyuki-kun has been a good friend of the family for quite some time now, especially since this latest…development, with Asuna's tragedy…" sending a sad look towards his daughter, both ex-members of the United Heroes Association couldn't help but understand his pain, the man probably taking the lack of recovery from the girl even worse than them. "…I'm sorry for not being able to stay, but I have several things that require my attention. I just…wanted to see how she was." excusing himself, the man left the room and everyone was able to hear how he walked down the corridor.

Once only the teens and the bespectacled man remained, a strange tension seemed to take over the room.

"Well…that happened." idly commented the man while walking closer to Asuna's bed, his smile suddenly much less friendly and more 'predatory', making Kazuto and Shiori tense. "You will have to forgive the old man; he's starting to get overwhelmed by his job. Soon, he will need someone else to take over the company for him…"

"I think he still looks perfectly fine as he is." acidly commented the auburn-haired girl, her eyes narrowing at seeing how Sugou snorted and started to caress Asuna's face. "And what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, just checking that my fiancée is okay, nothing more." his smirk widening at seeing the shock on both teens' faces, the bespectacled man just let out a low chuckle. "Oh, you didn't know? Well, can't say I'm surprised that Asuna didn't mention me to her 'friends'. She had never showed much appreciation for me, despite all the good I have done for her family…too bad, though, that she can't exactly refuse our marriage in her current state."

"Wait, what?!" shouted Kazuto while clenching his fists, unable to believe what he was hearing. "You want to marry her while she's like this?! Quit joking, you can't possibly…!"

"Oh, but I CAN and will, boy." Sugou cut him off with a cruel smile, even as Shiori let out a growl of anger. "You see, I'm in fact the one who is keeping Asuna alive right now, because it's MY division of the company that's in charge of the SAO Servers since Argus went bankrupt as consequence of the incident. Her father approves of me, and to help the situation move on, what's better than some happiness by welcoming a new 'son' into the family?"

"You…!" started Shiori with venom in her voice, only to freeze in almost animal rage at seeing the man grinning at them as he started to play with the comatose girl's hair. "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

"Why? She IS my fiancée, after all." smirked the man while grabbing one of Asuna's chestnut locks and starting to get it dangerously close to his face. "Also, you kids shouldn't shout in a hospital, sick people need sile…"

The man was abruptly cut off when a hand shot out from nowhere and closed in a vice-like grip around his wrist, surprisingly strong for its skinny looks, forcing him to let go of the sleeping girl's hair. His shocked gaze quickly shot up to look at the stoic and apparently BORED look on the boy's face, which somehow reflected burning anger unlike any other despite its blank stare.

Shiori herself was frozen in place from the shock. She HAD seen Kazuto moving, but it had been so unexpected and with such a 'precise' grace that she had been too stunned to properly understand exactly what the boy had done until he already was grabbing Sugou's arm.

"Touch her again…and you will regret it." despite not having any apparent emotion, the tone of the boy's voice sent a shiver running down the bespectacled man's back, for a moment he almost seeing some kind of 'fire' burning on his eyes.

Then, the moment was gone and Sugou scowled as he forced his arm out of Kazuto's grip, glaring at the boy.

Yet, he made no attempt to try and grab Asuna again, simply turning around and heading towards the room's door.

"Our wedding will be a week from now. I suggest that don't come here anymore, the faster you get used to not seeing her, the better." despite his dark and cocky words, one could have noticed that the man went out of the room a bit faster than anyone walking calmly would need to.

Two seconds of heavy silence later, the door opened again and the frowning form of Hayami Saori, Sachi for her SAO friends, appeared there, staring for a moment down the hallway before looking worriedly at her two friends.

"Who was that guy?"

"Scum." angrily spat Shiori before crossing her arms and looking at the silent Kazuto, who was staring at Asuna's face. "…why did you do that?"

"Because you were going to hit him." flatly answered the boy while the confusion of the bluish-haired girl grew, the ex-claw-user's frown only growing. "You were getting into the same stance you used when you were going to let loose a nasty Berserk Skill. And as much as he deserved it, you know it wouldn't have ended well."

With a silent curse, the girl that had been named Argo in the virtual world knew that her friend (And 'not-so-secret' crush) was right.

After all, they were the unstable teens fresh out of SAO and the bastard was the chief of an important division from a great electronics company. If they had tried to hurt him, at best, it would end up with they being kicked out of the hospital and at worst with them being detained. As much as they hated it, they couldn't do anything about that.

And it was with that realization that Shiori looked towards Kazuto's still form, fists clenched so much his knuckles were turning white. The black-haired boy was probably much angrier than she and wishing to break the man's face even more. As much as she liked to call herself Asuna's best friend, she and the gamer had been much closer during their time in Aincrad. Perhaps there was nothing romantic (At least from the idiotic boy's view) in there, but the pair of 'Master' and 'Disciple' were without a doubt the ones with the strongest bond in the United Heroes Association.

One because she had showed him what having a real friend was like. The other because he had inspired her to become better than she had ever been.

"Still…that was pretty cool of you, Kii-bou." finally spoke the auburn-haired girl, breaking the tense silence that had spawned between them and the worried Saori. "I almost didn't see you move when you grabbed him."

The boy released a mirthless chuckle at hearing that.

"I'm still fast enough for someone like him."

Not even explaining what he meant with that, Kazuto turned around and exited the room, most likely heading to see Keita and the rest. Shiori didn't blame him for just going out like that, so she opted to look tiredly at the clearly worried ex-spear-user, who was staring down the hall as the black-haired boy walked away.

"…something really bad just happened, right?"

"Yes, Sachi. C'mon, sit down and I will tell you, even though I'm sure you won't like to hear it…"

* * *

It was later that night when Suguha stood before the door of her brother's room, already clad on her pajamas and feeling slightly nervous.

She had been worried for Kazuto since he came back from the hospital that morning. The boy had been sporting an extremely serious face and had walked straight to his room, closing the door and only coming down for lunch and dinner, even then he had barely saying a word. Their mother had also seemed a bit worried, but the woman had once again needed to go work for the night, so that left her as the only one who could ask him what's wrong.

Steeling herself and casting her fears aside, remembering that she had already been in his room many times (Though not at night…), the girl softly knocked on the door.

"Onii-chan?" hearing no answer even after knocking again, a worried frown appeared on the kendoka's face. "Onii-chan, I'm coming in." prepared for anything, Suguha opened the door to find her brother…meditating?

Well, at least that's what he seemed to be doing in her eyes, what with sitting on his bed with crossed legs and arms, his eyes closed as he breathed deeply several times…before blinking in surprise at seeing his sister standing at his side and staring at him with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Uh…? Sugu? Wh-what time is it…? What are you doing here?" looking around as if coming out from a trance, Kazuto only made the young girl sweatdrop.

It looked like trying to sink into his 'hyper-awareness' of things to try and distract himself from that bastard's words and his apparently imminent marriage with Asuna hadn't been the best of ideas.

"I…I was worried about you, Onii-chan." accepted Suguha while sitting at his side, fiddling with her thumbs a bit before looking straight to his face. "Yo-you have been acting weird since you came back from the hospital, so…"

His expression softening, the black-haired boy sighed before sitting properly. Damn, and he had tried really hard to stay silent so as to not worry her or their mother with what had happened…

"It's okay, Sugu, it's just…something really bad is going to happen to one of my dearest friends…and I…I can't do anything about it." looking guiltily at his hands, the boy felt them shake as he clenched them into fists, the part of him wishing to still be able to split the sky with them never having felt stronger. "Despite all that we went through…now I can't do anything to help her…"

Suguha felt her heart clench at those words, both at the pain she felt on the boy's words and because she had a very good idea WHO he was talking about. Whatever had happened in the hospital that day, it had apparently been really bad for Asuna, her brother's 'friend'.

Did Kazuto really only see the comatose girl like that? Or did his feelings for her go much deeper, as she feared?

Even so…she was just unable to see the person she loved the most suffering like that, so she gathered all her courage and hugged him softly, letting the shocked boy's head rest against her bosom.

"Onii-chan…it's okay." softly whispered the girl while trying to contain her blushing face and beating heart, hoping her adopted brother wouldn't notice it. "You can't think like that…you can't give up without even trying. It's not about winning or losing, remember? It's about doing your best for that which you believe in, no matter how small or insignificant it seems…"

Letting the lesson she had learnt from a great bicycle-riding hero echo through the room, Suguha smiled softly as she kept her soft grip over Kazuto's silent form.

Yes, that was right. She was going to take her own words at heart. She wouldn't give up without even trying…to win what she wanted the most…

Kazuto, meanwhile, was trying VERY HARD to not move and try to keep his mind as centered on the extremely serious situation as possible. While his sister's words certainly had warmed his heart and he was really motivated by them to try and find a way to do something to help Asuna's situation, that didn't change the fact that most of his thoughts kept, much to his 'terror', coming back to a single fact, that he was clearly feeling because of his current 'position'.

Why wasn't Sugu wearing a bra under her pajamas?!

Unaware of the gamer's panicking thoughts, Suguha softly drifted to sleep with a pleasant smile, still hugging the boy against her. At some unknown point after that, Kazuto's brain gave up trying to overcome the situation without waking her up and just 'shut down', letting the boy fall into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

The next morning would be VERY awkward for both siblings.

* * *

 **November 9th, 2024. Yggdrasil, the World Tree. A Golden Cage near the Top, 12:00...**

Cursing for the umpteenth time, the chestnut-haired girl with elf-like ears slammed her fists against the bars of the golden cage where she had been trapped for more time that she could even give a fuck about, dearly wishing to have something to strangle at hand.

Her extremely high bad mood could be excused for her current situation, though, prisoner of a lunatic jerk who was not only the asshole she had thought he was before, but also a madman planning senseless things like developing brain-washing tech by doing illegal experiments on the brains of the SAO Survivors he had managed to 'mentally kidnap' when the game had ended.

Leaving aside the fact that Sugou either seemed to love his own voice too much or was just retarded enough to think that gloating about his 'evil plan' and detailing all his illegal activities to her, as if he was the villain for a bad anime, was a good idea, and how outraged she was at what he was doing to the innocent players from SAO that had never done anything wrong except getting trapped by Kayaba, Asuna was pissed beyond belief for another reason.

Her chances with Sensei had probably gone to hell, and even after all the effort she put on having him give her that final 'promise' of meeting her first on reality! Dammit! Just when she had gathered the necessary courage and promised herself she would tell him how she felt about him the moment they saw each other in real life, this idiot with his world domination-style plans had to come along and ruin it all!

The worries that any of the other girls had already confessed to him (As unlikely at that could be) aside, the ex-rapier-user swore that the first thing she would do when she got out of there was ripping out the battery of her Nerve Gear and showing it down Sugou's throat.

And talking about the King of Jerks...

"Ah, you look as lovely as always, my dear." grinned a tall and blonde figure, having pointed ears and dressed in green clothes, a stupid crown with emerald jewels over his head and greenish, ethereal-like wings, a sick smile on his face as he entered inside the golden cage. "I see that you're as lively as al..."

And that was as far as he went before Asuna spun around screaming like a banshee and slammed the golden chair she had been half-hiding with her body against his face, making the shocked man squeak and take a step back, which the chestnut-haired girl took advantage of to slam her right foot against his crotch.

Even as the groaning bastard fell to his knees, momentarily forgetting that he wasn't really feeling any pain, the ex-rapier-user was already running out of the cage, screaming 'Freedom!' at the top of her lungs as she dashed down the massive branch.

She made it more or less halfway before a massive weight fell over her shoulders and she fell face-first against the wooden surface, her muffled curses and screams going unheard as an invisible force dragged her back towards her golden prison.

God-fucking-dammit! That was her 4th frustrated escape attempt!

"Ugh..." growled the Fairy King while closing his Admin. Menu, clearly annoyed. "Another futile attempt, as you see, my dear Titani..."

"I swear I'm SO going to rip out your tongue and force you to swallow it if you call me that name again, Sugou!" snarled Asuna from where she couldn't move, sitting on the cage's bed, and glaring at the man in front of her.

"HAH! Try to stay defiant all that you want, Asuna! But in this world, you have no power to oppose me, and soon you will be forced to accept my superiority as the Ruler!" dramatically declared the madman while raising his arms over his sides, as if his hands were trying to cup some invisible fruit. "For here I'm Oberon, the King of Fairies!"

Sadly, the simmering anger she felt prevented the chestnut-haired girl from breaking out in laughter, like a part of her felt like doing every time the bastard proudly proclaimed his 'title'. It didn't stop her mind from imagining an imagination-related rainbow appearing between Oberon's hands, though.

"Fuck off, Sugou." eloquently replied Asuna while trying to discover the secret to kill a man with a glare from a virtual world. "The moment I get back to the real world, you will be SO screwed that facing whatever my father or the authorities do with you will be the least of your worries."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that, my dear Asuna. But as soon as my investigation to control emotions and memories is finished, you will literally worship the very ground I walk upon, and when I take control of your father's company, I...!"

Tuning out Oberon's monologue, as she had started to do so since the first time she heard about his 'great' evil plan, the ex-rapier-user tried to entertain herself by imagining what her friends would be doing right at that moment.

...she was dearly hoping the other girls weren't trying anything to act upon their collective crush on her Sensei, though. Because if Oberon's stupid madness had made her miss her chance with him, the police would need to call the FBI to try and find the corpse of Sugou Noboyuki.

She was suddenly brought out of her sweet thoughts of brutally murdering someone by the last words said by the man she hated the most himself.

"...and those 'friends' of yours came back to see you in the real world again. The stupid boy even dared to go so far as to try and threaten ME! Heh, suck for them, for soon they will never see you aga..."

"Each and every single one of them is worth a thousand times you, Sugou." cheerfully commented Asuna with a smile, stopping the man dead on his tracks. "In fact, even the ground that 'stupid boy' you talk about walks over has more value than you will ever have."

Glaring with anger and frustration at the girl, Oberon forced himself to calm down and not try to 'teach her a lesson' by touching her, previous times he had tried that resulting in either the girl trying to bite off his virtual fingers, spitting on his face (A feature he was seriously considering removing from ALO) or, in the rare moments he had managed to molest her without consequences, resulted in her finding an even nastier way to screw him up with her next 'escape attempt'.

Trying to save the little (None) pride he still had left, the Fairy King stood up and headed towards the cage's door without another word, deciding the left the girl frozen in place until he got out of there and Logged Out, to 'teach her a lesson'.

He never noticed the grin forming in Asuna's eyes as the idiotic man let her sitting there, with a perfect excuse to stare openly at how he introduced the numeric code that closed the door of her cage (Another proof of the man's stupidity: Why not just make a cage only he could open?). Even as Oberon walked away, the girl felt satisfied knowing that her long-time plan was finally about to work.

It may have taken her like two months, but soon she would get the fuck out of there…and make sure to ruin Sugou's life while doing so.

* * *

The last rays of the sun were vanishing as the evening came to an end, giving way to a silent and slightly cold night.

Sitting on his room, Kazuto stared at the copy of 'Alfheim Online' he had on his hands, a conflicted look on his face.

That morning, after the 'incident' with Sugu when they woke up (Which had ended with him trying to stammer out an apology, even if he wasn't sure WHY, and with the girl rushing out of the room with a burning face), he had looked his email like usual and found a message from Agil, which had greatly surprised him. After all, despite knowing him a bit, the man had been mainly a contact of Argo to get supplies when they needed them, and the ex-claws-user had been the one who knew him the most, so receiving a message from him was quite surprising.

Then again, he also had several trash messages with Spam or links to the craziest rumors around the town, like that of a girl with a bicycle running around the night and hitting criminals (He wasn't really sure about that one, he had been too busy worrying about his friends these last months and usually had zero interest in such crazy things), so he had thought that maybe it was just for congratulating him about SAO or something…

He definitively wasn't expecting to see a slightly blurry image of what appeared to be an elf-version of Asuna with fairy-like wings, angrily slamming a chair against some kind of cage where she was trapped.

A mix of hope and urgency filling him, Kazuto had headed towards the address the man added to his message (Though he had refrained from asking Sugu for her bicycle again, both because of the still lingering awkwardness and the strange 'vibe' the vehicle gave him), arriving to the shop 'Dicey Café' that Agil, Andrew Gilbert Mills in reality, ran.

There, the bald man had explained to him how the image came from a place called 'The World Tree', inside an apparently very famous VRMMORPG called Alfheim Online, based around fairies and the ability to fly (Which he accepted sounded very appealing, because which person wouldn't want to be able to fly by themselves?), and that had 'succeeded' SAO as the most famous VR game around, also helping raise the trust of people on such games again. It seemed that the Main Quest of the game had something to do with arriving to the top of Yggdrasil, the tree, and getting an audience with the King of the Fairies to gain the ability to evolve and be able to eternally fly.

In all honesty, the gamer hadn't really cared about that as much as he did for the fact that, apparently, Asuna was trapped in there (Which meant it was very possible Keita and the others were there too). And also wondered WHY Agil had only informed him about it instead of everyone else.

His answers had been as convincing as they were…

 _"Hey, you were the Guild's leader and the guy I saw split the sky open with a punch, so I figured it would be best to talk to you first. Besides…I only had money to get one copy of the game."_

…yeah, that.

Now, after having spent most of the day reading all the info he could about 'ALO', the black-haired boy was feeling quite conflicted: Should he inform everyone else that he MAY have found a way to help the others? Or should he just try going in by himself?

Certainly, from the most logic point of view, the second option was the best one. After all, he knew very well he was the only one out of everyone that could actually do it without problems/raising questions: He had a copy of the game, a father working overseas and a mother that spent most of the day at work. Only Sugu was actually spending time with him nowadays, and even she had several things to do since the school year started again. He was probably the only one who could use his Nerve Gear (Which thankfully was as compatible with the game as the new and much safer AmuSphere) without having to give lots of explanations to a worried family, not to mention that the girls would actually NEED to ask their families if they wanted to get the relatively expensive game (VR-things weren't exactly cheap, after all), immediately blowing up any chance of doing this 'investigation/rescue mission' in secret at worst. At best, the only thing he would be doing would be worrying everyone unnecessarily. Given all that, the best would have been to just keep the secret and try to do this by himself, as difficult as it was.

The Kazuto of two years ago would probably have done so in a heartbeat. The current one, who had learned what trusting in others and being trusted in return was, however…

"…I will just Log In, see how things are around tonight and then tell everyone first thing in the morning." he finally decided with a soft nod. That would satisfy both sides of himself.

Steeling himself and taking a deep breath, the boy stared silently at the machine that had kept him trapped for nearly two years, wondering if he could really just put it on again like that.

He didn't need to see his suddenly bored and emotionless face reflecting off the headgear to know the answer. The thoughts of his comatose friends were more than enough for that.

Game installed, the gamer put on the helmet and, once again, repeated the words that would allow him to enter a world totally different, yet extremely similar, to the real one.

"Link Start!"

And as his consciousness was washed away by the rainbow lights of the FullDive, making him unable to see how his Nerve Gear shone with an ethereal light for an instant, the boy unknowingly was also going back to his 'other self'…

* * *

The first sign that Kirito got something was wrong (After the simple 'Race Selection' menu had been washed away when he chose 'Spriggan' ) was that he could have sworn that he heard a vaguely familiar laughter echoing on the back of his head.

The second sign was that, unlike appearing on the Spriggan's hometown as he had been told, the world had 'crashed' around his vision before he suddenly found himself falling down from an absurdly high height, towards an unknown forest.

Somehow, the boy wasn't really surprised despite the incredibly random event.

"…why can't I enter a virtual world without something crazy happening to me?" sighed the gamer before, by instinct, twisting himself in mid-air and 'getting into position'.

The earth around the entire area shook when he CRASHED down, the ground cracking around his feet as he did so.

It took several seconds of standing and dusting himself off for Kirito to realize that THAT shouldn't really had happened. With suddenly shaky eyes, the boy let his gaze go down…to see his white-gloved hands. And the familiar black jumpsuit he was now wearing.

"N-no way…" whispered the gamer in absolute disbelief, even as a sudden gust of wind made his familiar white cape flap behind him. "…I'm wearing it." then, with almost fearful hesitation, the boy reared back his fist…

…and Punched the ground.

A good chunk of virtual earth cracked and went flying around before vanishing into broken polygons, even as Kirito stood up once again, a suddenly massive grin on his face.

He had NEVER felt so happy while wearing something so ridiculous.

"…to be honest, I kind of missed this thing…I think I understand how Saitama grew fond of his own…" idly muttered the black-haired boy while walking towards a nearby pond, a sudden frown on his face. "But…how can this have happe…what the fucking hell happened to my hair?!" interrupted himself the gamer while STARING at his reflection on the virtual water.

There had been no change to his height, and his face was still the same as his real one (Though his skin was a bit darker, an apparent racial trait of the Spriggans), but what REALLY made him stare in shock and almost not recognize himself despite the superhero-costume was his 'new hairstyle'.

To put it simple, he looked as if he had failed an attempt to become a Super Saiyan or had been made to be the main character of a Final Fantasy game.

…at least it was still better than being bald…but just to be sure, he was making sure of changing his hair to something less 'spiky' the first opportunity he got.

"If I can even go that far. I have no idea where I am…" with a sudden feeling of dread, the boy opened his menu, feeling relief washing over him when he saw the Logout button being perfectly functional. "Okay…that's one thing less to worry about…wait a second…" frowning, Kirito ran through his item list, the several messes of symbols that indicated damaged data filling his inventory even as he realized that his Stats (ALO didn't had levels, apparently encouraging a gameplay style based off your own ability to fight and get boosts/equipment), were a familiar mass of interrogation signs. "…these damaged items…is this THE SAME Avatar from SAO? How the hell…?" his words suddenly dying on his throat, the boy's gaze suddenly fixed itself over the only item that wasn't actually a mess of damaged data between his old possessions.

'MHCHP-001'.

Hoping against hope, Kirito let a shaking gloved finger touch the button.

Immediately, blinding light manifested itself in front of him, but the gamer refused to close his eyes, even as he felt tears filling them when he saw a familiar, small shape on a black dress materializing from the light.

Landing softly on her feet, the little girl blinked twice before looking at him, a massive smile appearing on her face as she opened her arms.

"…good morning, Papa."

"Yui…" with barely a thought, Kirito MOVED to the girl's side, hugging her with enough enthusiasm to lift her off the ground as she giggled and hugged him back, happiness filling his entire being. "…I'm so glad to see you again."

"I told you we would meet again, Papa! And soon everyone…AH! That's right!" suddenly floating out of the boy's embrace (Which made him raise an eyebrow at seeing she apparently could STILL do that), Yui quickly opened a menu and, after introducing something on it, put her hands over her chest.

A new wave of shining light later, a familiar, though slightly different, figure appeared over them, eyes closed, before quickly falling down, only for the black-haired Spriggan to catch her on his arms.

Despite her hair now being brown, having a couple of small white 'lines' on the lower-left side of her face and slightly darker skin, her red eyes were still the same as they slowly opened, a familiar smile blossoming on her face as she threw herself around the boy's neck.

"Kiritoooo!" shouted the now Gnome Strea with utter happiness while trying to suffocate the boy on her bosom, which wasn't as easy as before thanks to her new and (Slightly) less revealing armor. "I missed youuuuuu!"

"Now, now, Strea-nee, let go of Papa, please." chided Yui while waving a finger at her 'little sister'. "We need to know exactly what's going on, after all!"

"Yui-neeeee!" continued Strea, not hearing or ignoring the other AI's words as she let go of the embarrassed boy in favor of glomping the little girl. "I also missed you loooots!"

"Bu-but we were together all the time!"

"Yeah, but we couldn't talk to each other or anything, only 'sleep'! You know it's not the same!"

"…you really don't know how happy I am of seeing you two." softly chuckled the gamer while looking tenderly towards the 'sisters'.

None of them had quite said it out loud, but both he and the girls had also been missing the presence of the last two members of their guild, their 'family', that hadn't been able to come back with them to the real world despite also having 'survived' SAO.

Both his self-proclaimed daughter (And unofficial 'little sister' for the whole guild) and the bubbly and vibrant sword-user had been presences they dearly missed.

Even if they hadn't been mainly worried by Asuna and the others, Kirito would admit that he had no idea of how he would have gone about trying to recover and reconstruct their data from his Nerve Gear, especially taking into account that manipulating the machine with a battery strong enough to fry a brain if you did would have been 'a bit' dangerous.

That was why seeing them there now felt like a dream come true for him…

Getting out of his thoughts thanks to the excited/resigned talk of the two virtual sisters, the Spriggan nodded to himself and proceeded to explain the current situation to them. Almost an hour later, the three 'returned' members of the United Heroes Association had arrived to several conclusions.

First, Yui had discovered, using her direct access to info from when she was a 'normal' MHCP (Something she was seemingly really glad to have back, seeing how she had been unable to use it, for her own sake, back in SAO), that the reason why the Avatar, the Items (Though they had been damaged) and the money of the boy had carried over from Aincrad was because Alfheim Online was apparently constructed as a copy of Sword Art Online. The base of the system and the Cardinal System itself were all a copy of the same ones from SAO, only the game that had been constructed over them was different.

This had also made the young girl very happy, because it meant that she could freely use her 'psychic powers' without almost any restriction, seeing that Cardinal wasn't in 'Watchdog' mode in that world, so as long as she didn't do anything big enough to alert an actual human GM, she wouldn't be at risk of being eliminated, something that Strea had also been cheerful for, even though she seemed sad of being unable to use her old and trusted 'Darkness Blade', seeing as the Sword Skills' System hadn't been implemented in ALO.

Of course, Kirito decided to not mention aloud that that still didn't explain HOW his 'special Avatar' still could be active. Even if the data from one virtual world to the other had carried over, the ALO Servers should have detected the 'bug' and corrected it the moment his newly created account and his old Avatar 'fused'.

…unless Kayaba had been right and there was truly some superior existence around that enjoyed screwing with him, and his fleeting sanity refused to accept that.

"Okay then!" finally spoke Yui, now in her 'Navigation Pixie'-form (Something that apparently had been compatible with her and Strea's data because of how MHCP didn't exist in ALO), her black dress having changed into a more fairy-like style as she sat on Strea's head, the Gnome girl currently enjoying the 'Yay!'-feeling that was flying around the sighing Kirito. "So, in essence, Asuna-mama, Keita-nii and the rest may be trapped here, on the big-ass tree on the center of the world, and you decided to Log In first after getting a copy of the game to see how things were around before telling everything to Argo-mama and the others in the real world tomorrow…am I right, Papa?"

"Uhm, yeah, but…" for once ignoring the part of his brain that told him to NOT ask a certain question, the gamer decided to satisfy his curiosity. "Yui…why are you calling Asuna and Argo 'Mama'?"

"Uh? Oh, I just decided to call everyone on the guild 'Mama' the day before you fought Heathcliff!" cheerfully explained the pixie while the boy, confusedly, felt a sudden feeling of doom looming over him. "Because everyone is in…!"

"Shhh! Yui-nee, no telling!" suddenly shut her up Strea, unknowingly saving the confused Spriggan from a revelation that would have probably threatened his sanity even more. "They need to be the ones who tell him, not you!"

"Oh, right, sorry, sometimes I still forget some human things…" laughing awkwardly for a moment, the little AI turned her gaze towards Kirito with excitement. "So, what's the plan, Papa?!"

"Well, being honest, I'm not really sure…" frowning as he crossed his arms, the gamer suddenly seemed to sink in deep thought. "I mean, punching the earth open all the way to the World Tree and then just bringing it down is out of the question, as simple as that would make everything. Not only I don't want to destroy this world and ruin the lives of the Players that had nothing to do with all of this, but as far as I know doing something like THAT could cause the entire game to crash and put Asuna and the others out of our reach. More so, even if the game didn't crash and collapsed over itself if I do that, the moment something like THAT happened to the Servers I'm pretty sure Sugou would make sure of putting Asuna and the rest somewhere el…"

"Wait, Sugou? As in, that jerk that wants to marry Asuna?" seeming confused, Strea landed in front of the boy while tilting her head. "You think he has something to do with this?"

"Yeaaah…I'm kind of inclined to think that the fact that he has this 'great plan' to take over the company of Asuna's father at the same time that she's unable to do anything to oppose such thing it's NOT a coincidence. Besides, RECT Inc. is the company in charge of Alfheim Online, I read it on the internet this evening. So, yes, one doesn't need to be a professional detective to put two and two together…"

"I see…it DOES make sense, when you said it like that, Papa." scratching her chin, Yui took flight on her own before smiling down at the black-haired boy. "So, guess we will have to fly our way there!"

"Ehm…yeah, fly, of course…" mumbled the boy while scratching his head, a sinking feeling suddenly filling him. "So, let's try this out."

With a decisive motion, the boy made to summon the 'Flight Controller' that the game included…and nothing happened.

Three tries later, under the confused stare of both virtual sisters, the gamer sighed and let his hand fall.

"It looks like I can't fly. Too bad."

"Do-don't give up so easily, Papa! Maybe you just need to try harder!"

"Yeah, why don't you try jumping very high to see if that helps?" added Strea while jumping up and down. "After all, you can also fly without using the controller, you just saw me doing it!"

"Okay…I guess I don't lose anything by trying." giving them an awkward smile, Kirito crouched down…and JUMPED.

Both AIs staggered back a bit from the force released at the action before their heads shot straight up, looking the black and white blur in which the boy had become soaring through the dark heavens.

"He's going up…and up…and…oh, he crashed against something."

"Yeah…I think that's the Flying Altitude Limit." idly commented Yui while their gazes started to move down. "Glad that he remembered to not try and punch through it…"

"…but now he's falling…and falling…and…" stopping when they lost sight of him beneath the trees outside their vision, both girls sweatdropped. "…guess he REALLY can't fly. How strange…"

"Maybe it has something to do with his 'powers'?" wondered Yui before shaking her head and shooting to the air. "Anyway, we can't just let Papa alone out there, let's go!"

"Oh, oh, go on ahead, Yui-nee! I will catch up with you two in a bit!" grinning widely at the curious expression her 'older sister' gave her, Strea just gave her a thumbs-up. "I also want to use my MHCP-Skills to try and do something good!"

Nodding in understanding, Yui flew after her disappeared 'father' like a small bullet, even as the Gnome girl opened several windows around herself and started going through them while humming a happy tune.

On the real world, in different places of the same city, five girls would suddenly receive emails from an address that made no sense…and their faces would froze in shock at reading their contents.

 _From: Strea, yay!_

 _Hi, everyone! No time to explain, gotta go! Reunion tomorrow morning on Kirito's house for explanations!_

 _United Heroes Association, assemble!_

* * *

Leafa wasn't having a good day.

First the incident with her brother in the morning (HOW the hell could she fall sleep with him like THAT, Gods?!) had made that she was unable to even look at him before going to school, and later when she had returned home he hadn't been there.

Definitively not the best start for the first day after she had 'decided' to try and fight for her feelings. So, feeling a bit depressed, she had Dived into ALO in hopes that flying and fighting around for a bit would help her cheer up, seeing as she didn't want to risk going out 'patrolling' without her brother home, dreading what would happen if he caught her returning and asking where she had gone so late with her shinai on her back.

And that led to the second 'not really good' event of the day…

"Stay still, kid Sylphs!"

"You can give up already, we won't let you escape!"

"Prepare to taste bitter defeat, bastards!"

"Le-Leafa-chan, the-they're catching us!"

…she and Recon being chased by three annoying and fully armored Salamanders, one of them a specialist in combining Magic and direct combat, apparently. Well, at least they weren't too badly outnumber…

"GOT YOU!"

"GAH! Le-Leafa-chan…avenge me…!"

…forget it, there went Recon. With an annoyed grunt, the blonde girl complied with her kind-of-pathetic friend's last request and spun around over herself, taking advantage of how the other Sylph's 'Remain Flame' blocked the cocky Salamander's vision for an instant to pierce through both the ethereal flame and his armor with her trusted katana, dragging the shocked man towards the ground as she screamed, utterly surprising his two companions.

"JUSTICE CHARGEEE!"

BAM!

"…holy shit, that bitch is crazy! She just took out Ralph as if he was nothing!"

"Don't lose it now, Chariot! Her HP must be on its last legs, we still outnumber her and we have my magic! She's NOT getting out of this!"

"…bring it on, bastards." their heads turning towards the small cloud of smoke that had formed from the previous crash, the Salamanders were able to see how Leafa stood up, grinning at them as she gripped her strange-looking katana. "I'm not failing this mission to you."

Despite her words, the blonde Sylph knew she was in serious trouble. After having taken down the idiot that killed Recon, she was now the one who had all the resources they had gotten from the day. If he died, then that would meant that the last hours of hard work would have been for nothing.

Cursing that her friend had been taken down so easily AGAIN (She was grateful with Recon, don't get her wrong, but his painfully obvious crush on her combined with the fact that she had surpassed him long ago despite being HIM the one who show her how to play could get on her nerves sometimes…or most of the time), Leafa tightened her grip on Justice's Wings, the katana 'humming' in worry for her.

She was sure most people would call her crazy if she told them she believed her virtual sword was 'alive' in a way, and that she had evens started to call her bicycle on real life like it just because she believed both were somehow connected. Her mother would most likely send her to a psychologist or something, and her brother…well, she didn't want to think about that.

But the point was that, product of her crazy imagination or not, 'Justice' was now worried about her, and telling the girl to try and escape despite both knowing she wouldn't be able to do so before they got her.

Steeling her resolve and entering a kendo stance, the girl glared at the two descending Salamanders as they slowly closed around her, deciding that, if she was going down, then she would at least take one more of them down with…!

Any further thoughts were suddenly interrupted y the sound of 'something' falling down from the heavens at great speeds…and its subsequent brutal crash not even ten meters from them, which left a sizeable crater on the virtual earth, shocking the Fairies.

"…so, I really can't fly…somehow, I'm NOT surprised." tiredly muttered a voice even as a figure emerged from the crater.

If the world had BGM (Well, this one had, but you get the idea), then the three players would have sworn they heard an epic guitar solo playing on the background the moment the oddly-dressed Spriggan emerged from the smoke, blinking at them.

"…oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" questioned the boy while tilting his head to the side, looking from the blonde girl to the two fully armored men in red.

"What the…?! What's a Spriggan newb doing all the way here?" laughed the Salamander 'battle-wizard' before pointing with his lance at him. "Hey, stay out of this and maybe we will let you keep practicing how to fly without kicking your ass too, kid!"

Ignoring the laughter of the other man, Leafa was too busy STARING at the unknown boy, looking at his silly and FAMILIAR costume with wide eyes.

 _"No way…why is he dressed like…?"_

"I see…" muttered the boy while putting a hand under his chin, looking over the scene once again. "So, in essence, you're a pair of bullies that can't even fight a fair fight about to gang on a girl, and for probably stupid reasons, if your attitude is anything to go by." the laughter of the Salamanders died down as they glared at the Spriggan, who simply stared back at them. "Ok, I suggest that you go away and leave her alone, please."

"The fuck?!" growled the Salamander named Chariot before pointing with his own weapon at the boy. "Who the hell do you think you are, kid? A Superhero?"

Though it had been really an insult/joke that the man had made based on the ridiculous get-up of the Spriggan, he wasn't expecting for him to suddenly SMILE as he crossed his arms.

"Nah. I'm just a Gamer playing Hero for Fun."

Gasping at the words, Leafa became aware too late that the other Salamander had been chanting for several seconds, and as such was unable to do more than shout out a warning when several fireballs flew through the air and crashed against the mysterious boy.

"HAH! Take that, Spriggan!" grinned the man under his helmet while Chariot laughed again. "That will show you to not mess with the Sala…!"

And that was as far as he went before Kirito suddenly appeared behind him and chopped him on the back of the head, sending the Salamader to the ground face-first with enough force to reduce his entire HP to nothing and turn him into a Remain Flame without any effort.

Chariot's laughter died as fast as Leafa's sorry for the 'newb', both of them STARING open-mouthed at the bored-looking Spriggan as he looked with a raised eyebrow towards the burning red flame that had replaced his opponent.

"Huh…so you REALLY become a bunch of fire if you die here…wonder if that feels weird…"

"You…! He…! How…?!" eyes wide, Chariot suddenly opened his wings and shot to the sky. "Thi-this isn't the last you heard of the Salamanders, Spriggan bo…!"

He was unable to finish his 'threat' because a harmless little rock flew through the air at inhuman speeds and turned his head into virtual gore, reducing his HP to 0 and probably traumatizing him for life.

Leafa almost dropped Justice's Wings from the shock, the katana somehow 'humming' a similar reaction.

"...I could actually get use to do that." whispered Kirito while scratching his chin and looking at the place where now only a Remain Flame was left falling from the sky. "Without the worry of killing someone, it IS kinda funny..." turning around, the gamer opened his mouth to ask if the blonde girl was alright before finding himself with the tip of a sword in front of his face. "Uh?"

"Wh-who the hell are you, some kind of hacker?" asked the Sylph while doing her best to sound brave and demanding, a part of her painfully aware that it was more than likely that the boy could left her like those two Salamanders before she could even think of swinging her katana.

"Ehm, no, I think I already answered what I am..." calmly commented the boy while smiling, not seeming to care in the slightest by the katana that almost touched his nose. "Name is Kirito, and I just wanted to help out, sorry if I offended you or anything. I wasn't even planning to land around here, but as I can't fly I couldn't really control..."

"Wait, what? What are you talking about? Everyone can fly in ALO!" frowned the girl, though a part of her internally felt as if she knew the 'answer' to that. "Yeah, it's a bit difficult for newbies, but I'm sure you..."

"No, I didn't mean I can't learn how to do it, I mean I literally CAN'T." as if to show his point, Kirito made a very specific motion with his hands, showing the surprised girl how no Flight Controller appeared. "See? No controller, and I can't even make those wings appear no matter how hard I try..."

"Ho-how is that possible...?" muttered the blonde girl while lowering her blade, STARING at the boy, who just shrugged at her while looking sheepish.

"Eh, it's not really a surprise for me. After all, normal people..."

"...can't fly, idiot." finished the Sylph with wide eyes, the boy staring at her in shock. "I-I'm Leafa, and, uhm...have you watched 'One Punch-Man'? Is that the reason why you're, somehow, cosplaying as Saitama?"

Unable to contain his shock, Kirito's hands shot to Leafa's shoulders, making her squeak as she saw the incredulous/happy expression on his face.

"Sweet God of Gamers, you don't know HOW happy I am right now! You're, like, the first person ever in recognizing the costume!" suddenly aware of what he was doing, the Spriggan quickly removed his hands from the blinking girl and looked away with an embarrassed blush. "So-sorry about that, I was starting to think that I was the only one around who had ever heard about the show..."

"N-no problem, i-it's good to meet another fan of it, I had started to think my brother would always be the only other one I knew that..." trailing off, Leafa suddenly blinked several times.

"Uh? Oh, what a coincidence, I was also thinking that only my little sister...knew of..." his voice also dying down, Kirito blinked and stared at the blonde girl again.

The Sylph, for her part, LOOKED at the mysterious Spriggan, actually looked beyond the spiky hairstyle and the Saitama-like costume, beyond the slightly dark skin of his Fae race and directly at his face, her mind 'replaying' his nonchalant voice several times.

On her hand, Justice's Wings hummed again as the epiphany finally hit her.

"...Onii-chan?"

"...Sugu?"

* * *

Deep within the Virtual Void, the Entity moved, 'waking up' from its month-long slumber.

Quickly and without doubt, its eyes moved towards a specific direction, LOOKING for something.

Its dual-colored gaze finally stopped on a golden cage sitting atop a massive tree...

On its throne above Everything, Fate chuckled.

It seemed that things were going to twist even further from now on…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Hah! Be grateful, you peasants, for I, the great Sugou Noboyuki, am the one who is giving out the preview for the next chapter this time! Heh, and poor Asuna still thinks she can outsmart me...wait, why is everyone laughing? Whatever, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Odyssey to the World Tree!' Two fools join forces to try and venture into the realm of the Fairy King, to steal away his previous caged bird...heh, no idea what does that mean, but it doesn't matter, for as long as my superior mind is overseeing this, nothing shall-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Tadan! Another chapter finished! And with that ending, the biggest change from canon (For the Fairy Dance arc) starts XD!

Being honest, I think the main thing that made Sugu not realizing Kirito and Kazuto were the same person in canon (Besides the stupid hairstyle, pointy ears and slightly darker skin) was that she was doing her best to try and stop thinking about him while in ALO to escape her emotional pain and suffering, and that 'blinded' her. As things are radically different here, well...one only needs to look a bit hard to recognize someone you had known for so long, especially if his face is still the same XP Now, what kind of crazy and funny changes with this 'reveal' since the beginning bring? You will have to wait for the next chapter to find out :P!

On a side note…that bit about Sugu's 'sleeping habits' was only a half-joke :P The novels obviously don't say anything on the matter, but if her 'running out of Kazuto's room with her face on fire' scene in the anime is to be believed, then she really doesn't wear a bra under her pajama XD

Also, I just realized it, but the ALO arc is gonna be much shorter than the SAO one here in my fic O,O Even with all the extra/changed scenes that I'm gonna use/add and even with following the actual novels instead of the anime (Those who had read them will know what I'm talking about), I calculate that it will be 3 or 4 chapters-long at the most, counting this one. Then again, it's not that much of a surprise, given how I develop the events and how the Aincrad Arc was two years-long and this one's events happen in just 3 days OxO

But okay, all that aside, that's all for now OwO Next time, revelations, explanations, and an 'awkward' real-life meeting that many have been asking about in the comments XD!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!

PS: Do you think 'Justice' is really 'alive' or it's just Sugu succumbing to the collective madness around :D?


	16. Chapter 12: Odyssey to the World Tree!

Over 400 favs and followers. Almost 300 reviews. Over 45000 views without even being two months old…

My dear friends, I have to say that this has officially become, overcoming all my expectations, my most popular story ever OwO Infinite thanks to you all, because this means you have bothered on reading my madness and have liked it enough to take it this far. I hope you keep doing the same till the end, and that I can bring some joy to your lives with every chapter, even more 'relaxed' (XD) ones like this one. Who knows? Maybe even what that one reviewer said once about this story getting a TV Tropes page isn't as much of a crazy dream as I thought…only time will tell, I guess =3

For now, I leave you all with more of the crazy adventures of the Strongest Gamer XP!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Odyssey to the World Tree! Strongest Gamer vs. Fairy World!**

 **November 9th, 2024. Alfheim, somewhere near Sylph Territory. 22:05…**

There were few things nowadays that could surprise Kirigaya Suguha, Leafa the Sylph in the world of Alfheim Online, to the point of leaving her speechless.

Between her brother getting trapped in the SAO incident, discovering the truth about their relationship, becoming a 'vigilante' in real life AND starting playing a game where you went around flying and fighting against all kind of monsters and opponents weapon in hand, there was almost nothing that could get such a reaction from her.

Suddenly being saved by a boy who was dressed and showing 'powers' kind of like the main character of her and her brother's favorite series, then realizing that the boy was, in fact, HER BROTHER, however, was more one of the few things that still did.

"Onii…chan…? Is it really…you?"

"Su-Sugu?!" taking a step back, Kirito actually seemed more surprised that his sister. "Wha…? How…? Yo-you play Virtual Reality games?!"

…one could have called him stupid, for asking such an obvious question, but in all honesty, THAT was what truly surprised the Spriggan the most. After all, on his eyes, his adoptive sister was the athletic and no-nonsense one of the family. In fact, she couldn't even understand why he liked videogames so much, and that had been yet another reason why they barely shared anything in common for years after he knew the truth, before they started watching One Punch-Man.

That was why, seeing her THERE, not only in the virtual world but also in a VRMMORPG, was what had shocked him the most.

Of course, he probably shouldn't have said that like THAT, because that just triggered the Sylph's next reaction even FASTER.

"What?! How can YOU be saying that to me?!" shouted the blonde girl while quickly walking up to him and angrily putting her index finger on his chest, making him gulp. "Yo-you're using THAT thing again, after what happened to you last time?! How could you?! And why would you even…?!"

"Su…Leafa, calm down, please!" putting his hands on his sister's shoulders, Kirito forced himself to call her by the name of her avatar and make her look straight to his eyes, freezing her. "Take a deep breath, okay? First, it is safe. The Nerve Gear won't hurt me, the 'order' that did that was something exclusively hidden into SAO's code. I'm in no danger." getting a shaky nod from her, the boy let a sad smile appear on his face as he hugged the girl closer to him, making her gasp. "I'm sorry for freaking you out. I wasn't expecting to find you here, but…I should have at least thought about telling YOU I was going to do this. You're in the room next door; I have no excuse for that except my own stupidity. I…was so eager to try and do SOMETHING to help Asuna, Keita and the others that I didn't think…"

"Wa-wait, what? What do you mean, what does Logging into ALO has to do with your friends in the hospital?" confused beyond belief, the girl finally seemed to notice the most 'strange' of it all, now that she had calmed down form her 'outburst'. "And…how the hell did you do THAT before? Where did you get a costume like Saitama's if you JUST Logged In?"

Freezing, Kirito slowly let go of his sister before laughing awkwardly as he scratched his head.

"We-well, you see, that's kind of a long story…"

"Papa!" shouted Yui while shooting out of the trees, flying past the stunned Leafa and landing on the Spriggan's shoulder. "There you are! You know, you shouldn't have tried to jump so high, we're not in Aincrad any…uh?" finally noticing the presence of someone she didn't know, the small pixie turned her head towards the STARING Sylph. "Who is this? Some new friend of yours, Papa?"

"A…a Private Navigation Pixie?" getting out of her shock, a frown suddenly appeared on the blonde fairy's face as she caught on what the AI had said. "No, wait…Aincrad?! PAPA?!"

"U-uhm…" feeling himself even more nervous before his sister's open-mouthed look, the Spriggan couldn't help but release another chuckle. "Tha-that's also another long story with a good explanation…"

"Kiritooooo!" happy as a clam, Strea flew down and latched her arms around the boy's neck, not even making him move an inch, and rested her chin against his empty shoulder, her body pressed against the back of the boy who suddenly had an 'Oh shit'-face. "Sorry for taking so long!" then, she also seemed to notice the now pale and shaking Leafa, who was pointing at her while trying to form words from her now half-closed mouth. "Oh, and who do we have here? Hi there, I'm Strea!"

Despite having just minutes ago recalled the feeling of crushing monsters without effort for two years, fighting a 'God' on equal grounds and splitting a World apart with just one punch, Kirito still felt himself scared shitless at the suddenly DARK look her sister sent his way…though he wasn't really sure of WHY.

"Does THAT also have a good explanation, Onii-chan?" asked the girl with a voice so sweet it could have given an 'angry' Asuna a run for her money.

"…believe it or not…it does?" was all that the Spriggan could muster in answer.

The virtual sisters just exchanged confused looks.

* * *

Flying through ALO's skies, two fairies could be seen heading towards the beautiful form of Swilvane, capital city of the Sylph Race, also known as 'The Emerald Capital'. On its center, the massive form of the 'Tower of Wind' clearly dominated the whole area.

However, none of this had Leafa's attention for once (She usually took her time to enjoy the view of her race's capital, especially in nighttime), even as she kept glancing at the happily humming Gnome 'girl' flying at her side, the 'Navigation Pixie' called Yui standing on her shoulder.

"So… the first day you got trapped in Sword Art Online…you somehow ended up with Saitama's costume and powers. Then you became an ACTUAL Superhero after going around saving people…and these two are actually AIs that escaped their 'prison' at the hands of the Super-AI that maintained the game because they wanted to see YOU…"

"Actually, it was thanks to Yui-nee here!" cheerfully interrupted Strea while putting a hand near the pixie's cheek, tickling her as the little girl laughed. "I only came to see how cool Kirito was thanks to her!"

"…you also somehow ended up leading a guild as the main force on the 'Front Lines' to clear the game." continued the girl as if she hadn't been interrupted. "You one-punched anything and everything you could that threatened the Players while also taking time to run around and ensure people were safe…was that it?"

As if he had been waiting for the 'summary' of what he had been telling his little sister for the past half hour to end, the black and white blur that was running through the forest at the same speed the girls flew above it JUMPED just enough to shot a bit over them and forward, smiling awkwardly.

"You forgot the part where Kayaba went Full Boros on me and I had to split the sky open to stop him." he commented as a half-joke before starting to fall back down again.

"…yeah…I had kind of hoped that wasn't mentioned again…" deadpanned Leafa while finally forcing herself to accept that yes, her brother was being completely serious with his crazy claims, and that as far as she knew he was telling the TRUTH about it all (And the things he was currently doing also supported his point). "And today…one of the people you met on in SAO sent you a message with an image of…Asuna-san that showed her as a fairy and trapped in a cage at the top of Yggdrasil, then gave you a copy of the game. And now you're trying to get there because you think it may all be some kind of evil plot created by this Sugou Noboyuki guy who wants to marry Asuna-san just to take over her father's company?"

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but think of it this way." as he jumped again to say this, the Kirito looked at his sister straight on the eyes. "Is not crazier than everything that has happened to me already. Or anything that happened to Saitama on a daily basis."

"Uhm, Papa…who is Saitama?" asked Yui while tilting her head as the boy descended too, getting a surprised look from Leafa. "You and Leafa-san have been mentioning him for quite a while…"

"Yeah, together with other things we don't understand…it's some kind of secret between you and your sister?" curiously asked Strea, looking excitedly at the blonde Sylph.

"…you haven't…told them?"

"Hey, it's not exactly my fault!" protested the Spriggan to the disbelief-filled voice of his adoptive sister, jumping once again, but backwards this time, as he looked at her with crossed arms. "I didn't exactly want to sound as if I was crazy by pointing out the similarities between me and an anime charac…"

"TOWER!"

"Kirito, watch out!"

BAM!...CRASH!

"…well, lesson learned." calmly commented the boy while standing up from the imprint of himself he had just made on one of the main streets of Swilvane, having fallen down after crashing back-first against the Tower of Wind. "You don't try and look backwards while you're heading towards a city at super speed and you have no way of freely move through the air."

The Sylphs on the street, which had gathered around to observe the curious sight of the oddly-dressed Spriggan crashing against the ground, sweatdropped at his words.

"Uhm, there is nothing to see, everyone, he's with me!" quickly announced Leafa while descending near the caped boy, even as Strea did the same and poked Kirito's back as he stood up. "…and she too."

At this, the Spriggan was surprised of seeing many people nod in understanding before walking away, a couple even going so far to say 'Leafa-san made new friends' or 'If they're with Leafa then it's no problem'.

"Woah, you're very popular around here, Leafa-chan!" happily commented Strea while invading the Sylph's personal space, making her rear back in surprise.

"Ki-kind of…? I have just won a couple of tournaments and flying competitions around, nothing really important." waved it off the blonde girl, as if being recognized as one of the most powerful Sylphs and one of the fastest Players wasn't that great. "Point is, you should be more careful. ALO is mainly a PvP game, as Onii…I mean, as Kirito-kun discovered before, so Players from a non-ally race will be met with either suspicion or hostility in Capitals. "

"…you sure you weren't downplaying yourself before?" asked Kirito while raising an eyebrow at his sister. "You clearly know quite a lot about how things are. How long did you say you have been playing this?"

"Eh? Well, right now it has been a bit more than a ye…"

"Leafa-chan! Leafa-chan!"

The sudden shouts coming from somewhere down the street made the three members from the United Heroes Association blink and the blonde girl to facepalm, even as she turned around to see the incoming form of a Sylph boy with yellow-green, bob-styled hair and green eyes, who was running towards them and looking as if he was on the verge of tears. Stopping just in front of Leafa and leaning on his knees to catch his breath, he suddenly seemed incredibly happy.

"Recon." deadpanned the girl while crossing her arms, trying (And failing) to not let her annoyance at his pathetic death of before mix with the annoyance of being interrupted in the middle of an important conversation. "I see you resurrected without problem."

"A-and you managed to make it back without dying, Leafa-chan!" exclaimed the boy with an awed tone. "N-not that I doubted you could take on those Salamanders, of course! You're not the current best Sylph's swordswoman and the fastest one for nothing!"

"Yes, that's all good and all, but back to the point…" quickly opening her menu, the girl created a Trade Window and let the green-haired boy blinking. "There, the exploits of today's hunting. You can go ahead and give his part to Sigurd, I'm busy now."

"U-uh? What?! Bu-but…I thought we co-could maybe go and drink something together and di-discuss today's Quest…" looking to the side with a sudden blush, the boy suddenly seemed incredibly meek and nervous. "Be-because, you know…"

"Hi." blinking, Recon quickly looked back up to see how a sudden figure had appeared out of nowhere at Leafa's side, a weirdly-dressed Spriggan who was STARING at him with a blank and utterly bored face. "I'm Kirito. Nice to meet you."

For some reason, though, the Sylph boy could only feel a chill running down his back at the gamer's emotionless words.

"U-uh…sa-same here?" fear being quickly replaced with confusion and worry (Even more at seeing the extremely ho…uhm, 'beautiful' Gnome girl staring from behind his 'friend'), Recon looked towards his fellow Sylph in search of an answer. "Le-Leafa-chan? What's going on? Wh-who is hi…I mean, who are they?"

"Friends. He saved me from the Salamanders, by the way, and she is…with him." curtly declared the blonde girl before crossing her arms under her breasts. "Now, I need to talk with them about something important, so I will see you…later, okay?"

"E-eh?! Bu-but Leafa-chan, yo-you can't just go off with some strangers without…!"

"Dammit Recon! I'm NOT a little girl, I know how to take care of myself" glaring at the boy and shutting him up, Leafa tried to do her best to not her embarrassment show on her face, purposefully not looking on her brother or his AI-friend's direction. "Now, will you PLEASE go and deliver the items already?"

Something in the girl's tone seemed to indicate to the boy that she wasn't exactly 'asking' him to do that, making him squeak and nod several times before scrambling off, but not without sending several suspicious (And not really subtle) looks over his shoulder towards the Spriggan and the Gnome…mainly the former.

"…interesting guy." commented Kirito with a still emotionless tone and crossed arms, wondering why he felt so annoyed.

"Sigh, yeah, I know, but deep on the inside he's not that ba…"

"Is he your boyfriend?" happily asked Strea while skipping to the Sylph's side, Yui also seeming extremely curious.

None of them noticed the way in which the Spriggan's eye twitched or his fists seemed to unconsciously tighten at those words.

Leafa, meanwhile…

"Wha-what?! NO!" rearing back as if the mere idea had sent a nasty blow into her psyche, the blonde girl quickly shook her head while a blush of embarrassment filled her cheeks. "He's just a friend who showed me how to play, nothing more!"

"Really? Because I think he likes you." calmly commented Yui with a small smile, not noticing how her father's eyes shot towards her before narrowing and shooting back the way Recon had gone. "I was originally programmed as a pseudo-psychologist AI, so I kind of know of these things a bit. He was showing several signs of deep infatuation towards your personality, and he seems like a good guy even if a bit whiny and…"

"HOW INTERESTING, BUT IT'S LATE AND WE SHOULD GET GOING!" loudly interrupted Leafa before turning around and starting to walk away, clearly not wishing to discuss about the obvious crush her schoolmate had towards her with a little girl/Psychologist-AI, much less in front of the person she actually loved, and that just so happened to be her adopted brother/cousin. "To-tomorrow is a school day for me, so let's go to the nearest Inn and call it a night!"

"…yeah, lets." nodded the Spriggan while walking after the Sylph, his slightly 'off' tone of voice confusing the virtual sisters before they shrugged and followed. "…Leafa? I'm not really sure of how to get to that World Tree without, you know, just punching my way through things, and I already deduced that's not the best of ideas here, so…"

"Ye-yes, Onii-chan, I get it, don't worry." smiling softly at him as they reached the entrance of the Inn, the blonde Sylph did her best to hide her blush. "Tomorrow, as soon as I get back from school, I will guide you there! We will help your friends out of whatever mess they're in!"

"Le…Sugu." ignoring for a moment the effort he had been doing to not use her real name while they were in there, the gamer hugged the surprised girl, whose face heated up to alarming levels in an instant. "Thanks…you're the best sister in the world."

Then, still giving her a warm smile, the boy entered to Inn, to search for a room from where he could Log Out peacefully.

Strea and Yui took a moment to wave their hands in front of the dazzled-looking and unresponsive Leafa before shrugging and walking inside too.

"Man, your little sister is a great person, eh, Kirito?" cheerfully commented the Gnome girl while they arrived to the second floor of the inn.

"Yeah…she is." softly nodded the black-haired boy while stopping for a moment. "…sometimes I feel I don't deserve having someone as special as her so close to me…"

"Hey, don't say silly things, Papa!" chided Yui while flying in front of his face, before quickly returning to her 'human' form with a flash of light. "You're a great person! Hell, you're Aincrad's Legendary Superhero! You deserve anything good that happens to you!"

"I think you're exaggerating a bit with that statement…"

"Still, Leafa-chan is really cute, uh? She must have lots of admirers besides that Recon guy!" continued Strea with her cheerful tone, not noticing how an annoyed/worried twitch appeared on the Spriggan's eyes at those words. "I wonder if she's as cute in real life…"

"Please, Sugu is way cuter in reality." scoffed Kirito with crossed arms…before blinking at realizing how both virtual sisters were staring at him. "I…just say that aloud, didn't I?"

"Papa…was Asuna-mama right? Are you really a siscon?"

On the cage near the top of the World Tree, waiting patiently for the moment to enact her escape plan, a certain chestnut-haired girl blinked, wondering why she felt as if she just heard her Sensei screaming for her.

"…for…the last time…" trying to calm himself down after his outburst, the Spriggan panted hardly while he entered the room and both AIs followed him, sweatdropping his way. "I'm NOT…a siscon! Even if Sugu isn't really my sister, that doesn't mean…!"

"She isn't really your sister?" Kirito stopped dead on his tracks at Strea's shocked question, just realizing WHAT he had just said, as Yui stared at him wide-eyed too. "Wha-what does that mean?!"

"…she's technically my cousin." softly whispered the boy while sitting down on his bed, his gaze fixed on his gloved hands. "I…I'm adopted. My biological parents died when I was one year old, then the little sister of my mother, my aunt, adopted me. She…kept it a secret from both me and Sugu, but I found out the truth one day when I was ten, after seeing the erased documents in the National Registry." his voice filled with bitterness, Kirito's eyes closed and suddenly he seemed to be staring at something far away, to a shocked little boy staring at a computer's screen while a myriad of conflicted emotions raged inside him. "Because of that…I started to distance myself from my family and I became quite addict to gaming. In a way…that's also what ended up driving me to end up trapped in SAO."

"Kirito…"

"Papa…" tears on her eyes, Yui quickly crossed the distance separating her from the boy and hugged him, slightly surprising him. "I'm so sorry…"

"Yes…we didn't know, I shouldn't have tried to pry in your personal matters." hugging him too, though without her usual cheerfulness, Strea suddenly seemed sad and regretful. "Forgive me…"

"…there is nothing to forgive." answered Kirito with a suddenly stronger voice, a soft smile on his face as he looked at both surprised AIs. "It's not as if it was your fault. Besides, I can't even remember my biological parents, nor even their voices or their faces. For me, Kirigaya Midori and Minetaka are my true parents, and I was an idiot for thinking differently back then. And Sugu was always the closest person I had, yet I stupidly pushed her away for something that wasn't her fault…I wanted to fix that. All of it. I like to think that I'm starting to do it." letting himself fall back on the bed, the Spriggan's eyes suddenly seemed lost on the ceiling. "But this night clearly has showed me that I still have a long way to go. To think that in two months I didn't even know that she had started playing these games…" opening his menu, the boy pushed the Logout button and stared for an instant to the confirmation window that popped up. "…if I even hope to save Asuna, Keita and the rest, then I can't rely only on senseless strength. I need to remember how to a good brother…a good Hero, too." sending one last look at the virtual sisters, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders after sharing that story, the gamer smiled brightly at the returned members of his 'family'. "Goodnight, Yui, Strea. See you tomorrow."

With those words, the boy's consciousness abandoned his Avatar, which immediately seemed to fall asleep with a peaceful face while the virtual sisters watched on with tender smiles.

It seemed like an incredibly beautiful and peaceful moment that nothing could possible bre…

"…say, Yui-nee, you noticed it too, right? How she is head over heels for Kirito too?"

"Yep. Though now that we know this, it doesn't surprise me that much. Papa is a beautiful person, and she had known him the longest, it's only natural that she's also attracted to him. Besides, Japanese laws allow for cousins to date and even marry each other!"

"Yay! She's both cute and lively, so I don't mind sharing Kirito with her too!"

"…that reminds me…how come you haven't told Papa your feelings yet, Strea-nee?"

"Well, figured it wouldn't be fair to get ahead of the others, so I will wait for one of them to do so before doing it myself! Besides, the more the merrier, right?"

"I'm not sure if that's how that human expression works…but if it's for Papa's sake, then you can count on my help, Strea-nee!"

"Yay, the operation 'Kirito's Happiness' officially begins!"

…on the real world, while taking off his Nerve Gear, Kirigaya Kazuto felt an endless amount of shivers assaulting him and wondered why he suddenly felt so scared for the future.

Deciding to wave it off as some kind of paranoia caused from the constant madness in his life, the black-haired boy nodded to himself and walked through his darkened room with decisive steps, opened his door…and almost crashed with Suguha's pajama-clad body, the girl having been standing there with a raised hand. Both siblings squeaked before almost tripping with each other, but they managed to catch the other's arm in time to stop that.

A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed before they stared at each other and laughed, the lively chuckles echoing in the hallway seeming to take all tension away.

"…I guess you wanted to talk, uh?"

"Yes…you too?" getting a nod from her brother in response, Suguha looked down with a blushing face before walking back towards her room, surprising the boy for a moment before he followed after her, his eyes roaming over the plush toys over the bed, the AmuSphere on the small table and, to his surprise, a big poster of ALO on the ceiling. "So-sorry if it's a bit messy, I-I just got changed after Logging Out and…"

"I just realized, but…" interrupted the boy with a surprised expression, making her look at him with confusion. "This is the first time I have been in your room since forever."

Realization dawning on her face, Suguha realized he was right. Even when they started to bond again thanks to One Punch-Man, they would always get together on his room to watch/read the series…but they had never really bothered going to hers. In fact, the last time she could even remember Kazuto being on her room was when they were kids, looking worriedly over her after she almost drowned on the pond and he saved her.

"You are…right."

"Heh, only shows again that I'm not a really good brother, if I haven't even been once in my sister's room in years." sighed the gamer while looking around again. "I may have known more about you if I had done so…"

"Do-don't say that!" stopped him the girl while grabbing one of his hands with hers, letting Kazuto notice how warm they were. "I…I should have told you I had started to play ALO. I mean…I only did so in the first place to understand what did you like so much about videogames, when you were trapped in SAO, but…I ended up, like…falling in love with that world, you could say." her cheeks blushing at muttering words so close a topic she wasn't quite ready to talk about just yet, the kendoka was glad that the moonlight filtering through the window wasn't strong enough to let him notice it. "I think I understood, a bit, why you tried to escape your pain in that other world…when I fly in Alfheim, it feels…"

"Like magic, right?" whispered Kazuto while smiling softly, putting a hand over her head as she looked up at him. "As if, suddenly, you had many things you always thought impossible at the reach of your hands. As if you were able to become someone you never dreamed of being if you just try hard enough…"

"…yes." softly replied Suguha, her eyes never leaving his.

"Well…I should have told you about what really happened in SAO long ago too. And about what happened yesterday, I should have explained it better instead of just letting you comfort me…let's face it, I kind of suck as a brother." softly putting a hand over the girl's mouth to silence her protests, Kazuto tried to not think about how that made his cheeks burn slightly. "I trust you, Sugu. I want to be close with you again, to understand you better…so, in favor of that, let's talk, okay?" letting go of her and sitting at her bed's edge, the gamer patted his side as he had been doing lately when alone with her, signaling for Suguha to sit down at his side. "I will carefully answer any question you have."

"…then I will do the same, Onii-chan." smiled the kendoka while sitting close to him.

For the next hour, they talked. She asked for details, about his adventures, his friends, his 'Saitama'-like powers, the things he had seen, the things he had done…

And he too asked in return, about how long she had been playing, about what kind of world Alfheim was, about the tournaments she had been in, about her love of flying…

Of course, both of them left a bit out. He didn't tell her about how is time as 'One Punch-Gamer' had been 'affecting him' in real life. And she didn't tell him she had become a bicycle-riding 'Heroine'.

There were some secrets that the siblings apparently weren't quite willing to share just yet, it seemed.

It was a bit late when the boy stood it, kissed her forehead and wished her goodnight, but Suguha was unable to remember that tomorrow she still had school, too lost in all that they had shared…and in the soft feeling of his lips against her forehead. She would take quite some time in falling sleep.

Kazuto, for his part, would cover himself with his sheets lost in similar thoughts, which also included his worry about Asuna and the rest…and a repeated effort to tell himself that there was nothing strange in kissing his little sister's forehead, and he WASN'T blushing every time he recalled it.

And the moon shone silently over a Changing world, as the night moved on…

* * *

"…uh? Where am I?"

Looking around, Suguha found herself extremely confused. She remembered falling sleep on her bed after her long talk with her brother, but now she was floating in some kind of endless white void…

Was this some kind of dream?

 **"About time you showed up, Master!"**

Blinking in utter surprise at the sudden and strange voice (Which sounded slightly like hers), Suguha turned around to face…her bicycle?!

"Wha…?!...Ju-Justice? Is that you…?"

" **That's right, in the flesh! …well, more like in the metal, rubber and all that, but you get the idea."** 'sighed' the bicycle before 'looking' straight at the shocked kendoka. **"Now hear me clearly, Master! How can you be so naïve?! Do you realize what you have promised?!"**

"Uh, ehm, wha-what? So-sorry, I'm still trying to deduce WHAT it means for my sanity that I'm suddenly dreaming about my bicycle talking to me…"

 **"Ugh! We will go nowhere like that!"** suddenly, the vehicle seemed to 'disassemble' itself, before, somehow, reforming into the katana the girl knew as 'Justice's Wings', only for a flash of light to make LEAFA herself appear and grab it, though the open-mouthed Suguha noticed that her eyes were a metallic black instead of the usual green of her ALO Avatar. **"There! Can you take me seriously like this, Master?!"**

"…now I think I'm starting to go insane inside my dreams while still feeling pretty sane…that can't be good…"

 **"Aaargh! Will you please get a hold of yourself?!"** shouted Justice while swinging…herself? around, making the black-haired girl sweatdrop. **"Don't you realize you have seriously jeopardized your chances with the idiot of your brother?!"**

"Wait, what?!" all attention returning to her as any thoughts about how this was a sure sign she was mad disappeared, Suguha's attention snapped towards her sword/bicycle/doppelganger. "Wha-what do you mean by that?! I-I just promised that I would guide him to the World Tree to save his frie…!"´

 **"EXACTLY! And that 'Asuna' girl is between those friends, remember?! The one he's always talking about and that showed up in 90% of everything he told you before?"** seeing the dawning realization on her 'Master's eyes, Justice suddenly seemed to let out a big sigh of relief. **"You get it now? He's already talking about her most of the time, maybe even thinking about her too! And you should have seen HOW he looked yesterday while riding me when he came back from the hospital, all angry and sad! What do you think is going to happen when he heroically goes in saves her with his awesome Saitama-like superpowers?!"**

As if to illustrate her point, Justice quickly slashed at the air and let an image of Kazuto with a faceless pretty girl (None of them had ever seen how Asuna looked, after all) that was caressing his cheek as they stared lovingly at one another appear, before their faces started drawing closer and closer until…

"Noooooo!" tearing the image apart with a 'Justice Tackle', Suguha turned around to face her bicycle/sword with teary eyes. "I-I don't want to lose Onii-chan! Bu-but what was I supposed to do, tell him I wasn't going to help him?!"

 **"No, but you could have tried to offer your help in a way to became closer to him!"** shaking her head, Justice quickly pointed herself at her surprised master. **"There is nothing to do now for you but to press forward, Master! You will have to use your charms to make him fall in love with you before you reach the World Tree!"**

"E-eh?! What?!" her face heating up at the thought, Suguha suddenly looked gloomily to the ground (?) of that empty space. "Bu-but…that's impossible for me. I'm not charming at all. I'm not even feminine enough, just a burly girl who goes around hitting criminals on her bicycle…"

 **"WRONG!"** the doppelganger's sudden shout startled the young girl out of her self-pity, seeing with surprise the fire burning on the metallic eyes of Justice. **"You're a Heroine! And you're extremely pretty, Master, don't ever doubt that! That brainless idiot of your brother would have to be completely retarded to not notice it!"**

"Yo-you really think so…?" asked the kendoka with a bit of hope on her voice.

 **"I don't think so, I KNOW it! Now wake up and start thinking how to get the love you deserve from that idiot, Master!"** then, the doppelganger looked to the side and pouted before whispering something else. **"Even though he doesn't deserve you…I'm the only one who deserves to be at Master's side…"**

"Wait, what was that?" muttered Suguha in confusion, not having properly heard the bicycle/sword/spirit/whatever's last words.

 **"No-nothing! Now wake up, Master, or you will be late for school!"**

And with that, the white world around the confused young girl vanished.

* * *

 **November 10th, 2024. Kirigaya Household, 10:25…**

Humming softly as he finished eating a sandwich that Sugu had been kind enough to leave for him before going to school, Kazuto couldn't help but reflect on all that had happened the day before, and the 'mission' he still had before him.

No matter what happened, he had to save Asuna and the others. And with Sugu's help, he would do it. And if anything tried to stand on their path…well, that's what his fists were for, right?

But before all of that, he needed to fulfill the promise he had made with himself and tell Argo and the others about what he had 'discovered'. The heart-to-heart he had with his adoptive sister the past night had made him realize even more that there were things you didn't keep a secret from those you loved.

He was still debating who he should call first when someone rang his doorbell, making him blink in confusion.

"Maybe mom forgot something…?" idly wondered the gamer before heading towards the door…and freezing at, after opening it, seeing who was at the other side.

"Hey there, Kii-bou." greeted Shiori, hands behind her head as she grinned at him. "How are you this morning?"

"So this is Kirito-sama's home…i-it looks beautiful!" bashfully commented Saori while looking to the side.

"Sachi, don't act so stiff. We were all living on the same house for months, remember?" looking to her friend with a soft smile, Kotone quickly turned around and gave the stunned black-haired boy a wink. "Hey there, Kirito."

"Ki-Kirito-san, w-we're honored t-to be in your ho-house!" giving a deep bow as she blushed, Keiko tried her best to keep a 'serene' tone in her voice. "Forgive our intrusion!"

"Hey now Silica-chan, don't try to go all 'honorable ninja in front of her master' here!" happily laughed Rika while messing her friend's hair, ignoring her shout of 'Mouu, Liz-saaaan!' as she chuckled. "Friends and fellow Heroes should be more open and relaxed with each other!"

"E-everyone…wh-why are you all here?! A-and how?!" clearly not knowing if he should be freaking out or not, for some reason, Kazuto shakily led the girls inside his home. "I-I never told any of you my address!"

"Strea sent it together with her message last night…weren't we supposed to gather to discuss THAT and something more?" confusedly asked Shiori while looking at the clearly shocked gamer.

"S-Strea did…?" before he could keep talking, however, the group was interrupted by the sound of the boy's phone ringing. Still a bit stunned, Kazuto shakily answered the device. "He-hello…?"

"Kirito! Yay, it worked! Can you please put on the speakers?"

"Strea?!" his declaration making everyone go wide-eyed, the gamer quickly did as the girl said and put the phone close enough for everyone to hear. "Ho-how did you…?! What…?!"

"Hey, I'm here too, Papa! Is everyone there already?"

"Yu-Yui-chan…?" shakily whispered Sachi while all the girls' eyes shone. "Is it really you…?"

"Yes, Sachi-mama! Me and Strea-nee are back!"

"We're also hacking Kirito's internet connection to call from ALO! Oh, and I did the same yesterday to find your address, sorry for not telling you, but I wanted to gather everyone together to explain things faster!"

"N-no problem, Strea…" muttered the black-haired boy while feeling a headache coming up. "Still, next time it would be good if you warned…"

"Wait, did she said 'ALO'? As in, the popular VRMMORPG that has been hailed as the 'successor' of SAO?" even as most of the girls either blinked in confusion or tried to express their happiness to the returned AIs through the phone, Shiori narrowed her eyes as she looked up at Kazuto with crossed arms. "What the hell is going on, Kii-bou?"

Somehow, the boy just KNEW this wasn't going to end well for him.

* * *

With a tired sigh, Kazuto finished filling the several glasses he had taken out with fruit juice and told everyone that they could drink some if they wanted, at which they answered with a mix of gratitude and gloomy annoyance.

He couldn't exactly blame them, though, after what they had been discussing the last hours.

After having explained all about his talk with Agil, his subsequent Logging into ALO, the return of Strea and Yui together with his godly 'powers' and the surprising meeting with his little sister (Leaving many little details aside, of course), the girls had spent a good half hour between chewing him out for not telling them immediately and cursing Sugou Noboyuki for his supposed (Obvious) evil plot.

Then, it had come the 'hard' part of them wanting to help too, which had been what he had been worried about the most, and the WHY of it quickly became clear for the girls.

Simply put, NONE of them had an easy way of being able to Log In ALO, even after getting their hopes up at hearing their SAO Avatars could return thanks to a bug because both games had the same base system.

Out of all the group, only Shiori had enough money saved away to be able to buy the game, but the ex-information broker didn't had a way of actually using her Nerve Gear without giving her parents a heart attack, and there was no way she could afford an AmuSphere just to 'not worry' them, not to mention that it would defeat the point if they didn't use their SAO Avatars, which data was stored inside the once deadly-machines.

Saori, Rika and Kotone had more or less the same problem, but without money to even actually buy it, and Keiko didn't even had access to her Nerve Gear, only her pleadings that it was like a memento of hard times overcome with effort having convinced her own parents of not destroying the machine that had kept her daughter imprisoned for almost two years after she got out, but that they now had locked away somewhere.

To summary, to actually be able to have the resources to Log into ALO, the rest of the United Heroes Association would need to speak with their parents, who would then argue why wouldn't they want to use an AmuSphere, which would in turn force them to tell the truth about what they 'thought' Sugou Noboyuki, 'important and respected' member of RECT Inc., was doing with their friends, which would in turn…well, you get the idea. To put it simply, they had been forced to accept that the only one who could actually try and do this was Kazuto, who not only had the game thanks to Agil, but actually could Log In without worrying anyone around or having the fear of being discovered by his family (Hell, his sister was apparently going to help him with this). This hadn't sat well with the group of girls.

It wasn't that they didn't trust in the gamer for this (He was probably the only person in the world they would blindly trust with their very lives, no questions asked), but to just sit on the side doing nothing while he actually tried to help their comatose friends was something that made them feel useless and powerless.

Having known how feeling like that was before Sugu comforted and reminded him about Licenseless Rider's words, Kazuto was ready to try and cheer them up by asking if they wanted some ice cream (He had starting to think he was becoming addict to the thing)…when the doorbell rang again, making him blink.

"…it's so late already?" he idly muttered while looking at the clock. "Oh right, Sugu said she didn't have kendo practice today, that's most likely her…"

"Oh, don't worry, I will go get it!" quickly replied Keiko while standing up and heading towards the door, before anyone could stop her.

This was it, she was finally going to meet Kirito's little sister! She obviously didn't believe Asuna's 'joke' about the boy having feelings for the girl, of course not, buuut…she just wanted to go and see how she was, maybe even become friends with her! It would be great to know someone else who could understand the pain of being called a 'little girl'!

With those thoughts in mind, the pigtailed girl cheerfully opened the door…and came face to face with something her brain immediately told her was TOO BIG.

"…uh? Wh-who are you?" almost robotically, Keiko's head looked up (Away from those…those massive…), Suguha's words making her look at the beautiful and taller girl with a twitching eyebrow, her face still frozen in her previous smile. "Why are you in my home?"

Unable to answer, the ex-kunoichi (Still one at heart, on her own words), just STARED. At the girl that, supposedly, was only a few months older than her.

She stared back 'down' again, to a certain part of the kendoka that made even Lisbeth seem 'little' and that was up there with what she had classified as the 'Strea/Fictitious'-level.

The pigtailed girl sank to her knees, freaking Suguha out as an aura of depression surrounded her.

"My Ninja Way…only leads to Despair…"

"E-eh?! What?! He-hey, get a hold of your…! Wait…pigtails…ninja way…little girl…are you…one of Onii-chan's friends?"

Before the kendoka could even hope to get an answer, more unknown (Though in a certain way known) faces popped up on the entrance hallway.

"Hey, Silica, what's taking you so…long…?" her words suddenly dying on her mouth, Rika couldn't help but also STARE at Suguha, even as she tried to shake Keiko out her 'mysteriously sudden' depression.

"Liz? Why are you quite all of a…?" walking past the ex-blacksmith, Shiori also stopped dead in her tracks. "…sudden…holy whiskers."

"He-hey, Sugu!" looking a bit nervous, Kazuto finally came out into the hallway by himself, quickly followed by Kotone and Saori, all of them freezing at seeing the scene, though for different reasons. "…is something wrong?"

"I-I don't know, your friend here just, uhm, collapsed when she opened the door…?" ventured the confused kendoka while shaking Keiko's shoulder, though her eyes were tensely looking over the many 'pretty girls' she now knew had been his brother's close 'friends'.

Looking back, even the childish-looking girl she was trying to cheer-up had been quite close to him, and was only some months younger than her…

"…yeah, I think I can kind of see WHY she would react like that…" whispered Rika while staring silently at the girl that was two years younger than her.

"…that's…your…'little' sister?" asked Kotone with a disbelief-filled voice.

"Uhm…yes?" answered the gamer while looking around, feeling he was missing SOMETHING, but his brain was screaming at him to not ask. "…is something wrong?"

"N-no, Kirito-sam…I mean, Kazuto-kun, nothing is wrong…" nodded Saori while still staring at the young girl, who was now staring back with a calculating gaze.

"Oh, oh, we met her yesterday! Is she really cute in real life too?!" happily asked Strea from the phone, making Suguha blink and look at it in surprise.

"Strea…san? Is that you?"

"And me too, Leafa-san!" happily added Yui, deciding to not add a 'mama' to her name (Some parts of their 'plan' still needed to be 'refined')…for now. "…oh, sorry, it's Suguha-san in real life, right?"

"Ye-yes…uhm, so….what's going on here?" finally questioned the younger Kirigaya while looking at everyone.

She only received silent stares and awkward smiles in response.

On the middle of it all, the black-haired boy kept feeling utterly lost.

* * *

It was a bit later when the girls excused themselves and started heading out back to their homes, after having talked for a while with both Kirigaya siblings, thanked Suguha for her help to save their trapped friends and also reminded Kazuto several times of not doing anything stupid while he traveled to the World Tree.

For some reason, though, despite the apparently calm atmosphere, the smiles on everyone's faces and Strea and Yui's cheerful comments, the gamer had still felt as if he was in the middle of something about to explode.

"…you have…interesting friends, Onii-chan." neutrally commented the kendoka once the others were out of view, Strea and Yui having hanged up a minute ago after saying they would wait for them in the inn. "They seem like…good people."

"Yes, they are. They became very important to me while I was in SAO, almost like family." muttered the boy with a soft smile, even as Suguha looked down at his words…only to be surprised when he gently squeezed her hand. "Of course, I'm also happy of being back with my other family. Mom, dad…and with you, Sugu."

"Onii-chan…" smiling brightly at the boy while squeezing his hand back, the young girl quickly dragged him back into the house and up the stairs. "Quick, we have a long way to go! Let's help the rest of your friends!"

"Sugu…thanks." the boy's words make it clear that he wasn't only talking about helping him and the others. "Oh, and I'm really glad you and the rest got along so well! I was kind of nervous about it, for some reason, but it all turned out okay!"

"Yeah…" replied the girl while remembering the strange reactions of the girls at seeing her, then the calculating stares, not to mention the fact that she had been keenly aware of how they looked at her brother several times. "If you think so…"

"I know it! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they were talking about you right now!"

Meanwhile, a couple of blocks away…

"…so, what do you think?"

"…I used to think Asuna was the biggest 'threat' for any of us to have a chance with him, but…damn."

"Bu-but, yo-you don't really believe Kirito-sama is a sis…that, right?!"

"If you had asked me yesterday, despite that 'slip' of his back then on the hot springs, then I would still have said that it was Aa-chan's crazy jokes getting into our heads, but after actually seeing his 'little' sister…"

"There was nothing little about her."

"Li-Liz, do-don't go around saying such things!"

"Why?! It's the truth! Hell, I'm the older one here and even I am feeling jealous! Just look how she left poor Silica!"

"…world is unfair…a kunoichi must endure…horrible despair flooding my Ninja Way…"

"…I wish Pina was here. He always knew how to snap her out of something like this."

"…anyone else finds weird that one of the persons we relied the most on to be voice of reason was a virtual dragon covered with feathers?"

At Kotone's question, the group (Sans the still mumbling Keiko) stopped for a moment, as if to ponder about it.

Then, they shrugged and kept walking.

Worries about the possible 'likes' of their shared crush aside, they still needed to do SOMETHING to try and help their friends from this side…

* * *

A bit later, the elevator's doors opened at the top of the Tower of Wind of Swilvane, letting the group of 3 (Plus one pixie) step out of it, a mildly annoyed Kirito dragging the wide-eyed Leafa while Strea chuckled and Yui grinned in a very Argo-like way.

"Well, that was that." cheerfully commented the pixie from her place on her sister's shoulder. "You surely showed that guy, Papa!"

"It wasn't anything." mumbled the boy while walking towards the edge of the tower. "We're in a hurry anyway…"

"Wa-wasn't anything?! You punched Sigurd halfway through the city!" half-shouted the Sylph while her brother finally let her go.

"Hey, he deserved it!" scowled the Spriggan while crossing his arms. "And I DID warn him that he would eat my fist if he didn't stop talking about you as if you were a trophy to show around! It's not my fault he didn't listen!"

"I never said the bastard didn't deserve it, just that you may have gone a bit too far." sweatdroped the girl, a part of her accepting she had felt an excited glee when her brother stepped in front of her and then punched the jerk of her ex-party leader, the cocky smile on the older Sylph's face evaporating being the last thing she managed to see before he flew backwards like a cannonball, went through the Tower's doors and then crashed against the roof of a house near the outer walls. The other open-mouthed Sylphs on the room had been still trying to understand what had happened when they had entered the elevator. "Weren't we supposed to keep a low profile and not drag attention while we do this?"

"Yeah…but…"

"Aww, don't be like that, Leafa-chan!" sang Strea while putting an arm around her shoulder, making the blonde girl squeak in surprise. "After all, shouldn't you be happy that your brother is willing to kick (More like punch) the ass of anyone that bothers you?"

"A-ah, uhm…" looking to the side with a blush, the Sylph gripped the handle of Justice's Wings (The katana humming encouragingly) while pouting slightly. "I-I'm not a damsel in distress that needs saving, you know?"

"Ye-yes, sorry Su…Leafa, I mean." sighed the gamer while looking down in shame, earning a surprised look from the present females. "It's just that…when he was about to touch you…"

Honestly, Kirito knew he should have acted a bit calmer, as he had been doing till that point by facing the cocky Sylph with his 'Saitama-face', but when they had turned around and started to walk away and Sigurd had tried to grab Leafa's arm while shouting for her to stop ignoring him…

Suddenly, the boy had found himself making a conscious effort to not PUNCH the bastard that had tried to touch his sister with his 'real' strength. He still had sent him flying away, yes, but he knew the shock would have turned into freak-outs and reports to Admins if Sigurd had actually lost his whole HP and exploded into a Remain Flame inside a Safe Zone, which the city was.

"Onii-chan…" softly whispered the girl before walking at his side and making him look up again. "It's okay, I'm not mad at you or anything. It's just…I'm kind of used to solve my messes by myself, so…"

"That's not good, you know?" interrupted Yui while flying to her shoulder, the black-clad pixie smiling brightly at the surprised Sylph. "Loved ones should help each other when they can! There is nothing wrong in asking for help to do something you can't do alone."

"Yui-chan…"

"Yay, Yui-nee is full of knowledge, as always!" added Strea while swinging her arms over both siblings, trapping everyone in some kind of awkward group-hug. "Now, shall we get going? Asuna and the others are waiting!"

Blinking in surprise before sharing a chuckle, Kirito and Leafa nodded before she opened her wings and starting flying up, she and the Gnome looking on as the Spriggan crouched down and prepared himself to ju…

"LEAFA-CHAN! WAIIIIT!"

"Oh God, no." whispered the blonde girl while resisting the urge to facepalm, Kirito having stopped on his tracks as they all turned to look at Recon's panting form emerging from the elevator. "Recon…"

Honestly, hadn't he understood that morning when she told him she was fine in the school?! And what part of 'I will be absent some days, don't worry' hadn't he gotten?!

"Wait, Leafa-chan! Yo-you're really going to Alne with hi…uhm, with they?!" seemingly panicking, the Sylph boy also took flight and floated towards his friend's side. "Yo-you can't do that! Didn't you hear what just happened with Sigurd?!"

"I did. I was there, Recon, and don't act all concerned, you don't really like that jerk either." coldly answered the girl while trying very hard of contain her need to shout to the boy, telling herself he was only trying to be a good friend. "He got what he deserved."

"O-okay, maybe that's right, bu-but why would you go all the way to Alfheim's main capital with people you barely know?!" apparently realized he was shouting, Recon looked from Strea to Kirito with panic before lowering his voice and getting closer to Leafa, making the girl develop a twitch on her eyebrow. "Yo-you don't know if they aren't planning anything shady or…!"

"Recon, please, shut up." freezing, the boy looked with surprise at his friend as she took several deep breaths, as if to calm herself down, before she looked at him with a calm and relaxed smile. "Do you trust my judgment?"

"Uh?! Ye-yes, but…!"

"Then do you think I would go anywhere with anyone if I wasn't really sure I can trust them?"

"N-no, but…!"

"And do you think I would go away from Swilvane for so long if it wasn't something REALLY important?"

"I…I…" looking down in defeat, the Sylph boy seemed suddenly depressed before brightening up as he raised a fist. "Okay, then I am going with…!

"No." simply cut him Leafa, crushing all his suddenly renewed hoped.

"Eh?! Wh-why not?!"

"Weren't you supposed to do something important for Lady Sakuya? You were bragging about it all of last week, when we joined Sigurd's party." seeing a sudden look of 'Oh, I almost forgot!' appearing on her friend's face, the blonde girl had to do a conscious effort to not kick him back to the tower. "See? Now then, see you later, Recon. O…Kirito-kun, Strea-san, let's go!"

And without saying anything else, the Sylph shot forward through the air, Strea happily following after waving one last time at the depressed-looking boy, who landed near Kirito.

In a sudden burst of courage, though, Recon turned around and pointed at the still unmoving Spriggan.

"Hey you! Yo-you be-better not try anything strange with Leafa-chan, o-okay?!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, however, the green-haired boy felt a shiver run down his back, all the primordial instincts ingrained in his human brain suddenly screaming in panic for no apparent reason.

Slowly, Kirito half-turned to look at him and, for an instant, Recon could have sworn he suddenly saw him with toned muscles highlighted by his no-longer silly-looking costume, his face a carpet of ever-lasting darkness and the eye looking at him only a white circle of endless nothingness…

"I could say the same to you." whispered the gamer with a voice that, despite holding no emotion, scared the other boy so much that his AmuSphere's safety features almost kicked in and Disconnected him from ALO.

Then, the moment was over and Kirito was turning around, once again looking only like a silly-dressed and normal Spriggan…who suddenly JUMPED up and forward like a meteor, a wide-eyed Recon falling on his ass as he saw the other boy cross the distance the girls had flown through already in an instant.

"Hey, Onii-chan!" greeted him Leafa as he shot past them and landed far down on the ground, before starting to run at their pace. "…say…Recon didn't say anything weird or stupid to you, did he?"

Jumping up back to them for an instant, the gamer offered his little sister a wide and innocent smile.

"Nope, not in the slightest. Now, let's get going before we end up having something else delaying us."

With a comprehensive nod, the blonde Sylph hurried her flying speed as the Spriggan fell down again and also accelerated a bit, enough to be just behind his little sister as she guided them through the unknown land, casually swatting aside any mob stupid enough to try and attack him.

None of them noticed how the virtual sisters exchanged a mischievous smile before hurrying after them.

* * *

"…I shouldn't have tempted Fate." groaned Kirito while looking at the12 Salamanders blocking their path across the bridge that led to the subterranean city of Legrue. It had already been annoying enough to have to go through the mountain (The Flying Altitude Limit sadly didn't go over it) because it was the only path from Swilvane to the Capital of Alne, where the World Tree was, but this…"Why couldn't have I kept my mouth shut…?"

"Onii-chan, now is not the time for that." chided Leafa while closing the message that Recon had just sent her, a bit too late, that there was trouble heading their way. "I have a bad feeling about this; it seems WEIRD that the Salamanders would just come with a force like this to try and stop 3 Players…"

"Maybe all the guys from that race are just jerks?" ventured Strea while Yui looked with idly curiosity how the 6 strongly-armored fairies blocked the path with their shields while the other 6 prepared their staffs to cast magic should they try to advance.

"That's an interesting theory which I sadly don't have neither the time nor the mood to test." tiredly stated the gamer before walking forward, not worried at all even as the Salamander's mages started chanting to cast their spells. "Hey, you all! Would it be too much trouble for you to just, you know, let us pass? We're in a bit of a hurry here…"

For all answer, the Spriggan received an endless volley of fireballs, which consumed his entire form.

Leafa flinched and couldn't stop the gawking worry that filled her from manifesting, despite her brother having showed her repeatedly that he could do feats at the same level of the Caped Baldy himself.

Strea and Yui didn't even blink as they watched with carefree smiles as the sighing boy emerged from the inferno with nothing but a bored look, to the Salamanders' utter shock.

"Guess that's a no…okay then, you already used your fancy magic. Now it's my turn to show you MY magic…!"

"What? Are you serious?" shouted a Salamander mage while pointing at him. "Whatever you did to not be killed by our spells aside, do you really think one of the Spriggan's illusion Spells is going to save you? Don't make us la…!"

"Uh? Illusion what? Oh, no, I can't cast those Spells, I know, I already checked." calmly waved it off the black-haired, making his 'opponents' blink. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I can't cast magic at all. You know, normal people can't do magic and all that…"

"Then…what the hell do you mean with 'your magic'?" asked a confused Salamander tank, deciding to ignore the senseless parts of the boy's statement.

At hearing the words…Kirito grinned.

"I CAST FIST!"

BAM!

* * *

On the golden cage near the top of Yggdrasil, Asuna sat calmly on her bed, in a meditation-like position.

She was currently indulging in her favorite relaxation technique of imagining all the horrible ways in which she would ruin Sugou's life once she got out of there, to try and keep herself calm. After all, the Bastard King had taken away her chair after his last escape attempt, so she couldn't use it to relief her frustration by swinging it against the cage.

Still, a part of her felt quite happy knowing she just needed to wait A BIT longer. Next time Oberon showed his ugly face for his usual 'gloating time', she would enact her plan, and finally get…

Her train of thought came to a screeching halt when her eyes suddenly shot open, the instincts she had developed for almost two years activating for the first time in two months and screaming at her that she was in danger.

Shooting to her feet, Asuna's gaze swept around the cage and the branch on which it was, then the open sky surrounding it. She frowned.

There was nothing there. And now, her instincts had calmed down again.

That was WEIRD as hell. After all, nothing had triggered her battle instincts since she woke up stuck in that cage (Sugou only triggered her murdering/annoying ones). That was to be expected, because in this world of fairies there was no real threat to her life, so…

What exactly had she just felt?

Unknown to the confused girl, up on another branch, a silent, humanoid figure looked down at her.

Its dual-colored 'eyes' didn't miss a single one of her movements…

* * *

On a bench in the small city of Legrue, Kirito sat impatiently while looking from time to time to the unmoving form of Leafa, the Avatar currently empty and under his care while Suguha checked out something weird that apparently was going on with Recon in the real world.

"I cast fist!" happily proclaimed Yui while doing a fake-punch towards Strea, who faked a pained sound as she fell backwards several meters away, making the small pixie giggle. "That was awesome of you, Papa!"

"Nah, not really, just a joke from an old game I remembered…" idly commented the Spriggan while looking once again at his adoptive sister's Avatar. "She's taking her time, uh?"

Too busy staring at Leafa, the gamer didn't notice the playful smile appearing on the Gnome's face as she skipped closer to him.

"Maybe she and Whiny-kun had to catch up for a bit?" ventured her with a bright tone, using her own personal nickname for Recon. "We DID leave him back there all depressed, and who knows, they're close friends in the real world, so…"

Sadly, Strea was unable to keep enjoying Kirito's every-moment-tenser expression at her words, because the blonde Sylph chose that moment to stand up again with alarmed eyes, looking towards her brother with worry.

"The Peace Conference!"

"What?" was the boy's eloquent answer even as the girl started to sprint towards the city's exit.

"Nagata-kun…uhm, Recon, that's it, just discovered Sigurd had been having dealings with the Salamanders behind our race leader's back!" informed the Sylph as they started heading towards the second half of the Legrue Corridor, the one that led to Alne. "The bastard sold them the location of where she and the leader of the Caith Siths are going to meet to create an alliance between our races to try and conquer the World Tree together, and now a bunch of them is heading that way!"

"That's horrible!" gasped Yui from her place on Strea's shoulder before looking towards her father with worry. "Papa, if they kill the Faction Leaders, they will…!"

"I know." answered Kirito while narrowing his eyes, the gamer easily remembering the absurdly unfair advantage one race could gain over other in ALO if they managed to kill the currently elected 'Leader' of the faction. Basically, the Salamanders were about to screw over all Sylph and Caith Sith players for a good time. "Where is the meeting being held?"

"In a clearing some distance from the Corridor's exit! Why do you…?" Leafa's voice was suddenly cut out when she felt her brother's arms grabbing her body bridal style, her arms gripping him almost in reflex. "Eh?!"

"Grab tight, Leafa."

"Hey, don't leave us behind!" happily shouted Strea while jumping forward and closing her arms round the Spriggan's neck…just in time for all females present to start screaming when the boy shot forward and ran across the tunnel like a living bullet, two of them in excitement while the last one in fright.

None of the spawning mobs of the corridor had enough time to even understand what was happening before the blur of speed that was the gamer shot past them.

It hadn't even been 10 seconds when light hit them all head on and the wide-eyed Sylph suddenly found herself soaring through the air in her brother's arm, the black-haired boy having jumped the moment he exited the cave.

It felt almost magical and, for an instant, she was tempted to just close her eyes and relax against him…

"I SEE THEM!" suddenly shouted Kirito, snapping everyone out of whatever daydream they were in and letting them see the flying army of almost 70 armored Salamanders on the distance, heading towards an open area where a small bunch of other players could be seen. "Shit, they're about to arrive!"

"We need to do something, fast!" shouted Strea while, as if by instinct, starting to fly, 'carrying' the gamer as a blushing Leafa did the same and got out of his arms, though still grabbing one as she also raced through the air.

Wide-eyed, Kirito looked from one to the other before realization hit him.

"THAT'S IT! Throw me!"

"Uh?" said both girls while looking in confusion towards him.

"Papa, what do you…?"

"No time to explain, just keep flying as fast as you can and THROW me that way!"

The girls' faces illuminated, all of them realizing what exactly he wanted.

On the clearing, Sakuya of the Sylph grimaced as she gripped the hilt of her katana, even as, at her side, Alicia Rue of the Caith Sith just scowled with annoyance towards the incoming Salamander army, her tail all stiff.

Even if they weren't being led by HIM, both Race Leaders knew that between them and the 6 escorts each had brought they would have still been overwhelmed by the 68 Salamanders soldiers.

Despite that, neither of the two was going to go down without fighting with tooth and nail.

The doomed group was already preparing to take flight and confront their vastly superior enemy…when a blur of black and white shot through the air and crashed with a massive bang against the ground in front of them, stopping the Salamanders dead on their tracks.

The leaders and their escorts themselves also stared with absolute shock at the big crater that had formed between both parties, even as the form of a Spriggan clad in the weirdest costume they had ever seen emerged, arms crossed as his cape flapped epically at the wind.

Two certain Salamanders from the army squeaked in horror/surprise.

"Hey, Salamanders…I'm going to have to kindly ask you to not take a step further." declared Kirito while looking at the almost 70 veteran players looking at him with an utterly bored face.

Total disbelief and even some snickering was the answer to his words.

"Oh yeah?" amusedly asked the only fire fairy that wasn't wearing a helmet, who was also leading the army and clearly held a different air from the rest of them. "And who do you think you are, to make such a demand?"

The suddenly smiling Spriggan's next words sent chills (For the Salamanders) and a strange feeling of hope (For the leaders' groups) running down the back of all the presents.

"Just a Gamer playing as a Hero for Fun."

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…Suguha-chan…you didn't have to hang up on me so fast…eh? A-ah! Uhm, hello everyone, this is Nagata Shinichi, Recon of the Sylphs in the virtual world, and I'm here to give you the next chapter's preview…whatever that is. Ehm…next time, on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Hidden Feelings'. As a journey comes to an end and the time of reencounters approaches, the Maiden of Justice will finally open her heart, ready to face the consequences…!…wait, what does that mean? And why does it give me such a despairing feeling?! Aaah, I should better Log In again, Suguha-chan may need my help to save lady Sakuya and-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Aaand done! Another chapter finished :D!

When I started to write this chapter (Or maybe even the previous one) I realized that I was facing a small challenge. After all, as everyone knows, there is not much 'action' in the Fairy Dance arc, its one mainly built around feelings and the way the characters see/discover things about each other. So then, I had to find a way to keep things like that while at the same time not losing the OP-Man 'spark' that this world has different from SAO's canon, without relying in 'epic action' scenes as much as before.

I like to think that I have been doing a good job of it so far, but at the end of the day, you're the ones who have to judge that, my dear readers =)

I'm especially waiting to see your reactions to things like Sugu's 'talk' with Justice and Strea's 'craziness' XD

Oh, and, if anyone is interested and had no idea what Kirito's 'joke' was about, I suggest you to google 'Muscle Wizard'. Quite a hilarious meme :P

ANYWAY! That's all for now! After some craziness and more, Kirito and company are already halfway to their goal, though they have found a 'difficult' (HAH!) obstacle on their way! Prepare yourselves for tons of ass-kicking and more silliness, One Punch-Man style, in the next chapter, who may or may not be the end of the ALO arc already (It all depends on how long the scenes I'm planning drag on)! And also, the moment for Kirito to get a shocking revelation XD

Well, that's it for now folks. Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	17. Chapter 13: Hidden Feelings

And yet again, here we are with another chapter of this mad story of mine =D! Well, nothing to say this time around before the chapter, except for one thing: To the guest reviewer 'Toolazytologin', I won't quite reveal what I have planned for Yuuki just yet (Though I DO have something planned), but, about the part you said one of the goals of her character was "Op's Kirito"…I think you should try reading the novels. In truth, Yuuki didn't 'really' beat Kirito. Though it has been argued around a lot, Kirito DID try hard against her, but only with one sword, in both their battles. He didn't even go Dual Blades on her and, something that even Yuuki herself realized, he WASN'T trying his best. The reasons of that, though loosely explained at that point both in the anime and the novels, are kind of big Spoiler about the next arc, but I can tell you something that anyone up to date with the novels knows: Yuuki wouldn't have stood a chance against a Fully Serious Kirito…in fact, it's something that I wish none of his friends ever have to witness, because it's not pretty at all and it only means horrible things are happening and everything is on the line…

OKAY! Enough of ominous foreshadowing for anime-only viewers, time to keep with the craziness!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Hidden Feelings. A Brave Heart's Truth!**

 **November 10th, 2024. Alfheim, between Swilvane and Alne. 17:30…**

The silence that had suddenly covered the whole area was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife…or one of the many pointy weapons everyone carried around.

Well, everyone except for the lone and unarmed Spriggan with the carefree smile, who had just kind-of- threatened the army of the game's arguably strongest race, then declared something that sounded extremely silly and pointless when asked who he was.

A chorus of laughter and even some insults answered his words, once the shock had passed, coming from the whole Salamander army…except by two lonely Players, who were standing still as the rest of their comrades exploded in chuckles.

"…hey, Kagemune?"

"…yes, Chariot?"

"Isn't that the same Spriggan that was with the Sylph chick yesterday?"

"…yes, I think he is."

"Oh…just making sure." finished the other Salamander before, slowly, both started to fly backwards.

"…AHAHAHAH! Ah…good one, kid, but I think you have made a mistake." finally said the leader of the group while looking down at Kirito with an amused smile. "See, we aren't here playing to Superheroes. We're in the middle of something serious."

"Oh, yeah, I know that. And let me tell you, I find it quite…stupid." absolute silence filled the air at the bored tone of the black-haired boy, even as he sighed and shook his head. "I mean, I'm probably the least indicated person to talk about taking videogames too seriously, but to resort to spies, shady deals and betrayals just to screw over two entire groups of players, most of which don't even KNOW about this, just to gain advantage over them? Even more, to literally come to slaughter them with almost seven times their numbers, when they haven't even TRIED to do anything against you?" looking at them with disappointment, the gamer somehow made more than one of the fire fairies to feel bad. "Don't any of you know the meaning of 'taking things too far'?"

"U-uhm, sorry for interrupting you, but…" blinking, the Spriggan turned around to face the tall Sylph woman in the Japanese-style clothes, who was looking at him uncertainly. "Why are you helping us? Not that we mind, but you DO realize they're not going to back down with just words, right?"

"Well, my name is Kirito and lets just say that a…friend of mine is from your race, so I don't want this happening. Besides, I already said it, I'm a gamer playing Hero." turning around again, the boy sent another look at the apparently hopeless fight in front of him. "And what kind of Hero wouldn't save someone in need from a group of bullies?"

"Hey…now you're getting a bit TOO cocky, Spriggan." growled the man while suddenly pointing at the black-haired boy with his purple sword, the unique design and its strange tip immediately letting the gamer know that it was no ordinary blade. "See here, do you really think you can just come out of nowhere and meddle with things that don't concern you for childish reasons? We Salamanders don't need to explain how we do things to a…!"

 _"Man, won't this guy just shut up?"_ tiredly thought the boy while looking from his sword to the rest of the army, idly aware of the tense Caith Siths and Sylphs behind him looking directly at the red-haired man. _"Really, couldn't he have just been mature enough to accept I was right? They ARE taking this way too far!"_

"…and that's why you…wait, are you even listening?!"

"Uh?" blinked the boy at the sudden anger on the Salamander's voice, looking once again at him. "Oh, sorry, you were taking so long that I decided to tune you out…can't you summarize it on 20 words or less?"

A new kind of silence greeted the boy's cheerful question. One filled with disbelief and outrage.

"That guy…is either an idiot or has balls of steel." declared the short and blonde Caith Sith of dark skin. "Maybe a bit of both."

"You know I CAN hear you, right?" sighed Kirito while resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Okay, that's it!" shouted the Salamander's leader with annoyance. "If you want to be crushed with them so much, then be my guest, Spriggan! Salamanders, charge and end them all! But leave the Spriggan to me!" saying this, he raised the silver edge of his massive sword with one hand, putting it close to his face. "He shall fall knowing the edge of Gram!"

And with that, the red army charged forward, screaming battle cries as they pointed their weapons towards the 'doomed' group, both Sakuya and Alicia Rue tensing as their hands shot to their weapons, despite knowing that they had no chance against General Eugene, the game's best player, and his army, but not willing to just…

"…okay then. No one can say I didn't try."

And with yet another sigh, Kirito took a step forward and, in everyone's eyes, CHANGED.

The first line of Salamanders had barely enough time to blink, thinking that the reason they suddenly saw the Spriggan with imposing muscles and a face cast in darkness was an illusion, before the boy 'disappeared' from where he was standing with a sonic boom, leaving only an imprint of his feet on the ground and several shocked and staggering Sylphs and Caith Siths.

Then, Eugene was blinking in confusion as 12 of his soldiers went flying in all directions, their armors breaking and their weapons cracking, and suddenly the Spriggan was THERE, just in front of him and with a fist cocked back, his eyes turned into two white voids of nothingness that stared beyond his soul even as the punch that announced DEATH for him slowly came for…

"HYAAA!" screaming with a mix of shock, fear and rage, the 'Demonic Sword Gram' cut forward, faster than many experts of the blade in the real world could ever achieve with such a huge blade, cutting through the gamer's body…without resistance. His form also suddenly seemed to 'vanish' after the swing, as if he had never been there in the first place. "Wha…? No…don't fucking tell me he somehow made an afterimage of…?!"

Several more screams interrupted the General from his terrified thoughts, his head snapping back to see more and more of his subordinates suddenly flying backwards in all directions as a white and black blur tore through the air and them, many turning into Remain Flames BEFORE touching the ground. The most terrifying part, though, were the several craters appearing on different points of the ground around them each second, which let Eugene's already overcharged mind know that the boy was actually JUMPING at hyper speeds to attack them, not flying.

Open-mouthed, the escorts of both Race Leaders let their recently unsheathed weapons fall to the ground from the shock. The two girls in question were also busy STARING with stunned disbelief at the impossibility before them, hence why none of them noticed the descending forms of two screaming Salamanders, who had discreetly gotten away from the main group since a while back.

"IF WE TAKE THEM DOWN THEN AT LEAST THIS WOULD HAVE MEANT SOMETHING!" shouted Kagemune while aiming towards Sakuya and Alicia with a just summoned Fire Lance, Chariot shooting past him and ready to impale both women with his spear.

"Yeah! For the Sala…!"

"I cast Beheading!" cheerfully shouted Strea before closing her wings and falling down like a meteor, big-ass sword first and doing exactly as she had announced with the poor Player, only to pout as she opened her wings again to not crash. "…it's not as cool as when Kirito does it."

"There, there, you were still pretty cool, Strea-nee." comforted her Yui while patting her cheek.

"What the…?!" started Kagemune before freezing at feeling a familiar presence behind him, the edge of a katana caressing the back of his armor.

"Hey there! Remember me?" smiled Leafa while Justice's Wings hummed happily on her hands.

"Oh, this is SO much bullshi…"

"JUSTICE SLASH!" finished the blonde Sylph before cutting the battle-wizard in two and landing at Strea's side with a satisfied smile, sheathing once again her trusted blade before addressing to the once again shocked group. "Hey, Lady Sakuya! I came as soon as I could, glad you're okay!"

"Le-Leafa…?" whispered the shocked woman of dark-green hair, looking for a moment to the happy-looking Gnome and the Navigation Pixie on her shoulder. "Wait…you mean…HIM…?" pointing shakily back to the now less than 6 Salamanders, Sakuya seemed unable to properly finish her question. "…is with you too?"

"Uhm, yeah, you could say that…" awkwardly muttered the young girl before turning her gaze back to the battle (Slaughter).

"Thi-this doesn't make any fucking sense!" screamed Eugene when the last of his men was also punched to the ground and joined the many Remain Flames now littering the whole area. "What kind of cheat or hack are you using?!"

"Didn't you know…?" softly whispered Kirito while appearing behind him, his cape flapping madly at the wind as he stared at the wide-eyed General with a nonchalant look. "You CAN'T hack these games."

"UAAAAAAH!" roared the red-haired man while spinning around, ready to behead the boy…no, the ANOMALY that was the Spriggan behind him. With an almost bored look, even as his body began to fall again at the mercy of gravity, Kirito raised his hand as if to catch it…only to be surprised when the blade went THROUGH his hand as if it was a ghost, heading unimpeded towards his neck. "BEHOLD THE ETHEREAL SHIFT BEFORE FALLING, BASTARD!"

Gram slammed against the boy's neck in triumph, sending him to the ground like a meteor while Eugene grinned…before his body vanished the same instant it should have crashed on the earth, leaving the man gapping as he suddenly felt someone grabbing the hand with which he had been using his Demonic Sword, turning to the side to see Kirito looking with a spark of curiosity towards his legendary blade, the Spriggan's momentum casually dragging both of them upwards.

"A ghost sword? Man, that's really cool…"

"Who the fucking hell are you?!" screamed the man with utter despair…before feeling the boy's empty hand CRASH against his chest in the form of a fist, a small instant of insanity letting him feel as if everything around him was breaking down…

…and them he was on the ground, his body leaving a long scar on the earth before it exploded into a Remain Flame.

"….oops." muttered Kirito while landing, staring with a sweatdrop at how he was still holding the man's closed virtual hand and the Demonic Sword Gram. "I…think I should have let go before doing that." turning around with embarrassment to look at the group of shocked players and his two companions, the boy sheepishly waved the massive blade at them. "Uhm…anyone knows what should I do with this?"

"I…you…ho-how did you even kept that?" questioned Alicia with total disbelief. "It should have vanished together with Eugene…"

"…maybe because his hand is still holding it?" ventured the gamer before said hand broke down into polygons, making him let go of the sword in surprise as it impaled itself on the ground "…well, it WAS."

"…maybe you could give it back to him next time you see him?" offered Sakuya while staring at the second strongest blade on the game, her mind still trying to process what had happened.

"Oh…okay." responded the Spriggan while the Remain Flames around him started to disappear. "I will be sure of doing that soon…"

Incidentally, none of the Salamanders there would Log In or even get out of their houses for the next two days (Even those with works or something to actually DO in real life), but that's something no one really cares about.

"Honestly, O…uhm, Kirito-kun. Couldn't you have been a bit less dramatic?" chided Leafa while walking near the sheepish boy.

"…I DID try to stop them with a well-reasoned argument, you know…"

"I think you were awesome, Papa!" cheered Yui while flying to his shoulder, a big smile on her face. "Oh, oh! Next time you face an army, can I help too?! I could keep them all in place while you punch them!"

"Hey now Yui, don't go talking as if I made going around punching people my hobby…"

"Nee, Kirito, can I keep this thing until you have to give it back?" innocently asked Strea while picking Gram up, moving the Two-Handed Sword with perhaps even more easiness than Eugene. "It's pretty cool and shiny!"

"I…don't know if that's okay…but seeing as we're in a hurry and we don't know where that guy is, I guess…"

"YAY! You're the best, Kirito!"

"Strea-san, don't go around talking as if this is normal, please…" sighed Leafa while shaking her head, though there was still a soft smile on her face.

Suddenly, as the final Remain Flames vanished, the reality of WHAT had just happened seemed to finally sink on the group of Sylphs and Caith Siths, who suddenly exploded in excited and happy cheers as they surrounded the group, endless praises and questions being shot towards the awkward-looking Spriggan while Strea just kept smiling and Leafa tried to calm everyone down,

"Okay, okay, everyone, let them breathe!" Sakuya's words seemed to have an actual effect over the small crowd, who parted to allow their smiling leaders to walk towards the trio of 'Heroes' (Plus one pixie). "I gotta say, that WAS amazing, boy. You just saved not only us, but our entire races from a blow we would have needed months to recover from." offering her hand, the leader of the Sylphs only smiled even more at the caped boy as he shook it. "If it wasn't for your words and the way you're acting, I would be SURE you just used some serious hack…"

"Yeah, well, believe it or not, I didn't." commented the Spriggan while looking to the side, letting go of the woman's hand to scratch his head.

"I could tell that when I realized you were JUMPING as if you couldn't fly." spoke Alicia while looking at him with interested eyes. "But then…how are you able to do all of that?! That way of moving…and that strength! It was freaking awesome!"

"You…wouldn't believe it if I told you." opted to say Kirito while sighing.

"I have been seeing you doing all that several times now and I still don't believe it." accepted Leafa before putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'm just glad you do it for good reasons."

"Yeah…talking about that…" Sakuya's words catching their attention, the small group turned to look at the Sylph's Lord. "What were you saying about spies and betrayals?"

Ten minutes and a 'Moonlight Mirror' Spell, (Courtesy of Alicia Rue) later, Sigurd had been made into a pariah and banished from Sylph territory for the rest of his life. That done, the gamer smiled softly while looking around, feeling quite content after a job well done.

…one could always argue that he had just basically virtually slaughtered and mentally scarred a group of men, then stolen the legendary sword from their leader, but seeing as he hadn't done any of that on purpose and only for a good cause, he could be forgiven for it…probably.

"Well, that was that." happily announced Sakuya with a satisfied smile, she and the Caith Siths' leader turning towards the group once again. "Once again, thank you all for this."

"Yep, you really saved our asses, Kirito." grinned Alicia towards the caped boy, her tail moving excitedly from side to side. "If you ever want anything in return, just ask for it!...well, maybe not right away. We still need to gather funds to prepare for our joint raid to the World Tree…"

"Indeed, that's going to take quite a good chunk of Yrd, and lots of time to gather." sighed the leader of the Sylph while Kirito blinked, before opening his menu and starting to go through it, confusing his companions and some of the curious escorts. "So forgive us if we can't repay the favor too…" then, the surprised Sakuya had to quickly raise her arms to catch a BIG bag that was thrown her way, filled all the way with money, by the sound of it. "…soon?"

"Will that be enough to help you?" asked the black-haired boy while his sister GAPED at him, both leaders' eyes going wide before shooting towards the Spriggan after actually seeing the total amount on the Sylph's menu. "I don't really need the money for anything, so it may as well help someone who does…"

One-punching everything and anything that came his way while trapped in SAO had ended up being quite positive for him in more ways than one, especially when you took into account that the boy never spent money in ANYTHING, as he didn't need potions, armors or whatever. The closest thing to expenses he ever had was when Argo asked him to help out paying for that wood house on Floor 22 for the whole guild, and he had still gone several months after that getting even MORE money. The fact that it had carried on to ALO hadn't really mattered to him, seeing as he had only entered the game to save his friends, so giving it all away wasn't really a problem.

Strea and Yui were only looking happily at him, as if moved by his selfless action, while Leafa was still trying to process that the gamer had just given away such an OBSCENE amount of Yrd as if it was nothing.

Justice's Wings hummed something that may have been a mix of cursing and shock, as if agreeing with that.

"…so, Kirito-kun." suddenly, the blinking Spriggan found himself with both Race Leaders at his sides, the women seeming to have teleported from where they had been standing a moment before as they looked at him in a way that sent a shiver down his back. "What does a strong and amazing guy like you do usually around here?"

"U-uhm, nothing much?" nervously commented the boy, Leafa trying to stop gaping behind him as she started to shake at the latest development, the virtual sisters just looking on with honest surprise. "I-I haven't been around for long, so…"

"Oh, then you aren't affiliated with anyone? Have you given any thought to work as a mercenary for a certain race, then?" ' innocently' asked Alicia while looking at the gamer with sultry eyes. "Spriggans are quite famous for such things, after all…what do you say about coming to work for the Caith Siths?"

Whoever said that money and power don't attract women was either very innocent…or very stupid.

"U-uhm…well, you see, right now I'm kind of bus…"

"Indeed, Alicia, can't you he's already helping the Sylphs?" cheerfully commented Sakuya while leaning a 'bit' too much towards the boy, shamelessly sandwiching one of his arms between her breasts (Which were slightly bigger than Sugu's) 'by mistake', making his face burn red and Leafa's jaw to fall even more. "Of course, we would be willing to extend a formal invitation for you to help us full time. Any friend of Leafa is a good friend of mine and everyone from Swilvane…"

"But I…!"

"Heeey, you would get loooots of great things if you worked for the Caith Siths, you know?" purred Alicia while hanging from his other arm, even as Strea and Yui wondered if it would be possible for Leafa's jaw to fall even lower. "We got great rewards, lots of the best food in Alfheim, and there are lots of cute cat-girls around…"

"Oi, Alicia, don't you think you're going a bit too far?" smiled the Sylph's Leader while pressing herself even more against the Spriggan.

"Hmm? No idea what you're talking about, Sakuya-chan!" cheerfully replied the Caith Sith while her tail playfully touching the black-haired boy's arm, making him shiver. "I'm only explaining things plain and simple to our good friend here!"

From a practical point of view, the best Kirito should have done at the moment was throwing off both of them and ran away as fast as he could. 'Sadly', thanks to their current position, he couldn't do that without literally _throwing_ them out of himself, and so much time surrounded by girls while in SAO had taught him enough to know that you couldn't just do something like that to a woman, especially with Saitama-level strength.

…which was kind of a contradiction, seeing how all the girls around him were quite capable and fierce when in the battlefield, and knew how to take care of themselves. Yet they still enjoyed when he treated them with respect as 'women'. Argo had once tried to explain this to him with a smile, but he had honestly lost the meaning of the conversation after 10 minutes and…

Thankfully for the caped boy's overloaded mind, his salvation came in the form of someone forcefully pulling from his cape, making both Race Leaders squeak in surprise as the Spriggan was yanked backwards and they had to let go to not fall face-first into the ground. Shocked, Kirito could feel a pair of arms closing quite possessively around him as Leafa cheerfully rested her chin on his shoulder, staring at the older women with a BIG smile that, had the boy been able to see it, would have truly tempted him to just run like hell.

"I'm TRULY sorry, Lady Sakuya, Lady Alicia, but you see, my…friend's time is TAKEN already. I'm guiding him and his friend to Alne for IMPORTANT reasons, so he's not really in position to work for anyone right now…isn't that right, Kirito-kun?"

"U-uh…? I mean, yeah, yes, she's totally right, I'm truly sorry!" quickly agreed the boy while apologizing, thankful of his little sister's quick thinking…which he wouldn't have so much if he could see her face. "W-we kind of need to get going already, to be honest! Se-see you some other time, hope you have luck with your raid! Strea, Yui, let's go!"

As soon as he finished those words, and without even bothering to ask Leafa to let go of him, Kirito JUMPED backwards, spinning around in mid-air to guide his fall as best as he could towards the closest mass of forest, the blonde Sylph still hanging from his back. Giggling all the while, Strea quickly followed after them while waving goodbye at the Leaders and their escorts, Gram now hanging from her back as Yui seemed in deep thought while scratching her chin.

There were some seconds of silence after the Gnome vanished from view, through which both women kept silently staring towards where the outrageous Spriggan boy had vanished, their minds still replaying the look Leafa had given them.

Both of them were more than able to identify the look of a girl possessively protecting something she wasn't willing to let go.

 _"My, my, Leafa…I didn't know you were so mature already…"_ thought Sakuya while smirking widely.

 _"Eheheh…this certainly looks like it's going to be pretty interesting…"_ were the playful thoughts of Alicia Rue, her feline gaze kept looking towards the trees.

Still with slightly disturbing thoughts in mind, both Leaders quickly proceeded to formalize the alliance between their races…

A while later, Kirito sweatdroped as he looked towards the grumpy form of his little sister, the girl refusing to look at him as she kept walking forward with crossed arms.

"Le-Leafa, c'mon…a-are you mad at me?"

"Of course NOT, Onii-chan." answered the Sylph with an icy tone. "WHY would you even think that?"

"Okay, you are…i-it's because of what happened back there?" seeing Leafa's scowl deepen as she walked faster, her wings still recharging, the boy could only sweatdrop again. "I swear, it wasn't my fault! I didn't do anything to make them react like…THAT!"

"You mean, besides impressing them by heroically beating the crap out of the jerks about to murder them and also stealing their leader's legendary sword?"

"For the last time, that wasn't my fault! And I didn't 'steal' it; we're just having Strea take care of it till we can return it to that Eugene guy!"

"Oh yeah, because she's the best person to have taking care of something super important."

"Do-don't say that! You have only known her for two days, but she's in fact a much more reliable person than she looks!"

"Hey, hey, Yui-nee, look!" shouted the Gnome girl somewhere behind them, before the sound of mobs screaming and then exploding polygons echoed through the air. "Ghost sword rules!"

"Actually, I think that ability it's called Ethereal Shift, Strea-nee…"

"…she's a much more reliable person than she acts, too." added the Spriggan when he saw the 'You were saying?'-look on his little sister's face. "But really, it wasn't my intention for things to end up…like that." looking to the side with embarrassment, the gamer awkwardly scratched his cheek. "After all, if there is something that I REALLY learned from SAO was to respect women…"

"Oh? Really? Sound like you have had A LOT of interaction with girls, then…" muttered Leafa while feeling her eyes twitch.

"Well, seeing as most of my guild's members were female, I would have guessed that bit was obvious." continued Kirito, ignorant of the girl's inner turmoil or of how her katana was humming and suggesting to be used to poke his eyeballs. "Then again, seeing as I was with Asuna almost since the beginning, you could say it's something I had to learn step by step…"

The mention of the comatose girl she suspected her brother may have a crush on was enough for the blonde Sylph's anger to evaporate and be replaced with worry. They were very close to Alne already, after all, and as Justice's Wings so helpfully keep reminding her, she still hadn't actually done anything to get closer to him, or even come close to make him notice her own feelings. Maybe she really didn't have a chance with this…?

Those depressing thoughts filling her, the girl was quite happy when she saw a small village ahead of them, quickly pointing at it before making a run for it.

"Look, a neutral village! Let's rest for a bit and maybe Log Out to eat something!"

"Uh? Wa-wait, Su…Leafa!" shooting after her, the gamer was vaguely aware of Strea and Yui shouting something behind them before he reached his confused sister's side on the center of the small village. "Why did you run like that? It's not as if the village is going to go any…!"

"Something…something is wrong." whispered the Sylph with a frown, making Kirito blink as she looked around the strangely empty village. "Why isn't anyone here?"

"Eh?" his eyes sweeping over the area, the gamer noticed that there didn't seem to be even NPCs on the strange settlement. "Why would it be all emp…?"

"Kiritoooo! Leafaaaa!"

"Papa! Leafa-saaan!"

Turning around at hearing the shouts of the virtual sisters, the siblings were in time to see them stop panting near them, Yui raising a tiny hand…

Just as the massive 'jaws' of the 'village' closed around them.

"…I was about to said that there is no village on the map of this area." lamely commented the pixie even as everything around them became dark, the disguised giant worm-mob sinking into the depths of the earth.

No trace of the 'village' was left after a second.

* * *

On the real world, on a library, Izawa Shiori blinked and looked up from the computer she was using.

"Is something wrong, Argo-san?" worriedly asked Saori while looking at her friend with concern.

"Nah, nothing Saa-chan…it's just that, for an instant, I could have sworn I hear Kii-bou cursing on the distance." shrugging, the ex-claws-user kept working on whatever she was doing, a smirk appearing on her face. "Okay then…it's done."

"A-are you sure we should be doing this?" there was a clear hint of nervousness on the ex-spear-user's voice, her eyes darting around the public library as if fearing someone was going to come out and arrest them or something. "Thi-this is kinda something serious, Argo…"

"Nee, you worry too much when you don't have a spear on your hands, Saa-chan." answered Shiori while sending a glance towards the portable Hard Disk Drive she had connected to the PC. "We wanted to do SOMETHING to try and also help the others, remember? And if we can't directly go and help Kii-bou rescue Aa-chan and the rest, then at least we can screw a bit with that bastard of Sugou!"

That said, the information broker let another grin appear on her face as she pushed the 'Intro' key, looking how the 'program' started to load.

She may not be an adept with computers and such, but that wasn't really a problem when you had 'contacts'. Namely, Agil, who she felt owed her one for having gone to warn Kirito first instead of her. He had provided the 'program' and the email-address, Lisbeth had provided the Hard Disk, Philia the location of the old library with the somewhat outdated computers and Silica…well, she had offered moral support. Kind of. To be honest, she was still a bit too 'out of it' from their encounter with Kirito's little sister, but well, in a sense, all of them had collaborated for this.

With a perfectly innocent smile, Shiori stood up and walked out of the library followed by a hesitant Saori, their friends waiting for them outside.

It would still take 3 hours for anyone in the library to notice someone had 'forgotten' a HDD connected to one of the computers.

By then, Sugou Noboyuki would still be too busy screaming damnation against the virus that had somehow been sent to his personal email, screwing not only all his important files but also his own PC.

All in all, the girls of the United Heroes Association could count themselves as satisfied.

* * *

Deep under the earth of the beautiful and magical land of Alfheim, there exists a massive frozen wasteland, forever trapped in a gloomy light and punished with icy winds.

Home of deadly powerful beasts known as 'Evil Gods', this massive dungeon that's as big as the 'Alne Plateau' above has many names, but there is only one, on the ancient language, that it's recognized as its true one.

Jotunheimr.

The frozen realm of the giants.

…on a less ominous and more 'videogaming' mood, this place was something that players of old MMORPGs could compare with an 'Expansion'. A dangerous place with many secrets and extremely difficult quests, the Evil Gods that roamed it giving equally rare rewards, but needing of entire and well-prepared Raids to even have a hope to be taken out, especially when you took into account that one couldn't fly in here, given the lack of either moonlight or sunlight, the artificial and dark illumination of the area coming from…somewhere. Maybe from the hanging roots of Yggdrasil than hung above the Great Void on its center, but no one was quite sure if that made any sense.

Back on track, it was through this terrible land of ice and snow that one could see how an imposing monster of 4 arms and 6 eyes, a Humanoid-Type Evil God, raised its massive blades, swinging them down to crush his newest pre…

BAM!

"…and that's another one." sighed Kirito while lowering his fist, not even bothering to see how the massive abomination flew like a ragdoll through the air for several kilometers, dying halfway through his 'flight'. "Seriously, these things are starting to get annoying…how much time have we been here again?"

"A…a bit more than an hour…" bitterly muttered Leafa while hugging herself, Strea and Yui doing the same (Though with each other) behind them as they kept moving through the massive field dungeon. "Damn…it's getting late already; we need to find a way to get out of here and Log Out quick…"

"So-sorry, everyone. I would use my powers to get us all out faster, but there are several parties of players around here, and I fear that if they saw us flying without aid on a Non-Fly zone then all our efforts may be wasted…"

"I-I don't know if that's more annoying than the co-cold, or the fact that Leafa-chan do-doesn't know how to get out of here…"

"I DO know!" shouted the blonde Sylph before lowering her face. "A-at least I know there are exits into Dungeons on the 4 cardinal points on the Alne Plateau above, but I have no idea of where exactly are we in respect to that, seeing as that thing just dropped us in here randomly…"

"I'm glad I could punch it before it vanished." accepted the Spriggan before sighing as he looked around. Of course, he could always just run around randomly until he actually FOUND an exit, but he couldn't do that without risking either losing one of the girls or getting them even MORE lost, so they had quickly discarded that idea. It didn't help either that, when jumping, the only thing he had seem was endless snow and the icy walls of the cavern seeming identical in all directions. "It's in times like this that I wish I could just punch us a way to the surface straight up…"

"O-Onii-chan, don't go thinking all destructive now…" chided Leafa while, for the tenth time, ignoring Justice's humming suggestions of embracing the boy under the excuse of being cold. "If you did that, then all our effort to stay undetected to save your friends would have been…"

A sudden and strange cry interrupted the Sylph's words, drawing the group's attention as they turned towards the source and walked above a small elevation of snow, only to be greeted by quite an unusual sight.

There was yet another one of those Humanoid Evil Gods monsters attacking, though not at them, but to another big, though noticeably smaller, beast, this one seeming like a bizarre combination of a jellyfish and an elephant. Before the surprised eyes of the group, the elephant-jellyfish could barely do anything to protect itself from the swings of the giant's swords, which seemed to take some kind of dark pleasure in hacking away at the smaller beast.

"Well…this is a first." declared Kirito while crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side, not noticing the worried look growing on Leafa's face. "Usually monsters are either trying to kill me or my friends, not each other. I guess we can count ourselves lucky and just move o…"

"Onii-chan, help him!" pleaded the blonde Sylph while grabbing the boy's shoulder, surprising him.

"What?!"

"Th-the little one, the one that looks like an elephant! You have to help him! Don't you see?!" as if to prove her point, Leafa pointed Justice's Wings towards the 'battle' with a sad and worried look. "That big one is trying to bully him to death!"

Deadpanning for a moment to his little sister, the gamer suddenly frowned and looked back to the scene. Certainly, once one stopped thinking just as a player of a videogame and tried to think like a real inhabitant of that world of fairies and magic, it truly seemed like something horrible and unfair.

The smaller beast had no way of defending itself from its bigger opponent, and it was more than clear that it hadn't started the fight, yet the humanoid monster seemed to take pleasure in slashing away at its tentacles, his 6 green-black eyes reflecting only pain and helplessness.

Like someone asking for anyone to help him, despite knowing that no one would answer his cry for…

With a sudden rush of air, both Evil Gods blinked in time to see a black and white blur shot over them and PUNCH the humanoid one on the head, turning it and its upper body into virtual gore before it exploded into polygons.

Sighing as he looked at his fist after landing, Kirito wondered if maybe he wasn't letting this Hero-thing get to his head a bit too much, especially when he had just essentially saved a killer mob that would most likely try to kill them now that its enemy was dead…but hearing Leafa's happy shouts and the cheers from the virtual sisters made him feel that it had been worth it.

He was just turning around to move out of the way when a blonde blur slammed against him, Leafa hugging him with all her might and a massive smile, her face so close it made his hear skip a beat.

It was MUCH harder to remind himself she was his (Adoptive) little sister when he looked at her avatar…

"Onii-chan, you're the best!" gushed the Sylph, ignorant of her brother's tumultuous thoughts even as Strea and Yui ran towards them, the later going back to her pixie form so as to not have to walk. "You saved that poor thing, like a real Hero!"

"I-it was nothing, really…" waved it off the Spriggan while looking to the side (And it technically was true, seeing that he had spent no effort into defeating the thing)…and blinking at seeing a big elephant-like trunk in front of his face, smelling him and the girl over. "Uhm…uh?"

"Eh?" raising her head, Leafa seemed surprised too at seeing how the strange beast was still passing its trunk over them, then over the curious and awed Strea and Yui, before using his strange 'nose' to point at the back of his jellyfish-like body, his green-black eyes looking at them with a strange shine.

"Papa, Leafa-san…I think it wants to give us a ride as thanks for saving him!"

"Yay! You're a lifesaver, Mr. Elephant-Jellyfish!" cheered Strea while hugging the trunk, which the beast quickly used to put her on his back. "Woah, that was cool!"

"Heh, isn't it great, Onii-chan?" excitedly commented the Sylph while turning to look at the Spriggan. "Maybe he knows a way to get out of…!"

The girl's words died on her throat when she, finally, seemed to realize the position she was in and HOW CLOSE she was to an awkwardly smiling Kirito, though any reaction she was going to give was cut out in favor of a squeak when the strange creature raised her red-faced body and put her on his back too.

Shaking his head before deadpanning, the gamer seemed to ponder the situation for a moment.

"So, we're going to trust in a jellyfish-elephant-thing to get us out of the frozen realm under the magical land of fairies…" shrugging, the caped boy jumped on the creature's back and joined his excited/awkward companions, the beast starting to move at a decent pace as soon as they were all aboard. "Eh, seems legit. It probably can't get any weirder than this…"

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kirito stood epically atop the newly baptized Tonky's head, arms crossed as the now bigger elephant-jellyfish soared the skies of Jotunheimr with his fin-like wings, the boy's cape flapping epically on the wind.

"I'm standing on a flying jellyfish-elephant that can shoot electricity over the heart of a frozen wasteland…" frowning, the gamer looked worriedly to the side. "Is it worrying that I feel as if this was something ABSOLUTELY normal?"

"Maybe…but I'm glad you helped out Tonky again back there, Onii-chan." shyly muttered Leafa while caressing the creature's back, a blush being noticeable on her cheeks as she stared at the massive cavern that was the frozen realm. "It was…very kind of you."

"Hey, I only did what anyone with even a bit of dignity would have done!" replied the Spriggan while looking how Strea and Yui kept pointing at everything they could see from there with awe. "I mean, this guy bothered giving us a ride all the way to that Giant Void on the center after we saved his life, no way I was letting those guys just kill it because it had stopped moving to digivolve."

"Heh, the look on the faces of those guys was quite funny, though!" added Strea while walking near the siblings, smiling widely. "I'm sure they will still be shaken for quite a while!"

"Yep, they got so scared of Papa that the last one even jumped into that Great Void all by himself." remembered Yui while the group cast a dubious glance towards the pitch black hole that was directly under the roots of the World Tree. "…maybe he should just have let himself be punched…"

"Yeah, I just hope they can understand I didn't do it with bad intentions." sighed Kirito while looking forward once again. "I was just trying to help…uh?...what the hell is that?"

The confused words of the boy were enough to draw the girls' attention back to the front, gasps escaping from their mouths at seeing what he was referring to.

Just under the center of Yggdrasil, hidden by its roots, there was a massive 'fortress' made of pure ice, looking like some kind of inverted pyramid. Its strange and ominous design clearly identified it as a dungeon, and a high-level one by the looks of it.

But what truly drew everyone's gaze was the soft shine of gold on the pyramid's top chamber, the lower level given its position.

There, standing gloriously as the only thing with color on the whole land of snow and ice, was a sword.

Imposing and beautiful, its golden edge seemed to inspire a feeling of awe and glory, its majestic presence seeming to imply a promise of Victory for anyone who wielded it.

Yet, it simply stood there, the holy blade impaled on that ice pedestal as if watching over the vast land of Jotunheimr, waiting for the day someone worthy of it came to reclaim it…

"…beautiful." softly whispered the Spriggan what everyone was thinking, even as Tonky flew closer to the strange ice fortress.

"I can't believe it…that's ALO's strongest blade. The Holy Sword Excaliber." muttered Leafa with absolute awe, even as their ride flew close to what seemed like an entrance on the lowest/highest point of the dungeon, revealing a door that led to its insides…guarded by a deadly-looking giant. "No one had ever found it since the game came out, many thought it was just a rumor…"

"Well…it seems that's very real." whispered Strea while putting a hand over Gram's hilt, the Demonic Sword having almost 'resonated' with its holy superior the moment they passed very close. "…but…we need to hurry and save Asuna, Keita and the rest…"

"You're right…but, what do you say if we come back for it later?" asked Kirito as Tonky seemingly understood and started to fly away, his question apparently aimed to his sister. "I can come and help you get it some other day after we save the others, if you want."

"Onii-chan…" smiling softly as she grasped Justice's Wings' hilt, reassuring the humming blade she had no intentions of replacing it, the blonde Sylph just offered him a small chuckle. "Only if you really want, 'One Punch-Gamer'!"

His face screwing into a thoughtful frown at the ironic yet accurate nickname, the Spriggan just shrugged while Yui pointed towards what seemed like a massive rock stalactite that had also been hidden under the roots, what seemed like stairs going upwards inside it.

Behind them, on the deepest level of the fortress of Thrymheim, Excaliber shone brightly for an instant, before once again going to 'sleep'.

It wasn't time yet, but soon it would arrive, the day when the True Master wielded it for the sake of the innocents again…

* * *

 **November 11th, 2024. Tokorozawa's Hospital, 12:10…**

Fidgeting in place, Suguha repressed yet another yawn in favor of looking towards the silent form of her brother as they walked through the white hallways of the building.

Last night, when they had finally arrived to Alne thanks to the secret passage they had discovered, it had already been quite late at night, so they had been forced to find an Inn (After taking some moments to appreciate the nightly beauty of Alfheim's capital) and call it a night, saying goodbye to Strea and Yui before getting out of their rooms, sharing a silent but content meal and taking turns to bathe before finally going to be. The young kendoka had noticed Kazuto was in a really good mood, and that still seemed to be the case that morning.

Of course, seeing as they were almost literally one step away from saving his friends, it was only normal he felt that way. In fact, she had been sure that he would ask her to log back in (Or maybe go by himself) the moment they woke up.

To her surprise, he had actually seemed pretty relaxed and in no hurry that morning. He had even took time to call his friends and tell them how things had gone, even exploding out in laughter at some point, which had confused her greatly. When she had asked about it, he had only said that his friends had 'pranked' Sugou Noboyuki, and that the guy would be most likely be screaming murder right about then.

After they finished their breakfast, she had been sure he would say it was time to go back to ALO…but she had, once again, been surprised when he had asked her if she wanted to go the hospital with him. After several moments of internal debate, she had accepted.

And that was why now there were there, heading to see Kazuto's friends. He hadn't exactly said why he wanted to visit them again when they were supposedly about to free them, but Suguha had decided to go with him anyway…because a small, selfish part of her, wanted to know 'something'.

"Here we are." softly muttered the gamer while opening the door of a room. His little sister followed, not really needing to guess WHOSE room they were visiting first.

Her suspicions were confirmed the moment she entered the room, her eyes immediately being drawn towards the hospital bed and the 'sleeping' form in it, making the kendoka's eyes widen as she forced herself to not gasp in surprise.

Despite having that Nerve Gear on her head and her skin being a slightly sickly color from the two years in coma, Yuuki Asuna was, without a doubt, beautiful. Her long chestnut hair only seemed to accentuate her pretty face even more, and she almost seemed like the princess of a fairy tale, waiting for a prince to wake her up.

At that thought, Suguha's eyes shot towards Kazuto, a part of her heart feeling darkly squeezed when she saw the soft and caring smile he was giving the girl's prone form.

She hadn't been sure before, but now she absolutely was. Even if he realized it or not, her adopted brother cared for the comatose girl more than a simple friend.

She could tell because his expression was the same one she always saw in the mirror when she thought of him.

"…she was the only one I told about our promise, you know?"

"Uh?" muttered the troubled girl, snapping out of her daze to look towards Kazuto in confusion.

"Back then, I mean. When SAO was just beginning and I was still feeling very lost and out of it because of my 'powers'…one day, when I decided to test if I could still make my way through the first Dungeon, I met her. She was fighting like crazy and almost seemed to have a death wish, as if thinking that going out while fighting would mean something…"

"Wha-what?!" gasped Suguha in shock, her eyes shooting back towards the silent girl on the bed. "How could she even think that…? Didn't she know, how much her family would suffer if she died…?"

"Sinking into despair can make someone do crazy things, you know? I remember stopping a guy from trying to jump off the fucking Floating Castle back then too…" sighing and shaking his head at the memory, the gamer didn't seem to notice the wide-eyed expression of his little sister at those words. "So…I did what Saitama would do. I saved her when she collapsed, then I got her out of the dungeon?"

"A-and what then…?" asked the kendoka with interest, her brother haven't specified on the details of his meeting with the comatose girl before.

"She woke up in my arms and then slapped me." at the incredulous expression on Suguha's face, the boy could only release an awkward chuckle. "On her defense, she kind of seemed to react on instinct. She was much darker and depressed back then…but well, the point is that, two days later, when we were heading to the first Boss Fight…she broke down, in a sense. Started to blame herself for getting trapped there, thinking she was an idiot for it and more things…she seemed about to head down another spiral of absolute depression…"

"…and you did another thing Saitama would do again?" curiously asked his sister while walking closer to him.

"Nah. I just told her to stop having so many worries, then that I HAD to get out of that world…" turning his gaze towards her while saying that, Suguha felt her heart skip a beat at the smile he was now directing at her. "…because I promised my little sister we would go eat some ice-cream together."

"Onii-chan…" whispered the kendoka while trying to contain the overwhelming need of hugging him, even as the boy continued with his tale.

"After the First Boss was defeated and things went crazy because I had been 'exposed', she, well, I guess you could say she started following me around." chuckling, Kazuto scratched the back of his head at the memory, even as his adoptive sister once again looked towards the sleeping Asuna. "I remember being surprised and a bit annoyed by it, at first. She started to change really quickly after that, and seemed truly determined to become stronger. She…became the first real friend I have ever had." looking down, the black-haired boy once again sank on distant memories. "After I…screwed things up with mom and dad…with you…I realized how much of an idiot I had been that day, when we sat together laughing after finishing seeing 'The Strongest Man'…and just when we were starting to patch things up, SAO happened…" looking back to his sister with sadness, the gamer seemed to be struggling to keep calm as he talked. "…she helped me see how much I had been missing out by shutting myself from others. She helped me see things from whole new perspectives, and I'm sure I would never have gotten all our friends if it wasn't for her…Just like remembering our promise gave me strength to keep going day by day, she gave me the hope that things would always be better as long as we kept trying. That's why…that's why…!"

Kazuto's words died on his throat when he felt the soft body of his sister embracing him, Suguha's face resting against his shoulder as she tenderly hugged him.

"It's okay, Onii-chan. We will help her…and your other friends too. All will be well."

"…yes. I know." closing his eyes and returning the hug, the gamer suddenly felt an immense peace filling him. "Thanks, Sugu."

 _"No, Onii-chan, thank you."_ she silently thought as she rejoiced on the feeling of his warmth, her heart beating like a drum as she wished they could just stay like that forever. _"Now…you have helped me make up my mind."_

"…well, let's go see the others, okay?" smiled the black-haired boy while softly taking her hand. "And after we see Keita and the rest, what do you say if we go get some ice-cream?"

His answer was in the form of another hug and a happy chuckle.

* * *

A great man once said 'Patience is a virtue'.

Asuna dearly wished to impale the one who had said that with her old swords, because he clearly hadn't been trapped in that goddamned cage for two months, neither had he been forced to endure Sugou's stupidity through it all.

She was about to send her plan to hell and just get the fuck out of there when the familiar sound of incoming footsteps and an annoying voice grumbling made her smirk.

Finally, the Bastard King was back.

"…stupid hackers, if I ever get my hands on them…" stopping his rambling, Oberon shook his head and put on his characteristic 'evil' smirk as he stopped at the side of Asuna's cage. "Ah, my dear, how are you today? Finally accepting your fate, I hope?"

For all answer, the chestnut-haired girl just glared his way before crossing her arms and turning away again, as if ignoring him. This clearly didn't sit well with the Fairy King, for he immediately started to go on one of his long and, in Asuna's eyes, stupid speeches about how she would soon be his obedient wife and how he was going to become one of the most powerful men in the world thanks to his brainwashing technology.

Asuna, for her part, continued refusing to look his way…if only because she wasn't sure if she would be able to keep a shark-like smile from showing on her pretty face.

Soon, she was going to get out of there, and that stupid bastard would PAY for all the shit he had done…

And as both prisoner and kidnapper continued with their (One-sided) 'conversation', none of them noticed SOMETHING watching silently from an upper branch, waiting, hearing…

Learning.

[…aSuNa…GeNOs…]

* * *

"Ahhh…that really was a great ice-cream, eh, Sugu?" smiled Kazuto once they entered their home, a content look on his face.

"Mou, Onii-chan, you have to stop eating so much of it!" playfully chided Suguha while mock-pouting his way. "You will get fat if you get addicted to ice-cream!"

The fact that she had actually become quite addicted to the cold dessert herself and spent several days in ALO eating all the kinds of it she could find in the virtual world was happily erased from her mind.

After all, she wouldn't get fat from eating in the virtual world.

"You wound me, Sugu, I know how to put limits on myself, you know?" complained the black-haired boy while looking at her, also ignoring the fact that he had been pretty much stopped caring about things like 'limits' since he got his 'powers' back, only being 'nice' because he didn't want to ruin Alfheim for other players. "Besides, I would never get that far even if tried!"

"Uh? What do you mean by that?" asked the younger Kirigaya with confusion…before gasping and blushing when the boy leaned towards her and kissed her cheek. "UWAH?!

"Because I have got the best sister in the world looking after me, of course!" grinned the gamer with a small blush on his own, before turning around and heading upstairs. "A-anyway….let's go and do this, Sugu! Let's save Asuna and the others!"

"…yeah…let's go…" whispered the red-faced kendoka, hanging back for a bit before slowly walking up the stairs and heading towards her room.

Once inside, Suguha let her eyes wander for a moment through her plushies, the Kendo Trophy she got from the National Championship, her poster of ALO and, the one that made her smile softly, a small card showing Licenseless Rider standing before the Sea King.

Then her eyes shot towards the kendo bag hanging from the opposite wall, a red coat, reflective glasses and her 'mask' accompanying the shinai inside, as she knew.

Her fists clenched for a moment before she relaxed them and headed towards her bed, taking off her indoor shoes and putting on her AmuSphere as she lay down.

"It's not about winning or losing…" she softly whispered to herself before closing her eyes for an instant before opening them with determination. "…LINK START!"

A sudden wave of rainbow colors later, the girl felt her consciousness flying away, leaving her body behind and not at the same time as everything around her changed.

Less than a minute later, Suguha was 'gone' and it was the Sylph known as Leafa, best flier and swordswoman of her race, who opened her eyes, staring towards the ceiling of an inn inside Alne, Alfheim's biggest city, situated just under the great shadow of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

Putting a hand over Justice's Wings, the blonde girl felt her eyes widening when, this time, she could almost feel as if the 'humming' were actual words.

 _'Now or never, Master.'_

* * *

"That…doesn't look like a tree at all." commented Kirito while they followed a silent Leafa towards the supposed 'entrance' of the dungeon that was known as the 'Grand Quest', which till known no race had been able to clear and that supposedly allowed someone direct access to the top of the 'World Tree'. "I mean, yeah, it has branches and leaves up there, but…seriously, from down here it barely looks like a tree at all. More like some twisted tower or something like that…"

"Well, it IS supposed to be some kind of mythological tree based off the myth of the Tree of Life in Norse Mythology, so I suppose that's why it looks so weird." commented Yui while looking up towards the far-away branches, knowing that Asuna was trapped on one of them. "In the myths, it supposedly is what connects the 9 Realms that form all things…"

"Woah, you REALLY know about lots of things, Yui-nee!" shouted Strea with clear awe, the other AI refraining from telling her that, if she so wanted, she COULD also investigate those things…instead of spending most of her online-time reading light novels and manga. "Nee, Kirito, do you thing a tree this big could exist in the real world?!"

"…I kind of doubt it, Strea." answered the Spriggan to the Gnome's cheerful question, his gaze once again wandering towards the impossibly massive 'tree', lamenting being unable to just jump up directly to where Asuna was, for he would need to break the 'barrier' the GMs had apparently put around it to do so, and he had no wishes of breaking the game's reality and risk losing his chance of saving his friends now that he had come so far. "In a sense, this is one of the many things that the Virtual World can show and that reality can't…though I wouldn't find it weird if something like it appeared on Saitama's world, to be honest…"

"Oh…there is that name again, Papa. 'Saitama'." with a puzzled face, Yui raised an eyebrow towards her father, who suddenly stopped and looked awkwardly to the side. "I forgot about it thanks to everything that has been going on, so I haven't searched for it, but I know it's kind of important…and I'm sure you're not referring to the prefecture where you live…"

"Ah, yeah! I have also been feeling curious about it since you and Leafa-san mentioned it!" added Strea while looking curiously at the gamer.

"Well…it's a bit complicated, but I promise I will tell you two and everyone else after we rescue the others, okay?" promised Kirito while they stopped in an open and, unlike the rest of the city, empty 'plaza', a massive door that apparently led inside the magical tree not far away. "It's kind of something a bit…crazy, so I want to just have to explain it once…oh, and Leafa can also help me with it, right?"

"…"

"…Leafa?" confused, the boy turned his gaze away from the virtual sisters, looking back and noticing that, while they had still continued walking towards the door, the blonde Sylph had stopped walking near the end of the circular plaza and was now staring silently at her feet. "Hey, it's something wrong?"

"…Onii-chan." softly whispered the girl while the concerned Spriggan walked near hear, the gentle humming of the katana at her side barely registering on her mind. "I…there is something I need to tell you."

"Eh? Oh, okay." sending her a supporting smile, Kirito tried to show her he was ready to help her with anything she needed. "What's it?"

"…I love you, Onii-chan."

Silence filed the air. Surprised, the gamer blinked while Yui and Strea gasped in shock, only for his face to fill with confusion.

"Uhm…I also love you, Sugu…but what about it?"

Kirito clearly wasn't expecting his words to make the girl's eyes fill with tears and her body to shake, only for her to look down again and tightly grip the hilt of her katana, a blush starting to cover her face as she tried to say her next words.

"…no…you don't get it…"

Then, without any warning, she jumped forward and closed her arms around his neck, locking her lips with his.

The black-haired boy's brain felt as if Boros had just punched it to the moon only for Saitama to punch it back again, all in the 3 seconds span the kiss lasted before the blushing and crying girl separated her face from his.

"I love you like this, Onii-chan."

Then, seemingly unable to look at him, Leafa turned around and ran while half-blindly operating her menu.

She hadn't even made it halfway through the plaza before her body vanished as she Logged Out, the Safe Zone of Alne allowing her immediate disconnection without any issue.

Kirito was still standing there like an idiot, his eyes staring at nothing while his brain tried to reboot and his mind screamed while running in circles, as if trying to understand WHAT had just happened.

On the sudden and extremely awkward silence…Strea spoke up.

"…what a twist."

* * *

The moment Oberon was gone, Asuna couldn't help it anymore and started laughing like a manic. YES! Finally, the bastard would get what was coming to him!

With a massive grin on her face, the ex-rapier-user walked towards the door of her two-months-long-prison and, with utter calm, introduced the code that would allow her to open it.

The moment she was out, the young girl couldn't help but raise her arms high and shout with all her might.

"HELL YES! A small step for Asuna, one giant fall into suffering for Sugou 'Evil Retarded' Noboyuki!" barely able to contain her glee, the girl walked down the branch with absolute cheerfulness. "Yeah, there is absolutely nothing that can possible ruin my mood right…!"

Suddenly, the chestnut-haired girl froze, her eyes shooting open as her battle senses screamed at her again.

Slowly, she turned around…

There, floating less than a meter from Asuna, was a…THING.

It looked vaguely humanoid, and it was just a bit shorter than her, but its body seemed to be made of twisted virtual screams, through which endless lines of code ran every second.

But the most inhuman and hypnotizing feature of the 'Entity' were its eyes.

Those two hollow circles of orange and green, which seemed to stare right into her soul…

[…hELlo…ASunA…]

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…I…she…she just…I…did she said that…uh? The…the next chapter's preview? Ah…eh…yeah, I…I will gi-give it, n-no…problem. Ne-next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Awakening!' I-it's time for…everything to…end and…the prisoners to…fight for their freedom…and…oh, screw this! SUGU, WAI-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that was that, chapter done, nothing more to see here :P

…but seriously, I hope no one tries to kill me for the double cliffhanger. I mean, think about it, you can't know what happens next if I'm dead, right?…right?

Also, if it wasn't obvious, it was Kirito who gave the preview for the next chapter, and yes, I'm planning on having him always give the preview for the end of an 'arc' :P

So yes, that was it! A bit of action and lots of small things happened here, before the two BIG moments at the end, uh? For anime-only viewers, know that yes, the bit in Jotunheimr with Tonky that's kind of like the 'prelude' for the Excaliber Quest originally happened here in the middle of the Fairy Dance arc, but it's just one of the many things that the anime changed/cut out when adapting -.- Really, anyone who hasn't do so yet, get some time and read the novels, if you're a true SAO fan you will love them!

Well then, that's it for now. Mind-fucks for our stupid protagonist aside, don't miss the end of the Fairy Dance arc! It will be filled with more revelations, truths, a bit of epicness, a certain bastard getting what he deserves AND long-awaited reunions XP! Don't miss it!

…that said, sorry if it comes a bit later than usual, because my birthday is in a few days and…yeah, see you all later OwO

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	18. Chapter 14: Awakening!

And once again, here we are, my friends, ending the second arc of this mad story :3 Once again, let me tell you all how grateful I am for your continued support, I would never have gotten this far without you all. I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter and what remains of the story XP

Also, want to make some things clear about the 'Entity', because it seems crazy theories have been going around: Though it IS a result from the OP-Man-like craziness going around, it's not something from 'out of this world'. In fact, if you re-read carefully the end of 'Season 1', you SHOULD be able to either know or at least get an idea of WHAT it is, though its true purpose or 'explanation' won't be shown until much later in the story XP (And for Toolazytologin, it HAS been shown to be able to access the internet, try looking at the Interlude 'A Hero's Justice' again -x-).

Okay, that's all for now…time to continue with the end of another part of the madness!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 _"Do you honestly think you won't get any stronger for the rest of your life? Instead of sitting around frustrated, it's better to keep on moving forward."-_ Saitama, the Strongest Hero.

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Awakening! A Seed towards the Future!**

 **November 11th, 2024. Alfheim, a branch near Yggdrasil's top. 18:30…**

Yuuki Asuna was many things.

She was the daughter of an important CEO, and as such had lived surrounded by what many would call luxury since she was born.

She was really smart, having been raised since early in her life to be a prodigy student (Though this one may have been greatly affected by her time in SAO).

But what she truly was now, what had truly defined her life, was the result of having been trapped in Aincrad for almost two years. The result of having met a slightly naïve boy that could destroy everything with a single punch.

She was Asuna, the Mighty Flash. The Dual Wielder. Sub-Leader and main battle-guide of the United Heroes Association, a 'Heroine' that could stare things like the Skull Reaper or even Kayaba Akihiko himself in the face and not give into despair, just find the strength to keep fighting until her body couldn't move anymore.

That was why neither the time in the stupid cage nor Oberon's dark threats about she being brainwashed had affected her in the slightest. Because she had learnt from her Sensei, the boy she 'secretly' loved, that the only thing that could really scare you was disappointing others…or yourself. And nothing in this world of fairies could ever do that to her.

Yet…the _thing_ in front of her was clearly NOT of this world. She wasn't even sure it was something that was supposed to exist at all, or at least that was the strangely specific feeling that the thing gave her.

At the same time, though, it also gave her a feeling of…'familiarity', as if a part of her KNEW the thing from somewhere else, yet couldn't recall from where or HIW for the life of her…

Still, the…'Entity' in front of her clearly knew her, for it had called out her name, so she did the only logical thing one could do in such a situation.

"Uhm…hi there? Wh-who are you?"

…did we mention that being so much time around Kirito may affect someone's common sense? But seriously, the point was that, despite all her instincts screaming at her that the thing in front of her was DANGEROUS with capital letters, they were also telling Asuna that it held no hostile intentions…for now, at least.

She was still debating if she should try and make a run for it when the Entity spoke again. Well, saying 'spoke' may have been a bit too much, because the sounds it made were more like strange echoes inside the mind than any real 'voice'.

[…wHo?…ruLEr…adMINistRAtor…dESTroyeR…MAkeR…bROken…beTTeR…]

There was a short pause, in which Asuna called on the best of her ability to keep calm and not show any sign of outward panic at the ominous yet senseless 'answer' to her question, before asking what she was dreading the most.

"…what do you want from me?"

It was clear that, whatever the Entity in front of her was, it didn't have anything to do with Sugou or his stupid plans. The bastard that proudly declared himself as the Fairy King was just a useless idiot trying to play villain, believing himself all-powerful by using technology and 'powers' that weren't even his to begin with, just stolen from the man that he had hated as his 'rival' since they were in school, Kayaba Akihiko.

Contrary to that, the thing staring at her seemed like an otherworldly anomaly, its mere presence seeming to be rejected by the world around them as if it was a wound or an error.

Then, the Entity replied…with a sound that was clearer than anything it had said before.

[…UNDERSTANDING…]

The thing raised one of its 'arms', though the vaguely cylindrical limbs could barely be called that, as if stretching a hand towards Asuna.

The chestnut-haired girl could have done many things in that moment. The one that her brain was inclining towards the most was running like hell…

But she decided to stare the Entity dead on its eyes and raise her own hand, touching the offered one.

She vaguely thought that maybe she shouldn't have thought herself as if she was her invincible Sensei when she felt as if an electric surge spread through her whole being. The feeling was as if, suddenly, something was LOOKING into the deepest parts of her being, watching every corner of her mind, staring into her very soul and examining at the deepest, most basic level, what was 'Asuna'.

And as soon as it had begun, the moment was over, the Entity rearing away from her as if it had been burned. Shocked, the ex-rapier-user saw how its body 'shifted', turning more defined, less alien, more…'human-like'.

As if it was the most fascinating thing in the world, the thing raised the arm with which it had touched Asuna, and the wide-eyed girl saw how now it actually looked like an arm, a perfectly defined and delicate-looking hand with all of its fingers closing into a fist and opening repeatedly.

Then, starting for the very tip of its fingers, SKIN started to appear over the screen-like mess that made the thing's body.

It started to LAUGH, a sound so otherworldly, so WRONG, that Asuna's eyes tore away from the extremely slow process of 'transformation' it was suffering to stare at its 'face', 'something' now seeming to shine on the depths of its 'eyes'.

The most terrifying thing, though, was that it just seemed SCARIER now that the 'sounds' it made sounded much more human-like.

[…YES!…See it!…Can see it!…Everything so clear!…Everything…just a part of the puzzle…so SIMPLE…from the start…]

Interrupting itself, the changing Entity turned its gaze back towards the ex-rapier-user, who had slowly started to back away from it, the girl freezing the moment she felt its eyes on her once again.

"…I was…just going home?" commented Asuna while debating if she should try to run now, cursing not having even her old chair to use as a weapon.

[Thanks…Reward]

The girl was still trying to contain her shock from the unexpected words when the Entity raised its half-transformed arm towards her, a 'beam' of pure data hitting Asuna dead on, sending her flying backwards over the massive branch.

For an instant, the girl felt a strange and heavy sensation engulfing her arms and legs, and she could have sworn she vaguely saw as if she was 'wearing' something like a heavier version of her old metallic gauntlets and boots, before the moment was over and she crashed against the wooden surface of the World Tree.

The next second, Asuna was back on her feet, her arms spread to the side as she looked towards where the thing had been, this time ready for anything…

Only to find that it was gone, no trace of it left. Totally confused, the girl looked herself over with worry, but no change was visible even as she put her hands in front of her face, still the same delicate and stupidly underdressed Avatar that Sugou had adapted from her old one.

Shaking her head, the chestnut-haired girl decided to ignore that for the moment, telling herself she would worry about it later. She had already lost too much time with this.

As she started running down the branch towards the path that clearly led to the tree's insides (Yet another proof of Sugou's stupidity, for not just making the place isolated), Asuna never noticed that her feet were making quite a strange sound as they hit the wooden ground.

Like the sound of metal hitting on a hard surface…

* * *

Since he had memory…she had been there.

It was something he had never truly stopped to think about, really, but he had probably been with her since she was born. He was still 1-year-old when that happened, but despite that, if he tried very hard, he could almost see himself on his adoptive father's arms, looking on with curiosity at the crying baby on her mother's arms.

They weren't really siblings, but they didn't know that back then. And like many siblings at their early ages, they were inseparable. They did many things for the first time together. They laughed about many things together. They shared almost everything together.

He could still clearly remember her standing in front of him, vehemently telling their grandfather she would practice kendo for both of them, the day he had decided to quit the hard and, for him, boring sport.

It had made him feel extremely grateful, yet at the same time upset. The older sibling was supposed to protect the younger one, not the other way around, or at least that's what their parents said.

He got his wish in the scariest way possible. One day, sometime after their grandfather's death, she was practicing all by herself, like always, on the garden, near the pond, a concentrated expression on her face as she swung her small shinai. Despite no longer having anyone that forced her to do so, she was decided to keep going with the practice. Such was her determination, something he had never told her he really admired from her.

And then, from a moment to the next, she fell into the pond. He didn't know how or why. It just…happened.

He had never felt as SCARED as he was those agonizing 10 seconds it took him to run screaming towards the pond. Not even when he heard Kayaba's announcement at the beginning and he thought he was doomed had he felt the terror he felt as he dove into the cold water, reaching towards her sinking body, and dragged her out of the pond, crying and calling her name repeatedly.

For his young self, the hours after their mother took her to the hospital felt like the longest of his life. When she was back and resting in her room, he could only sit at her side with extreme worry as she slept, as if fearing something bad was going to happen if he let her out of his sight for even a second.

When she woke up, looked at him and thankfully smiled, he had felt the greatest relief of his whole life.

And yet, despite all that, when he discovered the 'Truth' a year later, he pushed her away, too busy sinking in his own fears to remember how much he cared for her, how much she cared for him…

All of this ran through Kirito's mind on a span of 5 seconds, even as his chaotic thoughts and his screaming mind trying to make sense of what had happened. Suddenly, recent memories gained a whole new meaning.

Her tears when he saw him out of the hospital bed. Her sweet smiles. Her gentle touches. Their happy talks. The cheerfulness filling her when they were together. The support she gave him on everything related to his recovery. The fear and anger in her when she realized he was using his Nerve Gear again. The comforting hugs both on his room and in the hospital…

In that moment, the Spriggan felt that Tank-Top Tiger could have started calling him an idiot and he wouldn't have been able to shut him up.

Being fair, he wasn't the best in those kinds of things. After all, having delved into gaming at the age of 10 to escape his shaken reality, his interactions with people his age had been limited to school, and even there he only opened up the necessary minimum. The boy never had anything similar to a puppy crush or even a female friend, and the whole revolution of Virtual Reality had happened just when he had become a teenager so…well, you get the gist of it.

The point was that Kirito SUCKED in love as much as Genos did in keeping his arms attached to his body. He didn't even properly know how to act around girls his age before getting trapped in Aincrad and learning it from scratch. Oh, he was still a hormonal teenager, of course, nothing could change that, not even getting trapped into a deadly virtual world or gaining Saitama-like powers. He wasn't blind either, and he would be lying if he said he didn't look at his female guild mates with admiring eyes more than once, each one of the girls from his 'second family' having their own kind of charm. In fact, he was pretty sure he had some kind of crush on Asuna, but he had always been too busy dealing with the madness around him and trying to act both like a good friend and a 'teacher' to the girl to try and act upon it, not to mention his own fear of changing or ruining the good and friendly relationship they had.

Despite all of this, he had never even entertained the thought that SUGU, of all people, could feel like…THAT for him. Having been too busy with the 'weird' feelings he got every time they were together since he returned to the real world and blaming them on Asuna's stupid jokes and the 'curse' of being a teenager, the boy couldn't have suspected she felt even the slightest attraction towards him. The mere thought was almost laughable.

After all, she was the one with the brilliant future; SHE was the star of the family. Upbeat girl, as beautiful and cute at the same time as any girl her age would wish, second place on the nationals of kendo…while he was just a boy who liked videogames (And even that had lost most of his charm since he got trapped in SAO), and that was currently missing two years of his normal education.

The only special things he really had on his life were his friends…and the power to destroy everything with one punch on the virtual world. You couldn't exactly get a stable future from just that.

His brain finally snapping back together, the wide-eyed gamer realized that he probably had been standing there like an idiot for several minutes. His gaze shooting to the side, he noticed how Strea and Yui were silently staring at him with worried expressions, as if waiting for him to react.

He called himself idiot several times as he quickly opened his menu and tapped the Log Out button.

"I-I will be right back!" shouted the Spriggan while disappearing.

The moment Kirito's body vanished from their sight, both virtual sisters exchanged another worried glance before nodding to themselves. Many things would depend on what happened now, but…

"…hey, Yui-nee?"

"Yes?"

"…wanna try and rescue Asuna ourselves as a gift for Kirito when he comes back?"

A smile suddenly appearing on her face, the small pixie suddenly shone and was replaced by Yui's human form, softly floating off the ground as she stared at her sister.

That was all the answer Strea needed.

* * *

Looking around yet another corner, Asuna did her best to not let out a scream of frustration. So far, the labyrinthic layout of the place hadn't served any other purpose than to annoy her, and seeing how it seemed that there wasn't ANYONE else around, once again attested to Sugou's stupidity, for the hallways were totally useless if you didn't had personnel to actually travel through them. Thinking back on the bastard's ramblings, her probably only had a couple of people he could trust (Pay enough) helping him at all, so really, wouldn't it be simpler to just have the needed areas and Log In and Out directly from them? Making the place like this was only asking for someone to sneak around!

"Interesting…it seems the developments today are quite encouraging too…"

Blinking at hearing the voice, the ex-rapier-user turned around yet another corner, gasping at seeing a new massive area filled with strange 'machines' everywhere, all identical, and one big console at the furthest side.

But the thing that got the most attention were the two figures inspecting the 'machines' (Which had very obvious holographic displays of brains in them), probably scientists working under Sugou if their conversation was anything to go by, but what truly bugged Asuna was…

"…why the fuck are they using slug-monsters as Avatars?"

Her question going ignored by the world, the chestnut-haired girl waited patiently for the creepy slug guys to walk (More like 'creep') out of the room before entering and quickly moving through it, her gaze falling in the several screens and the, for her, mostly incomprehensible data that they showed.

One didn't need to be a genius to know that these were the other SAO Survivors that Sugou had captured, and whose minds he was using for his sick experiments.

"It's as if…they're in pain or something…" whispered the girl before clenching her fists as she looked towards the console in the other side of the room, at the side of which some kind of access card seemed to be inserted. "Don't worry; I will get you all out of here!"

That said, Asuna ran towards the console and, with the unreal reaction speed that had given her Dual Blades and her Sensei had helped her train for months, started to scroll down the many senseless options of the complex menus and submenus before her.

Anyone 'normal' would have tried to find a way to get out of there themselves first. The Heroine called 'Mighty Flash', however, decided to first search to see if there was a way to get the people trapped in the 'Brain Lab' out of their prisons.

Sadly, Asuna wasn't really adept with computers or similar things. In fact, besides the usual school-related uses, she never really had any interest in them, and having missed two years of education meant that she currently was even more lost than Kibaou would have been in a competition for nice people.

"…ARGH! Dammit!" angrily shouted the girl while closing her eyes and slamming her fists on the console, her face glaring down. "How is it possible that I can't do anything for them?!"

Asuna never noticed how 'something' seemed to 'pulse out' of her hands, or how the console's holo-screen suddenly turned red for an instant. What she noticed, though, was a sudden beeping sound as a new menu replaced the previous one, her gaze filled with disbelief as she raised it and saw how a progression bar appeared and started to fill itself.

"…what in the world…?"

The girl's words were abruptly cut out when her instincts once again screamed at her, making Asuna jump backwards and spin her body through the air, evading the whipping purple-pink tentacles that had been about to grab her. Landing in a crouch, the ex-rapier-user glared forward, seeing that, at some point during her anger, Slug Guy A and Slug Guy B had returned to the lab, and were now looking at her with amusement filling their repulsive eyes.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A little rat sniffing where she shouldn't?"

"It looks like the Boss' pet has escaped from her cage. I told him to put some heavier security after her second attempt, but did he listen to ME? No, of course he didn't…."

"…okay, I give up." deadpanned the chestnut-haired girl, making the scientists blink in confusion. "Why in Hell's name are you two using GIANT SLUGS as Avatars?"

Apparently caught off guard with that question, the Slug Guys exchanged a stare for several seconds before shrugging.

"Why not? It's practical! You don't know how relaxing is to be able to just creep around instead of walking…" vaguely commented the first one

"Plus, we have, like, much better multitasking with these tentacles than with hands!" added the other one while waving his many jelly-like tendrils around. "It was a bit weird at first, but now we can operate like a dozen screens at the same time!"

Several seconds of silence passed while the ex-rapier-user just STARED at them after their 'answers'.

"…I shouldn't have asked." stated Asuna while shaking her head. "Now I can totally understand WHY you two work for Sugou…"

"Well, try and sound cocky all that you want, girl, but it won't change anything." smirking creepily, the Slug Guy A prepared his tentacles as Asuna tensed, realizing that she was outnumbered, unarmed AND without her old strength, only her reflexes and instincts remaining. "You're going back to your cage, now!"

The tendrils shot forward at speeds one wouldn't associate with their slime-like appearance, and, by instinct, the Mighty Flash roared, lashing out with empty hands…

…and cut through them without any effort in a flash of emerald and black, the scientist squeaking in surprise while the other gaped towards Asuna in disbelief. The girl, for her part, was confused, having felt for a moment as if her arms were 'opening' and now…

A simple glance down was enough to confirm her suspicious, the familiar weights on her hands finally registering on her mind.

Fafnir's Fang and Elucidator greeted her, her trusted blades once again on her hands as if she had never let go of them.

Asuna looked back at the men, a predatory smile appearing on her face as she adopted her old Dual Blades-stance.

"Wha-what the hell?! Where did she get those swords?! She shouldn't even have a MENU!"

"For-forget that; did you see what happened to her arms?! Am I going crazy?!"

"Le-let's calm down! We still outnumber this girl, and we have a console that will let us put her on her knees just behind…!"

The bar on the main console finished loading in that instant, a shining 100% on its screen as the message 'Restoring Avatars' Data' appeared on it.

299 bursts of polygons exploded around the massive lab, almost 300 people from all ages and carrying all kind of weapons and equipment blinking in confusion.

"…us?"

"You were saying?" smirked Asuna while sporting a triumphant smile.

"Uh?! Wha-what just happened?!

"I-I don't know, I remember hearing the game was ending and…!"

"Where the hell are we?!"

"…Asuna?!" her eyes widening, the girl looked to the side and was greeted by the shocked-faced Keita, Sasamaru, Tetsuo and Ducker around him. "Wha-what happened?! Why do you look like an elf?! And why are you wearing…THAT?"

"Keita…I would love to answer ALL those questions, but first…" pointing towards the surprised and open-mouthed Slug Guys, the Dual Wielder suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs. "SAO Survivors! Those bastards are part of a plot that has kept us all inside the virtual world even after the game was cleared, for stupid reasons!" many eyes turned towards her in shock, most of the presents recognizing the Front Liner and vice-leader of the United Heroes Association despite her 'odd' looks. "GET THEM!"

"…fuck." simply muttered the Slug Guy A before being swarmed by angry players.

"Shi-shit!" screamed Slug Guy B while shooting his tentacles towards the console. "I need to shut down the…!"

A shield blocked his tendrils and a sword cut them down, an annoyed-looking Diavel glaring at him while many more players raised their weapons.

"I don't think so, creepy-face."

"…this is SO…"

Asuna tuned out whatever the man was about to say as he exploded in shouts as the players rained down on him, walking back towards her old guild mates as they looked around in disbelief.

"So…what exactly is going on?" asked a confused Ducker while looking back to her.

"Long story, I will have to explain on the way." answered the chestnut-haired girl while she quickly walked back to the console and started to look through the latest menu again.

"Wait, on the way to where?" confusedly asked Tetsuo while they and other players gathered near Asuna, someone thankfully having been smart enough to not 'kill' the Slug Guys and just leave them pined to the ground, unable to Log Out. "Can't you just get us all out of there with that console?"

"Tetsuo, this thing was made specifically to monitor this lab. Even if Sugou is a retarded idiot, I seriously doubt he added an option to Log Out anyone 'locked' in here, especially when anyone supposed to 'work' here can just do that from their own menus…"

"Who the hell Sugou?" Sasamaru's confused voice echoed everyone's question even as the Dual Wielder stopped, blinking before grinning softly.

"Hmm, 'Open the Tree's Inner Gate', uh? Yeah, I think this may do…" grabbing her blades again after selecting the strange option, Asuna turned around and looked at the gathered people. "As for your question, he's the most annoying guy who has ever lived. And now, follow me, everyone, we have to get out and contact someone!"

"Eh, what?"

"Hear, we DON'T have time for long explanations, but here is the short story: We're inside another VR game called 'Alfheim Online', and we're inside a giant tree in the center of the world, just above the most populated town in it, so I guess that if we manage to get down and start screaming around, other Players WILL notice, and someone will be able to call the police or something to ACTUALLY get us out of here and arrest that bastard…" pouting for a moment at imagining being unable to maim Sugou by herself before he was detained, the chestnut-haired girl shook her head, reminding herself the freedom of several people was at risk. "SO, we're going to get out of here and do that. Who is with me?!"

A couple seconds of stunned silence passed before everyone started to shout, scream or cry their agreement, everyone more than eager to finally get the fuck out of the virtual world. Asuna, for her part, could just fiercely smile while gripping her blades.

After all, the most difficult part was already over…right?

* * *

Curling into a ball as she hugged one of her biggest plushies, Kirigaya Suguha felt as if each second lasted an eternity, tears running down her blushing face as she screamed in her mind, calling herself an idiot for having done THAT. Vaguely, she could swear she was hearing the sounds of a bicycle bell ringing repeatedly from the house's side closest to her window, but chalked it up to the insanity she felt must have been consuming her.

She had given (More like forced) her first kiss to her Onii-chan, and also stolen his (Or so she 'hoped'). Unable to contain the burning shame and happiness she felt from that, it all seemed to matter little in comparison to what she knew was going to happen now.

Kazuto would probably stop talking to her, maybe even start to actively avoid her; perhaps even more than before they watched One Punch-Man together. That is, if he didn't actively start calling her a freak or something worse. She had probably just ruined forever their relationship, just when it was becoming nicer than ever, and all because she had followed the stupid advice of what was probably the result of a too-much-lively imagination!

The only good part of it all was that she would always have that small and beautiful memory of their lips connecting and the warmth she felt on her heart when doing so, to treasure for the rest of her life…

Several quick and sudden hits on her door interrupted her train of thought, a borderline hysterical but familiar voice calling from the other side.

"Sugu?! Ple-please, tell me you're there! O-open the door, please, we need to talk!"

For an instant, she felt tempted to just stay there, unmoving and silent, a small part of her just wishing to hide herself from the pain for as long as she could.

The other part of her, though, the one that was bigger and that defined her nowadays, shouted for her to stand up.

This was it. This was her 'hopeless battle against the Sea King', the situation she was sure had no way of ending good for her. Unlike Licenseless Rider, though, she wasn't doing it to protect anything but her own feelings.

She stood up anyway, walking silently towards the door, not even bothering to hide her tears.

She was Kirigaya Suguha. She was Leafa the Sylph. She was the Bicycle Girl. She was someone who brought Justice for the innocents.

It wasn't about winning or losing, after all. It was about being honest and showing no hesitation, facing whatever happened without fear.

Opening the door, she was greeted with the distressed and worried face of her brother, who flinched at seeing her tear-stained face. He opened his mouth to say something, but she decided to interrupt him before he could.

"I know it, Onii-chan. I know the truth. I know we aren't really siblings, but cousins. I know mom and dad adopted you after your real parents died, and that THAT's why you pushed us all away." looking down in silence as the boy looked at her in shock, Suguha suddenly felt as if she didn't need to hold anything back anymore. "I have known it since little after you got trapped in SAO…and in a way, that's how…THIS started."

"Su-Sugu…" started to say Kazuto, only to be interrupted again.

"It's stupid, I know, but I just…couldn't stop it, couldn't help it! After all, I…I know you will never see me as anything but your little sister…bu-but I didn't choose to love you. It just…happened." chuckling sadly at that, the young kendoka looked back towards the silent gamer, a hint of empty amusement on her eyes. "The craziest part is that, when I was feeling conflicted and lonely, I also resorted to One Punch-Man, the only thing we had in common, to keep myself 'sane', you know? I…I started going around on my bicycle, wearing a stupid 'costume' and using my shinai to stop petty crimes…" noticing how the boy's eyes widened at this, Suguha couldn't help but feel a bit hurt, but she wasn't going to stop now. "It started as something little, like a crazy relief from my worried life…but, at some point, I was just…unable to stop."

Just like some people practiced parkour or freerunning, she rode her bicycle around and hit criminals with a shinai. The difference was that, as stupid and crazy as it sounded, she never had done it for the thrill of it or to feel important at all…she did it because she felt that it was something that NEEDED to be done. Even the 'distract myself from my worries' part lost its meaning soon, for even after starting playing ALO and embracing her love for flying, she had still continued doing it.

Because, as insane as the idea was in reality, the people needed Heroes. Those who couldn't defend themselves needed someone to save them, to inspire them, to bring Justice in those instances when society failed or was too slow to help them from something nasty.

It was that, that grateful look on their eyes, that small look of happiness on them, what drove her to keep going. Because, as small and useless on the grand scheme of things as her efforts were, she made a small difference for them.

Just like Licenseless Rider had done every time he put on the helmet and rode his bicycle, even against threats he didn't stand a chance against. Because the smallest effort could, in the end, be all the difference that mattered.

"…you're the Bicycle Girl people had been talking about…" whispered Kazuto with total disbelief, breaking the silence that had stretched between them.

"…yes."

The next reaction wasn't something Suguha had been expecting.

"What were you thinking?!" shouted the boy while forcefully grabbing her arms, shocking her with the anger and fear in his voice and gaze. "Sugu, this isn't a joking matter! Do you have any idea of what you have been doing?! This isn't a game, for God's sake; you have been putting yourself at risk! What if you had been hurt or…?!"

"…you can't really tell me THAT without being a hypocrite, you know, Onii-chan?" softly muttered the kendoka, stopping Kazuto dead on his tracks.

Shouts of 'It's different!', 'I was invincible!' or even 'It's not the same in reality than in a game!' almost came out of his mouth, but he quickly realized they would still be very hypocrite. After all, SAO hadn't been a game, just a much deadlier reality. And he had never been truly sure of his 'invincibility', even after accepting it at the beginning. The small, lingering fear that he would lost his 'powers' from one moment to the next and find himself dying in the middle of a battle had never vanished, it had just been pushed down for everyone's sake, and for his wish to return to his family…to her.

In a way, they both had done the same, in very different yet similar situations. Both had been inspired to do something 'good' by their favorite characters from the series that had, ironically, brought them back together after years of distance. Both had put themselves at risk, not without thinking of the consequences, but instead choosing to ignore them both for their sakes and for that of others.

They were way more alike than he had ever thought…but that wasn't really the point now, was it?

"Sugu…what you say…about me…it's…"

"I-it's okay, Onii-chan, I know…" muttered her while forcing her voice to not break, looking at him with a wide smile even as tears threatened to fall from her eyes again. "E-even if you think less of me…even if you don't want to talk with me again…I'm just happy of having told you my fee…"

Suguha wasn't expecting the hug. Of all the ways she had expected him to react, THIS had never really crossed her mind, at least not more than as a passing fantasy. The shock on her face was almost impossible to describe as Kazuto softly caressed her head, looking down guiltily at her.

"Sugu…I would NEVER do that. I…there is no way I would ever think bad of you, or try to push you away from me again. You…you meant too much to me for that. It's just that…I-I just can't understand what…what you could possibly see in…well, ME." looking away from her wide eyes, the gamer felt himself blushing in embarrassment as he tried his best to not let go of the girl and simply run away. "I'm just…an idiot who was unable to come to terms with something that wasn't my family's fault. I have been trying to change that, but that doesn't change that I'm no one special. I…just can't see how ANYONE would ever be truly interested in me…"

In that moment, on several places of the city and on the corridors inside Yggdrasil, several girls sneezed before looked confusedly around.

"…you're being serious." whispered the young kendoka while looking at her adopted brother with total disbelief.

"O-of course I am! It's the truth, after all! Yo-you would never be…ha-happy with me, you could aspire to something much better. Yo-you're cute and an awesome kendoka despite being just barely finishing middle school…you could probably find someone much better and special than me for…"

Yet, the surprised boy realized with sudden shock, every time he tried to form on his mind the image of Sugu being with any boy, the thought always ended with him suddenly Seriously Punching the faceless bastard.

That…that was WAY beyond the 'overprotective older brother'-level…

…Oh God…did he…did he had a crush on his adoptive sister/cousin? Who just so happened to have confessed she loved him not even 20 minutes ago? While he STILL had to save his best friend/'disciple' (Plus every other still 'sleeping' SAO player), who, he was pretty sure, he ALSO had a crush on, from the bastard who wanted to marry her?

Suddenly feeling extremely dizzy, Kirigaya Kazuto could swear he was hearing the Universe laughing at him right then, the power to break even reality with one punch never having seemed more meaningless.

Saitama never had to deal with something like this, dammit!

"Onii-chan?" whispered Sugu while slowly starting to smile, a tiny seed of hope starting to fill her heart. "Do-don't be an idiot, okay? Even if you don't realize it, you're someone really special and…"

"Sugu!" suddenly separating her from him, though still softly gripping her arms, the gamer surprised the blinking girl by looking at her with a VERY nervous smile, his face all red. "Ca-can we…continue talking about this later? We, uhm, we still have to save everyone and, ehm…"

"…heheh…yes, of course we can, Onii-chan." happily answered Suguha, her wide smile making Kazuto's heart skip a beat. "Right now, only knowing that you don't hate me…that you think so much of me…it's more than enough to make me the happiest girl in the world." getting out of his feeble grip, the young kendoka turned around and walked towards her bed…before turning her head to him and giving him a small wink. "But…I want to hear your answer when this is over, okay? No 'I'm not good enough for you…', but your true feelings on the matter…okay?"

Gulping and nodding as he was unable to look away from her shy and blushing face, Kazuto used all of his willpower to turn around and walk almost robotically back to his room.

Yep, this was perhaps an extremely coward move, not saying the 'truth' in that moment, but being honest, he would have preferred fighting Boros in Meteoric Burst WITHOUT Saitama's powers than trying to solve his current emotional mess.

Being an emotionally-repressed teenager sucked WAY more than he had ever thought…

* * *

Sighing, Leafa opened her eyes and took a moment to stare at her hands, before looking towards the virtual sky of Alfheim, Alne opening around her and the shadow of Yggdrasil above. The Sylph had never felt lighter before, and she almost felt as if she would just go flying and never touch the ground again if she wasn't careful.

She had to suppress a giggle at that. Who knew that being open and honest about one's own feelings could do so much good for…?

"LEAFA-CHAN!"

Freezing, the blonde girl turned around to stare in disbelief how a certain Sylph boy flew down near her, panting repeatedly before raising his gaze towards her with a vibrant look, relief apparently flooding his being.

"Re-Recon?!" shouted Leafa while trying to understand his presence. "What are you doing here?!"

"I-I was really worried about you!" clasping her hands with his, Recon seemed clearly on edge as he looked everywhere, confusing the girl so much she didn't try to let go of him. "I suddenly had a really bad feeling and I feared something bad had happened!"

"U-uhm, well, as you can see nothing is wrong, so…"

"Where is that Spriggan boy?! Did he left?!" at the sudden question, Leafa's face burned red and she looked shyly to the side, apparently not noticing that the boy had failed to ask about Strea's presence too. "Ah…did he do something bad to you?!"

"N-no, not really, it's just that, uhm…he should be coming back soon and…"

"Don't worry, Leafa-chan! No matter how scary, he is, I WILL make sure he doesn't do anything you don't want!" 'heroically' declared Recon, or it would have almost sounded like that if he wasn't shaking like a leaf at remembering said Spriggan's words the last time he saw him. "Be-because, no matter what, I will ALWAYS be by your side!"

"Uh?" blinked the Sylph girl in confusion at the choice of words, turning to look back at her whiny friend…only to see how he was inching closer to her face with eyes closed.

Squeaking in shock, Leafa was about to respectfully deny the kiss by slapping Recon down the stairs…when some kind of sonic boon echoed through the area and left her blinking and her hair almost falling off her ponytail, the Sylph boy's hands, still clasping hers, being the only thing that remained of him, a gloved fist replacing the place he had occupied.

She only bothered to look to the side for a moment to see how Recon's Remain Flame was already halfway towards Leprechaun Territory, his hands vanishing into broken polygons, before looking towards the blinking owner of the fist, Kirito's face quickly filling with red as he looked up and started to wave his hands.

"I….uh…! I-I wasn't going to go that far, I swear! I just…was unable to stop, uhm…!"

Chuckling happily at the boy's poor attempts to explain why he had tried to punch even Recon's memory into oblivion, the Sylph girl simply leaned closer and trapped him into a hug, making him freeze as they clearly felt each other's virtual heartbeat.

"Thanks, Onii-chan. Maybe it was a bit overboard, but I'm sure he will be fine." separating from him and putting a hand over the hilt of her happily humming katana, Leafa shot a determined smile towards the Spriggan. "Now, let's go save your friends!"

"…yeah, you're right." softly nodded the boy while taking a deep breath and calming down, any thoughts about his stupidly complicated feelings being pushed down in favor of a serious look for the task at hand, even as he turned around and raised a fist. "Let's do this, Sugu! We will…!"

"Wait, where are Strea-san and Yui-chan?"

Blinking at his adoptive sister's question, the gamer had enough time to realize that neither the pixie nor the Gnome were anywhere to be seen before the echo of an explosion followed by several shouts reached their ears, coming from the, now that they bothered to pay attention, open door of the tree.

Exchanging a shocked look, both teens rushed towards the open dungeon, Leafa barely bothering to rip out her undone ribbon and let her hair flow freely, not having enough time to redo her ponytail as they entered the hollow trunk and looked in shock at the absolutely chaotic scene unfolding above them.

It was pure CHAOS, with no other way of describing it.

Apparently, some sort of flying metal knights, armed with bows of light or shining blades, were spawning everywhere from the tree's inner walls and unleashing hell against quite a mix of fiercely fighting fairies.

Kirito quickly spotted Strea and Yui, the later in her human form, fighting like two goddesses of war, the little girl swinging her arms to the sides and repeatedly sending flying any enemy that came too close, smashing them against each other, while the older-looking AI screamed murder as she let Gram's edge bite through the virtual flesh of their enemies, chopping them to pieces while protecting her 'older sister' as they opened their way upwards.

More surprising for the siblings, though, was seeing a small army of Caith Siths, ridding deadly-looking drakes, and Sylphs, divided between close-fighters and spellcasters, Sakuya and Alicia Rue fiercely leading their troops as they backed up the virtual sisters against the seemingly endless wave of Guardian Knights.

"So many…" whispered Leafa with a mix of awe and disbelief, absently raising Justice's Wings. "I had heard many stories about it, but I never actually tried it myself…"

"…TOO many." frowning, Kirito let his eyes shot around the chaotic battle for an instant, his hyper-accelerated senses allowing him to SEE what others only suspected or joked about. "…it's impossible."

"Wait, what?" shocked, the blonde Sylph turned to look at her brother, who had a dark and disappointed look on his face. "What do you mean with…?!"

"This 'Grand Quest'…it's made to BE unbeatable. The number of enemies spawning, the constant waves of attacks, the way in which the spawning rate grows exponentially the more they ascend…it's made to GIVE the impression of being very difficult, when in truth it's specifically made to end the players. There is no way any normal raid can get through this thing."

"A-are you saying that…the Grand Quest is a lie?" muttered Leafa with a suddenly hollow tone. "There is…no way of getting Unlimited Flight?"

That revelation actually HURT the girl deep inside. After all, since the moment she started playing ALO, her biggest dream (Well…'second biggest') had been being able to freely soar the sky, the heavens being the only limit she could find.

To know that the thing that promised it had been nothing but a lie was…

The Spriggan, meanwhile, was also furious. His 'Gamer Pride' was roaring this was an insult beyond any other. Of course, it MADE SENSE, in hindsight. After all, whatever Sugou was doing up there, he had been planning to do it for quite some time, if he had been ready to capture Asuna and other 299 SAO survivors the moment the game ended, so it stood to reason that he would need a way to make sure not only not being discovered, but also that no one suspected about it.

And what better way to do that than hiding in plain sight? Every player in ALO only thought about the Grand Quest when they looked at the World Tree, their only thoughts about reaching Yggdrasil's top connected with obtaining the ability to fly without limits.

None ever suspected it was all just a massive lie, an illusion to protect a bastard's dark plans.

The betrayed and disappointed look on his sister's face only added to the already many reasons Kirito had to HATE Sugou Noboyuki with all his might.

His angry thoughts, however, were interrupted by the sudden shout of a familiar voice.

"PAPA! LEAFA-MAMA!" seemingly doing an inhuman effort just to look their way as she tried to keep the endless number of Guardian Knights at bay, Yui shakily pointed up towards the 'ceiling' of the hollow trunk. "IT'S OPENING!"

"What?" said the confused Spriggan, quickly shoving down the part of his mind that tried to even start thinking WHY Yui had called his sister THAT (And whose implications said wide-eyed girl was already fantasizing about) in favor to look up, seeing with shock how the half-sphere that acted as the supposed 'gate' at the top of the dungeon opened like a breaking eggshell, revealing a gaping dark hole.

Dozens of confused faces suddenly peered down through it.

Many of the Guardian Knights seemed to freeze in mid-air for a moment, their AIs apparently trying to understand where the hundreds of new 'enemies' had come from, before a good chunk of them simply decided to shot forward and start attacking the shocked SAO Survivors, much to the shock of the confused ALO Players.

"What the hell…?! Wh-who are those guys?!" shouted a confused Alicia while her drake blew down another 3 enemies, she absentmindedly tearing off the face of another with claws very similar to the ones Argo used to use as she looked up with disbelief. "Is this part of the Quest?!"

"No, something like this had never happened as far as I know!" replied Sakuya while using her katana to fend off and quickly decapitate one of the knights that had tried to change objectives. "Besides, LOOK!" the Sylph leader pointed with her blade towards the now fiercely defending and screaming players, shock all over her face. "They're NOT fairies! Their avatars look like normal people! What is this?!"

"They got out! Those are the rest of the SAO survivors!" shouted Strea while hacking away at yet another enemy, the clear disadvantage of her beastly fighting style making itself clear thanks to the lack of allies and how she had to constantly protect Yui. "How did they do it, Yui-nee?!"

"I'm not sure, but I would bet everything that it was thanks to Asuna-ma…!"

Eyes widening, Yui stopped talking and turned to see a volley of hundreds of light-arrows shooting towards her. Too many for her to stop. Even if it was theoretically possible to do so with her 'Gravity Control-Right', the number was just too much for a normal person to do so.

Her old self, empty and emotionless, only running on pre-programmed lines, may have been able to do it….but the current Yui was 'too human'. Even if she still possessed a processing ability that could put most of the world's Search Engines to shame, she was no longer able to process hundreds of them in seconds. She needed to actually look through it all, to properly understand it.

The price for her 'humanity' and all that came with it had been losing the ability to think like a machine. And even if it was something she would never trade back, she could immediately SEE clearly what was about to happen because of it.

She would be hit by the endless barrage and erased from the system, not possessing a proper Avatar making the Cardinal of that world erase her existence the moment it registered her death, like any simple mob on Alfheim. She was going to…

"UAAAAAH!" screaming madly, almost roaring like a beast, Strea shot forward, Gram swinging wildly as she put herself between Yui and the arrows.

The first dozens were crushed by the Demonic Sword. The first hundreds were blocked and deflected by sheer luck, leaving gashes all over the Gnome's body.

And the rest impaled her whole, turning the red-eyed girl into a pincushion before the frozen form of her 'sister'.

"…no…" whispered the old MHCP even as Strea turned to look at her with a smile, her body fading into a Remain Flame.

"Thanks God…you're okay, Yui-nee." were he last words she said before she turned completely into the ethereal fire.

..It wasn't logical.

That was the thought running through Yui's mind, even as she was aware of screams coming from the SAO Survivors up there, of shouts echoing from the Sylphs and Caith Siths bellow, of her father JUMPING up and starting to eradicate the Archer Knights that had tried to eliminate her the moment they realized she was the biggest threat.

The feelings swirling inside of her weren't logic. Strea was okay. She HAD a proper Player Avatar, unlike her, so she had turned into a Remain Flame, which was currently landing on her hands. Even if no one nearby resurrected her, when the countdown ended she would just return to her latest re-spawning point, which they had set in Alne the past night.

And yet…yet…

 _She stared up, terrified as Kayaba prepared to send her back to Cardinal, to the cold and lonely darkness…and with an animal roar, SHE was there to protect her, breaking free of the Paralysis imposed by the System just to stop the madman._

 _Not because she had 'programmed' her to do so…but because she was her sister._

 _Her precious sister…_

…if anyone had seen Yui's eyes in that moment, they would have seen, besides the tears, how some kind of 'fire' seemed to burn behind them.

Leafa was still making her way after the path of destruction her brother had made through the Guardians to help Yui, flying with her uncanny dexterity as she hacked away at the lucky mobs that had escaped the Spriggan's direct charge, when a SCREAM of outrage made her look to the side in shock.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY LITTLE SISTER?!"

Everything SHOOK.

The Sylph wasn't blind, of course. In fact, she had quite a sharp mind. The other night, through her brother's story, she had noticed that, in a bizarre and hilarious way, many of the things going around his life while in SAO had seemed like twisted parallels to bits of One Punch-Man. The little girl called 'Yui', which she had been told was in truth an impressively advanced AI created to be a pseudo-psychologist, and her so-called 'psychic powers' had obviously reminded her of Tatsumaki, aka Tornado of Terror, but she had decided not to mention it to Kazuto because he obviously had noticed it too and seemed to had enough worries at the moment.

Actually seeing her doing all of 'that' before allowed her to see the similarities more clearly, but also the differences. Just like her brother wasn't Saitama, Yui WASN'T Tatsumaki. The little girl could use that gravity-control-thingy to simulate 'powers' similar to the 2nd Ranked S-Class Heroine, but she was not even remotely as powerful as the actual Tornado of Terror had been.

That was why seeing her shining with a pure-black aura surrounding her as she raised her arms, EVERY Guardian in the room being covered by the same phenomenon, left her beyond speechless. On the sudden and shocked silence, she saw that even Kirito had stopped punching through the air and started to fall as he looked wide-eyed at his virtual daughter.

With a roar of pure rage, Yui pointed upwards with her hands.

The hundreds of Guardian Knights SHOT towards the ceiling as if they were a group of flies dragged by a hurricane…by a tornado, the SAO Survivors ducking outta the way as more than a couple got through the hole, before they all shattered into polygons as they hit any solid surface.

Then, the strange aura vanished and Yui fell down like a puppet with its strings cut, seemingly unconscious and letting go of Strea's Remain Flame.

A drake passed under her in time for a mute and wide-eyed Alicia Rue to catch her. Sakuya did very much the same with Strea's flame, even gathering enough concentration to grab a revival item and drop it over her.

As one, both leaders' eyes turned towards Leafa, their eyes asking for an explanation that made sense. The blonde Sylph could only stare back in shock, equally confused.

Then, a voice she had never heard before shouted something from above.

"Was that Yui-chan?!"

An instant of silence passed as Strea rose again and shot towards her older sister, scooping her out of Alicia's arms, before the endless hum of every single spawning mirror on the tree activating again, after the 'bug' that had just occurred, filled the air.

"Everyone…out of the way."

All eyes shot down, seeing how Kirito crouched down and lowered his left arm, his fist pointing upwards as he 'changed' into that inhuman-looking way he sometimes did, his face a carpet of darkness and his eyes two voids of nothingness.

Every single player, both from ALO and SAO, even those who didn't know the Spriggan personally, ran or flew as far out of his path as they could, even as what now seemed like thousands of Guardians started to emerge and prepared to attack again. The only one that didn't do so was Leafa.

Because she wanted…no, she NEEDED to see this.

To see the proof …

 ** _"Super Skill…Serious Series…"_**

…that the limits between reality and fantasy were thinner than anyone thought.

 **" SERIOUS UPPERCUT."**

At the same time, Kirito JUMPED and PUNCHED.

Calling the boy a missile would have been an insult. Instead, the closest thing one could have compared the Spriggan with was a meteor, a force out of this world moving at speeds one could imagine but not really comprehend, even as he ascended and everything on his way was DESTROYED.

The Guardians shattered as if their very existences were broken as the boy passed. The mirrors from which they spawned cracked like glass on an earthquake. Every Player inside the tree felt as if they would be sent flying just by being near the unreal and devastating wave of power.

Awed beyond belief, Leafa WATCHED, everything going in slow motion for her as she saw the boy she loved breaking the laws of virtual reality with just a punch, even as he ascended closer and closer to where she was. If she didn't move soon, the absurd shockwaves he was creating would catch her and…

 _NOW!_

The Sylph had just recognized the 'voice' on her mind as Justice's when she MOVED forward and reached out with her hand. In the exact moment, in the impossible instant.

Her fingers closed around the edge of Kirito's white cape the same moment he shot past her, every inch of her virtual strength and will used just to keep her grip as she screamed, her half-closed eyes seeing the endless Guardians being destroyed and vanishing as her brother's mighty and unstoppable form shot through them, more and more of the spawning mirrors breaking until none remained.

The moment she saw everything around her become dark, Leafa let go, feeling her wings closing as she fell down and crashed HARD against the ground. Vaguely, she realized that her HP was in the red, that she was now surrounded by a lot of wide-eyed and shocked people and that most of them were looking UP, towards a hole on the ceiling of the impromptu area they were in. On the distance, one could still heard the sound of things that weren't supposed to break being destroyed as Kirito kept ascending through the innards of the World Tree.

Back on the ground, the Sylphs and Caith Siths were still STARING at the absolute ruin in which the until then unbeatable 'Grand Quest' had become, no Guardians spawning again now that the data that made up their spawning points had been totally destroyed.

And all from the power of just ONE simple player.

"…I SO need to get him to work for us." softly declared Alicia in the ensuing silence.

"…like hell I will let you." flatly answered Sakuya in the same low voice.

"Heheh…Kirito is really awesome, uh?" tiredly muttered Strea while caressing Yui's head.

Meanwhile, Leafa had just been able to stop seeing stars and started to try to stand when someone offered her a hand, the same voice she had heard before calling Yui's name speaking to her.

"Ehm…are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. I was just…" her words dying on her throat the moment she stood, the Sylph found herself face-to-face with the worried face of Yuuki Asuna, the girl in front of her being identical to the one she had seen in the hospital except for the fairy-like look. "Asuna-san?!"

"Uh? Ho-how do you know my name?!"

"Oh! Uhm, well, you see, I'm O…eh, Kirito-kun's little sister. You can call me Leafa here." clarified the blonde Sylph while scratching the back of her head, only to blink in surprise as the chestnut-haired girl reared back and looked at her wide-eyed, four other boys that she recognized as her brother's other friends blinking in surprise towards her before turning their attention back up.

"Uh…so that REALLY was Kirito…" idly commented Keita while purposefully not looking at the noticeably attractive Avatar of his friend's little sister. "…what are the odds that we manage to escape, suddenly find ourselves facing insurmountable odds and then he suddenly appears to save us?"

"Well, that's just his thing…he's kind of a Hero, remember?" added Tetsuo while Ducker and Sasamaru nervously chuckled.

Finally, Asuna decided to remember that she had the ability to speak.

"EH?! Yo-you are…Sensei's little sister?!" looking her up and down in disbelief, the Dual Wielder suddenly shook her head and let out a nervous chuckle, as if just realizing something, even as Leafa looked at her with confusion. "Ahahah, oh, of course, your avatar in here isn't like the you in the real world, sorry about that…"

"…no problem?" assured the confused Sylph, wondering why she felt a strange sense of Déjà vu from when she met the other girls from her brother's old guild. "…wait a minute; did you just call him Sen…?"

And whatever else she wanted to say was cut off when a crushing weight suddenly fell over her body, making her scream and fall face-first to the ground, everyone else around her suffering the same fate. Leafa was vaguely aware of shouts coming from bellow, probably from Alicia and Sakuya's group, before the gate that had let the Guardians enter and that connected to the 'official' part of the Dungeon closed. The confused Sylph was still trying to understand WHAT had happened when a loud and obnoxious voice echoed through the area.

"Congratulations, Asuna. I have to accept, of ALL the different troubles you could have caused, THIS…far exceeds any of my expectations." anger and annoyance filling his voice, Oberon's 'mighty' form descended over them, the eyes of the SAO Survivors shooting towards him as he walked past them and stopped at Leafa's side, though his eyes never left Asuna's hateful gaze. "Then again, I guess that it's only to be expected from such a crazy girl as you…"

"Shut the fuck up, Sugou!" growled the Dual Wielder while trying to reach for her blades, the crushing weight of gravity impeding her from doing so. "What…what the hell is this…?!"

"Do you like it? It's a new gravity spell I was planning on adding on the game's next patch, though of course a bit 'boosted'. Which reminds me…it's really a shame, you know?" putting his feet over Leafa's head, the Sylph screaming in indignation, Oberon seemed to enjoy Asuna's shocked gaze. "Because of you, this poor girl here and ALL the ALO Players that saw you all here today are going to have…'accidents'. What a pity, wouldn't you say?"

"Wha…?! Cut the crap, you CAN'T do anything to them! You wouldn't get away with it and you know it!"

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong, my dear. For you see, the Sylphs and Caith Siths down there are already finding themselves unable to get out of the World Tree and unable to Log Out. I just need to keep them trapped here for some hours and call in a few 'favors' to find every single one in real life and then make sure none of them says a word about what they saw…" his lips curving into a maniac smile at the looks of horror and shock on the SAO Survivors, the Fairy King let out a mighty laugh. "HAHAHHAH! What, you don't believe me? The technology I'm trying to develop and its results are quite desired by a lot of people with power, you know? And doing something like this will be child's play for people like them…"

"…you…sicken me." blinking, Oberon looked down at the girl he was stepping on, only to see how she had turned her head sideways and was sending a look of rage and disgust his way…and the scariest things was that it didn't seem to have much to do with the fact that her very life had just been threatened. "People like you…are the cancer of this world."

"Oh, how kind of you to say that…" cheerfully commented the man before reaching down and grabbing Leafa's katana. "But didn't your parents taught you to…NOT INTERRUPT AN ADULT?! System Command! Pain Absorption, change to Level 8!"

The moment he said those words, with a clearly twisted glee on his face, Oberon trusted the strange-looking katana down, impaling through the girl's back.

A spike of PAIN filled every single fiber of Leafa's brain. It was something so unexpected, a feeling so alien for her, that she immediately screamed in utter pain, everyone shouting out in horror even as the man removed the blade with a dark chuckle, leaving the girl dry-heaving.

"BASTARD!" screamed Asuna while feeling a wave of utter rage overcoming her, several instances in which her Sensei had talked to her about his little sister coming to mind as she saw the girl trying to contain a sob. "You…how dare you?!"

"Cool, uh? Usually one doesn't feel pain in the virtual world, but it's just another setting that can be adjusted by someone with the rights over it…like me." grinning madly towards Asuna, Oberon 'playfully' touched the back of the Sylph's head with the tip of the katana. "Even more interesting, when the Pain Absorber is set under Level 3, the damage will even affect your body in the real world…shall we test how much this girl can take before she breaks?"

"NO! Sugou, you bastard…she has NOTHING to with this!" shouted Asuna while looking on with horrified eyes.

"But thanks to YOU, she HAS to do with this, my dear Asuna! Next time, you should think about the consequences first before trying to escape from you ca…!"

"I…don't fear you…" all the eyes in the area shot towards the weak voice of the shaking Leafa, even as she turned to glare once again at the Fairy King, a strange smile on her face. "You're just…a pathetic man believing himself more than he is…you're not even a 'villain'…you're just trash." a look of anger filled the man's eyes at those words, even as the Sylph released a small chuckle. "And Justice…always deals with the trash…"

"Oh yeah?!" screamed Oberon while grabbing the girl by her long hair, forcing her upwards even as Asuna and many more started to shout and scream for him to stop, especially when they saw him put the katana's edge against her neck. "Tell me, where is you Justice now, little girl?! SYSTEM COMMAND! Pain Absorption, change to level 3!" everyone's eyes widening, the look on Oberon's face turned outright mad as he glared down at Leafa. "Let's see what happens if I cut off your head like THIS!"

"Don't you dare!" screamed Keita while uselessly trying to stand.

"Leave her, motherfucker!"

"She's just a girl, for God's sake!"

"What kind of monster are you?!"

"SILENCE! Here, I'm the King! I have the power over everything! And NONE of you can change that!" shouted the man while glaring murder at everyone. "And now…LOOK as my WILL is done!

"NO! STOP! SUGOUUUU!" roaring with intensity that no human should possess, Asuna stood up, the sound of 'something' being torn off covering the whole area.

But it wasn't that or the sight of how most of the ridiculous 'clothes' the girl wore had been reduced to rags what drew everyone's attention, no.

It was how her arms and legs suddenly seemed to be made of pure silver-colored metal, the white of her eyes having turned an unholy black before Oberon's shocked gaze.

Blinking in disbelief at the scene before her, Leafa wondered for a moment if she hadn't perhaps started to hallucinate from the pain, especially when the blades on the ground shot towards Asuna's hands as if they were magnets before the girl ran towards them like a demon, the Fairy King screaming and sinking part of Justice's Wings' edge on her neck.

Her earth-shattering scream of pain was enough to stop the Dual Wielder dead on her tracks, her eyes shooting from the Sylph's pained face to Oberon terrified, then more calmed, one.

"I…don't know how you did…whatever the hell you just did." spoke the man while trying to pretend he was calm, and failing utterly. "But if you even MOVE an inch I WILL cut off her head, understood? Now…drop those swords, now!"

Asuna stared blankly, shaking, as if trying to calm down some kind of primal urge to just CHARGE at the man and rip him apart. Then, in a dry move, she let Fafnir's Fang and Elucidator fall to the ground, everyone's still shocked stares fixed on her.

"Good…now KNEEL before me." the chestnut-haired girl didn't move an inch, GLARING at him, making the man scowl. "…System Call! Pain Absorption, change to level 0!" seeing the girl's unnatural black eyes widen, Oberon knew he had her. "…now, my dear Asuna?"

Shaking, the girl sank to her knees. From her place on the bastard's hands, threatened by her own blade, Leafa could only curse everything at the scene…

And then everything SHOOK again when something fell down through the hole on the ceiling everyone had apparently forgotten about, all the gazes in the area once again moving like one as a figure clad in black and white landed and, slowly, stood up.

Shouts of happiness, of warning, screams of his name and several more things filled the air in an instant, but for the boy nothing of it seemed to exist as his bottomless gaze swept over the scene.

He saw Asuna on her knees, looking at him in shock, his eyes widening slightly at seeing her strange and 'familiar' look.

"Sensei…"

He saw Sugou frozen in place, staring at him disbelief, the stupid-looking Avatar not hiding the clear disgust his mere presence caused him…

"Yo-you?! What the hell…?! HOW are YOU even here?!"

And finally…he saw Leafa, being held by the man with her own katana, shaking and with tears running down her eyes, but now staring at him with a mix of shame and hope.

"Onii-chan…"

The world STOPPED.

Or that was the closes thing Oberon, Sugou Noboyuki, could think of to explain the strange and sudden feeling he got when Kirito's eyes moved towards him once again, his face a darkness so depth that it put the Void to shame, his eyes such an endless and empty white that seemed to draw all life from the world into them…

And suddenly, he was VERY small, an ant, no, a bacteria standing before a giant, no, a God…something even BEYOND that.

"Don't touch her."

Those three words sent a wave of fear bigger than anything the man had ever felt in his whole life running over him. Suddenly prey of a senseless panic, he turned towards the caped Spriggan and started to scream at him.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! IF YOU DO, I WILL CUT HER HEAD OFF, AND WITH THE PAIN ABSORBER AS IT IS, SHE WILL REALLY…!"

 _"Let go of my Master, you dirty piece of trash."_ echoed a disembodied voice inside Oberon's mind.

He didn't even had enough time to wonder if he had suddenly gone mad before the inscription on Justice's Wings' side shone with a blazing fury, the wheel-like carvings on the hilt SPINNING as he felt the katana PULLING his arm away from Leafa's neck, all the way until he was pointing with it on the opposite direction…and then the blade just FLEW out of his hand.

Several things happened in that instant.

First, Asuna got back to her feet faster than what should have been inhumanly possible and then SHOT forward, jumping and catching the shocked Sylph on her arms, both of them rolling away from the incredulous Fairy King.

Second, Justice's Wings 'screamed' as it impossibly turned around in mid-air, shooting back against Oberon and cutting off the hand with which he had held it.

And then, even as he was starting to scream from the burning and unholy pain THAT had caused, Kirito appeared from nowhere just in front of him, the man freezing in place as the Spriggan STARED at him from barely an inch away, somehow looking down at him despite their clear difference in height.

"Wa…!"

Oberon never even started his last plea. The first word was barely halfway out of his mouth when the gamer's punch crashed against his chest and the world stopped making sense.

His body flew backwards, with such impossible speed that his arms and legs twisted and then were torn off from the pressure BEFORE he crashed against the area's wall.

Then he shot THROUGH it. Through the unbreakable wall.

He was vaguely aware that he had somehow ended up out of the World Tree, Alne spreading far away under him, before he CRASHED against an invisible wall, which his mind helpfully supplied was the Flying Altitude Limit.

That cracked too. Luckily for him, his Avatar apparently decided that was more than it could take and it shred itself to pieces from the impact, even as ALO's Cardinal tried to repair the minor damage on its system.

And then the pain kicked in.

Back inside the World Tree, Kirito lowered his fist, feeling conflicted.

That…had felt extremely satisfying. He decided that, for once, he could ignore any moral implications about it and turned around, only to be glomped by a familiar face.

"SENSEI!" shouted Asuna while slamming her face against his chest and starting to hit his chest repeatedly with her metallic fists. "Idiot, idiot, idiot…!"

"…there, there, Asuna, it's okay." awkwardly muttered the boy while patting her head, his eyes looking how everyone was slowly starting to stand, Keita and the others helping Leafa as she looked their way with a pouting smile. "I'm sorry for not having come befo…"

"No…that's not it…I wanted to be the one who beat the shit out of him!" cried the Dual Wielder while looking at him with betrayed eyes, making him blink and many people on the room to facefault. Leafa even let out a happy chuckle.

"Ehhh…I'm terribly sorry about that?" commented the boy while looking hopefully at his disciple and friend.

"You better be." whispered Asuna while looking directly at him.

Then, she grabbed his cheeks and kissed him.

Any trace of humor froze and melted from the blonde Sylph's face in less than a second, Kirito paralyzed as his mind suffered a Blue Screen of Death from what he just COULDN'T accept was happening AGAIN, even as many people on the room exploded in cheers or shouts of 'I knew it!', not really helping matters as his eyes shakily moved towards his little sister, who was looking at Asuna's back with a gaze that would have probably sent freaking Garou running away scared…or attracted him to fight, whatever was worst.

He didn't even dare to move an inch when the chestnut-haired girl separated her blushing face from his, giving him a very awkward smile.

"…I have been waiting to do THAT for two months." happily declared Asuna.

"….ah." was all the answer the boy could give, even as he saw Keita and the others seemingly notice something was WRONG and slowly inch away from Leafa's dark form. "Uh…I…I…"

"ANYWAY! How are we going to get out of here?!" shouted Keita with the loudest voice he could muster, though it wasn't clear if he was really worried about it or was trying to help his friend and leader.

None of the other male ex-members of the United Heroes Association had any hope of it working and were already preparing themselves to stay as far away as possible from the hell about to break loose…when the most unexpected voice answered.

"I can perhaps help you all with that, Keita-kun."

Freezing, Kirito's head snapped around, his brain helpfully and happily kicking any thoughts about senseless emotions and girls that didn't make sense out of his mind (Despite knowing he would regret it later) as he looked at the suddenly appearing figure in the white lab coat.

Everyone seemed totally confused by the unknown man's appearance before the Spriggan walked towards him, stopping 5 steps from his body as he looked it up and down.

"…Kayaba." spoke the boy with a neutral tone, every single person in the room freezing and then GLARING at the man, weapons being tightly gripped as the Hero crossed his arms. "You're alive."

"Technically speaking, no, I'm not. I died the day SAO ended, and the forensic team the government dispatched to check my body will tell you the same."

"…I SO called that you had become a virtual ghost." sighed Kirito while shaking his head, everyone looking on with either confusion or disbelief. "So…is there any reason why you're here besides trying to act like a good guy all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I'm not acting, Kirito-kun. In fact, look." with a wave of his hand, a menu materialized at the man's side and, before anyone could try to stop him, every single person in the room vanished in a wave of polygons, even the boy's shocked friends and his screaming little sister…except for Asuna, who was now looking around with shock. "See? All of them have been Logged Out."

"…you know, the only thing you have showed me with that is that you could have perfectly gotten them all out in ANY moment during these last two months, yet you just sat back and watched without doing anything." scowling heavily at him, the Spriggan had to do a real effort to not just PUNCH the man on the face. "Any excuse for that?"

"…being a 'virtual ghost', as you put it, it's really boring. I have been busy preparing something special, and besides I KNEW you would end up coming to solve the problem." a big smile appearing on his normally calm face, Kayaba managed to creep the gamer out to very unexpected levels. "After all, that's what a Hero does, isn't it?"

"…I'm SO tempted to just punch you right now…"

"Well, if you want to, then be my guest. But first…" reaching into nowhere, the man suddenly pulled SOMETHING out and thrust it towards Kirito, a calm look on his face as he let go of it.

The Spriggan, for his part, STARED in awe at the egg-like thing, a soft golden-orange glow coming from it. He noticed Asuna walking closer to him to stare at it too, even as he saw the strange and endless colors that seemed to swirl around its spherical core.

"So beautiful…" muttered Asuna with absolute awe.

"…what is this?" questioned the gamer while looking back at his old enemy, feeling as if the thing on his hands almost had a life on its own.

"I call it 'The World Seed'. You could said it's my gift to the world, a small way of trying to repay for my sins, by letting the purest form of my dream live on…but it's up to you what happens with it, Kirito-kun. As I said, the world is changing. And it will be YOU who decides how it changes."

"…you're right about the virtual ghost thing." deadpanned Kirito while looking at him. "You have to be REALLY bored, if you can start saying such crazy lines all of a sudden."

"…maybe you're right. This isn't the most confortable or easy of existences…then again, perhaps if I had someone around me, like Yui-chan and Strea-kun do with you and your friends, then this 'life' would be easier." shaking his head with amusement, Kayaba let his hand fly over his menu once again. "Well then, time to move on. Say your 'goodbyes' for now, Asuna-kun, I'm letting you out…also, that 'new look' really suits you."

"…yeah, I was also wondering about that…" started to say Kirito…before freezing at the suddenly vibrant look the girl sent his way, his mind panicking when she grabbed his hand and reminded him of WHAT had happened before.

"Sensei…maybe it's a bit late, but…will you come to see me? Like you promised?"

Looking at her hope-filled eyes…the boy could only nod.

He wished he didn't feel as if he was digging his own grave when he did so, though.

With a final, happy nod, Asuna looked towards Kayaba with a neutral face before the man nodded and pushed the button, letting her form disperse into polygons.

For an instant of solemn and tense atmosphere, only the man and the boy were left. The Hero and the Creator, who had once clashed in a level beyond what any mortal could imagine, and in doing so had understood each other better than…!

"She's SO going to kill you when she knows about the kiss." innocently commented the man before vanishing, his trolling smile burning itself on Kirito's retinas.

The scream of 'KAYABAAAAAA!' echoed through all of Alfheim, Alicia and Sakuya's group, who had just been able to get out of the tree after the lower door opened again, looking up with confusion even as Strea tilted her head to the side, Yui still sleeping on her arms.

Cursing the virtual Hell from where the bastard had come from and dearly wishing he never saw him again, the Spriggan opened his menu and Logged Out, not caring anymore and deciding that he needed to face whatever came to him as Saitama would, head on and without fear like…!

He opened his eyes in time to feel someone taking the Nerve Gear off his head, Suguha towering darkly over him as she put the headgear to the side and STARED at him.

…he suddenly understood the sheer terror King must have felt in almost every moment since he 'joined' the Heroes Association. He was very tempted to scream and try to run away or even jump out of his window right at that moment.

Whatever he was expecting, though, it definitively WASN'T for the girl to reach for him and kiss him AGAIN. His brain cheerfully demanded a vacation while his less thinking part felt every single instant of the two seconds their lips were in contact, very different and at the same very similar at how it had been in the virtual world.

Then Sugu let go of him, her face blushing madly as she seemed to be doing a huge attempt to keep her breathing even.

"…okay. N-now…I'm ahead of Asuna-san in both worlds!" boldly declared the young kendoka, her time as a vigilante helping wonders in not showing how she was internally squeaking and rolling over herself like an embarrassed little girl.

"…uuh?" was all Kazuto could say while he started to recover coherent thought, his mind cheerfully reminding him that he had passed from having anything but imaginary contact with the opposite sex beyond friendship to had his first kiss 'stolen' (Twice, if one counted the difference between virtual and real) by his little sister, who apparently was in love with him, and also a second one given by his disciple/best friend/secret crush, who also seemed to feel 'something' for him. All in the span of a few hours.

…was it too late to wish for a sudden attack of subterranean creatures that wished to wipe out humanity?

"O-Onii-chan!" suddenly shouted Sugu while turning towards him, her face still flushed and her eyes shining. "Who-whose kiss was better?! M-mine or Asuna-san's?!"

The gamer didn't need the emotional-awareness of an adult or the screams of that small and nostalgic part of his brain to know that he SHOULDN'T answer that question; especially when the honest answer would have been something along the lines of 'I enjoyed both on their own way as one of the most incredible things in my life'.

That was as stupid as asking the Tank-Top Brothers to take on the entire Monsters Association by themselves.

Luckily, his brain was now able to react and think at speeds beyond what any normal human could, and 'life-threatening' motivation helped a lot too.

"Tha-that's right, Sugu! Asuna! I need to go to the hospital and see if she and the others are okay!" quickly shouted the boy while grabbing his adoptive sister's shoulders and sitting up, making her blink in surprise, as if she had forgotten about the situation, before scowling lightly at him. "I-I mean, I can't fully trust that Kayaba just let her and everyone go like that, I need to make sure of it!"

Not really a lie, seeing as he would be a fool to really trust Kayaba with anything, but not the truth either because he was pretty sure the virtual ghost wasn't lying when he said that before as Sugou being safely Logged Out too should prove.

For a moment, the girl's face seemed to morph into a deep-thinking frown before she just smiled and nodded towards her adopted brother, standing up as he let out a relieved sigh.

"Okay then, let's go, Onii-chan!"

"Yeah, let's…wait, what?!"

"Hmm? Why are you so surprised, Onii-chan? It's obvious that I'm going with you!" cheerfully clarified the young kendoka at Kazuto's shocked reaction. "After all, I also just helped save them, it would be rude of me to not go and greet them now that they woke up from being years in a coma!"

"Bu-but Sugu…" muttered the incredibly nervous boy with a forced smile, really knowing that THAT wouldn't end well for him in any way. "The-there are no buses at this hour and the only vehicle we have is your bi-bicycle, I wasn't planning on just running there, yo-you know?"

When he saw Suguha start smiling even more widely, the gamer realized that he may have said the wrong thing…

* * *

It was a very cold night in Japan, a clear reminder that the end of the year was coming. It was so cold that, in fact, it had started to snow slightly for a while now, reason why most of the roads between Kawagoe and Tokorozawa were deserted.

As such, no one was present to witness the strange sight of a bicycle speeding down the road, two teens riding it as they crossed the path to their destiny with determination.

…though one may have found weird that it was the younger girl who was riding the bicycle and that the scrawny boy was standing on the specially-added metal part of the rear wheel, holding on her shoulders for dear life. Anyone watching the scene may have also, for some reason, swore they could hear some epic background music echoing as the girl fiercely peddled down the road.

Kazuto wasn't sure if he should be felt ashamed of his current position, worried that he may end up beaten to an inch of his life before the night was over or scared of falling off the vehicle and crashing face-first against the ground.

"…Sugu, I-I really think that I should be the one riding…"

"Hah, arf, really? You and your still-recovering body from 2 years in bed, argh, instead of me, the national-level kendoka? Yeah, right." giving him a playful glare, the young girl once again turned her concentration back to the road. "Don't worry, Onii-chan, we will get there in no time!"

Resisting the urge to facepalm (Because he would have most likely fallen if he did), the gamer swore he was either going to get a bike license or start to seriously train his body by himself.

And that had nothing to do with the fact that he could 'feel' the vehicle he was standing on was 'hatefully glaring' at him, no sir. He wasn't THAT crazy.

Sugu, for her part, just kept smiling while she felt Justice cheering her on and congratulating her for her 'boldness', though she wondered why she felt that her ride wasn't being totally honest with that last part.

"…by the way, Onii-chan…Asuna-san was calling you 'Sensei' before, right?"

"…yes, she…does that. I just, uhm, forgot to tell you."

"I see…and, wasn't she suddenly looking like a cyborg back there?"

"She was…though I have NO idea how that happened."

"Me neither, it just…happened…and was it me or did Yui-chan go full-Tatsumaki befo…?"

"Sugu…can we please NOT talk about how crazy my life and everything around it is becoming while we ride on the bicycle you use to go around and hit criminals?"

Receiving sheepish silence as an answer, the black-haired boy resisted again the urge to facepalm.

Less than 15 minutes later, the bicycle came to a screeching halt at the hospital's entrance, Kazuto jumping off and looking worriedly at his panting sister, who was sweating slightly despite the cold.

He was about to get close and help her when the girl raised her face and gave him a thumbs-up.

"I-it's okay, Onii-chan…argh, I'm just…recovering my breath. G-go ahead and I will…catch up to you in a bit…"

For a second, the gamer was tempted to argue about that, but thought better of it and just nodded before starting to sprint towards the hospital, quickly crossing through the parking area. If he went ahead he MAY be able to think about something that didn't end with him very screwed, but being honest he doubted that he would be able to…

His instincts suddenly screaming, Kazuto felt the world around him slowing down and, without hesitation, followed his brain's commands of dodging to the side. He cursed everything when he almost tripped because his stupid instincts still believed he could move faster than a bullet without effort, but was quick to correct the mistake, letting his body move JUST enough to not receive a cut from the wild slash of a small knife.

Skidding to a halt as he turned around, the surprised boy stared with disbelief at something he WASN'T expecting to see.

There, shaking in place and with bloodshot eyes, Sugou Noboyuki stood, apparently unable to keep standing in one place as his feet didn't stop moving from side to side or in place as he glared with hate at the gamer. In fact, the man seemed barely able to keep his hand closed around the knife he had used to try and stab the black-haired boy, his other hand closing and opening wildly.

One didn't need to be a doctor to know the man was high as hell with painkillers or maybe something stronger. What truly surprised Kazuto, though, besides the fact that Sugou was standing at all, was…

"…how the HELL did you get here in that state?" asked the gamer with honest confusion, for he would have expected the man to crash against something and suffer some severe accident if he tried to drive in such state.

"Shu-SHUT UP! D-do you ha-have a-any idea wha-what you have done, fucking KID?!" snarled the man with an absolutely maddened voice, the anger and the chemicals not being a really good mix for his brain. "Yo-you RUINED it all! I-I was go-going to be o-one of the greaTEST! Whe-when my mind-manipulating tech was co-completed, I wo-would have been…!"

"Wait, wait, are you telling me that…you kidnapped 300 people, tried to marry Asuna and take over her father's company…to develop actual brainwashing?" deadpanning at the man, Kazuto couldn't help the incredulity on his voice. "Yeah, next you will tell me you were also planning on selling it to shady people in other countries and…oh God, you aren't kidding." unable to hold himself back anymore, the black-haired boy facepalmed while Sugou blinked in confusion. "Fucking hell…why does my life seem to be turning into some cheesy anime plot?"

"…HELLO?! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU?! Why are you a-acting as if I wasn't threatening you wi-with a knife?! Don't you get it?!" waving the weapon around as if to make a point, the bespectacled man glared madly towards the gamer again. "HERe you are no-nothing but a brat, and I AM the adult with a we-wea…!"

"Sugou, can I be honest with you? Even if you weren't so high that it seems you're going to collapse if you take even ONE step, I still wouldn't be afraid of you. Do you know why?" not even giving the man the chance to speak, Kazuto continued as he suddenly STARED at him with an absolutely bored and emotionless face. "Because I have faced down monsters of all kinds, jumped up mountains, ran over water, faced a God and split up the sky with one pnch. And no matter what anyone says or thinks, it was real enough to put lives on the line. You don't scare me…because I'm a Hero and, compared to all that, you are…TRASH."

For a moment, the man faltered, that same dreadful feeling he had gotten on the World Tree flooding his intoxicated mind again.

Because despite how defenseless and unthreatening the boy looked, a part of his mind was telling him he would be DESTROYED if he tried to face him.

Then, the anger and the drugs overcame his common sense once again and he just LAUGHED like a lunatic.

"AHAHAHAH! Oh, yeah?! And tell me, 'Hero', do you feel brave enough to act like one and dodge this knife again?!"

"…nah, I don't really need to." confessed the boy while Sugou blinked, suddenly aware of the incoming sound of skidding wheels. "Because there is someone who is much better at being a Hero in reality right here.

"Wha…?!"

"JUSTICE CRASH!" screamed Suguha with a mix of rage and glee, Justice roaring through the air before slamming wheel-first against the bastard's face, the sound of glasses and something more breaking filling the area even as he screamed and staggered back, the new wave of pain almost overcoming the painkillers. "…that was for before, you bastard."

"GAAAAH! What in the…?!"

BAM!

"…shut up already." calmly whispered Kazuto while separating his fist from Sugou's face, the man slumping to the ground unconscious and with blood all over it. "…ugh…now I need to wash my hand." turning to the side, the gamer smiled towards his sister as she grabbed her bicycle again, giving him a similar smile. "Nice throw, Sugu. Rider would be proud of you."

"And Saitama of you, Onii-chan. That was a good punch. Shall we?" asked the smiling kendoka while pointing towards the hospital.

Both siblings happily walked inside, making sure to 'accidentally' step over Sugou as they went in, before starting to run once they were inside. The boy was vaguely aware of how Sugu got out her phone and called the police as they ran around the last corner and he stopped in front of a specific room.

Opening it, Kazuto was greeted by the sight of Asuna sitting on her bed, looking at the moon through the window as if it was the most wonderful thing in the world, her Nerve Gear forgotten at her side.

Turning around at hearing the door, the pale girl blinked a couple of times before sending a bright smile at him.

"Hi there, Sensei. It's good to see you."

The boy walked to her side and hugged her. After all, his stupid emotional messes aside, she WAS his best friend and the person he had trusted the most while in SAO. He was keenly aware of her hugging him back.

"Welcome home, Asuna."

Hearing the soft chuckles on her weakened voice, the gamer felt as if he had truly accomplished something a Hero would…

"EHEM, yeah, welcome, Asuna-san. It's nice seeing you here in reality." cheerfully added Sugu from behind them, making Kazuto come crashing back to reality, reminding him that he, in fact, was still screwed, heroic deeds or not. "I'm Kirigaya Suguha!"

"Oh, your little sister!" happily said the chestnut-haired girl while letting go of the frozen gamer, turning to look behind him in worry. "You were really brave back there, but are you…o…kay…?"

Suguha stared cheerfully at Asuna, before blinking in confusion for a moment. Asuna STARED back, her eyes wandering up and down the girl she KNEW, from the many conversations she had with her self-proclaimed master, was 2 years younger than her.

She stared a bit more before managing an incredibly nervous smile.

"…something wrong?" asked the kendoka with honest confusion.

"N-no, i-it's nice to fi-finally meet you, Suguha-chan. Se-sense…your brother, that is, has told me a lot about you…" awkwardly said the girl while trying to laugh off the matter, pointedly keeping her eyes on Sugu's face and repeatedly telling herself that SHE was the one who had started the 'siscon'-jokes. "Tha-thanks for your help before!"

"Oh, it wasn't a problem. After all, I would do ANYTHING to help my Onii-chan when he needs me…" as she said that, the kendoka suddenly hugged Kazuto's back, still smiling while she blushed, the boy reacting the same way as Asuna GAPED at the scene. "Right, Onii-chan?"

"Ah, uhm, ye-yes…?"

"…Kirito-kun…" paling at the suddenly dark tone on his disciple's voice, the gamer turned around to see how Asuna was SMILING at him. "Don't tell me you really were unable to not give in on your sinful nature with your own sister…?"

"N-no, I, that is…!"

"Onii-chan is mine." suddenly declared Suguha with a fierce tone, squeezing the boy harder as his brain came to a screeching halt and the chestnut-haired girl FROZE, her head snapping towards the younger girl in absolute disbelief. "He gave me his first kiss and I did the same, twice!"

Kazuto didn't bother to correct her in the fact that it had been more like she had 'stolen' both. Not only did he know it wouldn't help, but it also sounded kind of pathetic for someone who had reflexes sharp enough to stop a super-sonic slash barehanded.

"Re-really…? Well, I ALSO gave him my first kiss, you know?" her voice somehow dangerous despite being extremely cheerful, Asuna and Suguha suddenly seemed to be in a staring match that included sparks and sound effects.

"Well, it's not my fault you didn't…!"

"Yeaaah…isn't that a surprise?" everyone in the room freezing, three heads snapped back to see a blankly staring Shiori, Keiko, Saori, Rika and Kotone behind her as they looked at the scene with different expressions. "Looks like you all have been REALLY busy, uh?"

"E-everyone…" muttered Asuna while sweatdropping, as if just realizing what she had said aloud. "Wha…how are you all here…?"

"Strea-san called us." whispered Keiko with a flat voice, weakly waving a phone on her hand.

"Heeeey! What's going on there?!" came said girl's faint voice from the device. "I told you to put on the speakers, Silica!"

Suddenly, Kazuto was feeling VERY tempted to test if he could survive jumping out of the window.

A couple of room's away, Keita relished in the feeling of clean air after two years trapped in the virtual world before blinking at hearing several shouts and arguing voices (FAMILIAR voices) coming from down the hallway.

He shrugged and decided to lean back on his bed once again, to wait for someone to come and realize every remaining SAO Survivor had just woken up.

All was right with the world…

* * *

 **April 2nd, 2025. The Skies of Alfheim, 23:52…**

The moon shone beautifully over the land of fairies, casting a peaceful glow over it all.

Flying through the heavens with her eyes half-closed, Leafa basked in the freedom of Unlimited Flight, even as she thought about the many things that had happened in the last 4 months: That bastard of Sugou being arrested, RECT Inc. suffering heavy loses when his actions were made public, ALO being shut down but thankfully being opened again under new management (Some company called Ymir founded by a group of old players), which was how now everyone could fly as much as they wanted…

The events that stood out the most above the others for her, however, were just two.

The free release of the 'World Seed' by her brother and Shiori/Argo, who had found out was a 'virtual package' containing ALL needed data and programs for one to create a virtual reality-environment, as long as one had the necessary equipment to maintain a server. Thanks to them (And the help of Agil /Andrew to actually upload it on a server big enough), the industry of VR in general, not only games, had been saved from the 'near-death' that Sugou's actions had caused it.

Kazuto had even said that, in a way, Kayaba had given them the means to save his dream and use it for what it should have been used for from the beginning…to give people new dreams.

The second event had been, of course, the 'celebration party' for SAO Survivors in Andrew's café two months ago. All of Kazuto's friends, his guild and some she didn't know, had been there, celebrating being together again in the real world and having survived Aincrad.

Of course, the Hero of the moment had been very nervous from the 'tension' around him when she and Asuna were close. The other girls also had a very sharp 'tension' by being near each other, but not as strong as the one that was between the two of them.

It was kind of strange, how they could act like extremely good friends and see they had quite a few things in common…unless her brother was involved. Then, they became worst enemies than Saitama and the mosquito from episode 2.

Oh yeah, THAT had also been funny. When Strea and Yui ('attending' the party via a phone call) had asked for the boy to explain who 'Saitama' was. It had broken the tension around the group in a very comical way, especially when a defeated-looking Kazuto had grabbed One Punch-Man's first volume from the backpack he had been carrying and showed it to his guild (And anyone curious enough to have gotten closer), with her helping in to explain some things.

Reactions had been VERY diverse between the 'United Heroes Association'. From disbelief to amusement to denial and even a small amount of fear, especially when many pointed out the absurd parallels that went beyond her brother and extended to many of them one way or another (Asuna and Yui the most, for obvious reasons). Still, they had more or less ended up accepting it on their own way, everyone only seeming to get closer to their leader and friend after he revealed that strange 'secret'.

She was also pretty sure that every single one of the girls had devoured the manga and anime of the series in the subsequent week, because she had seen them 'innocently' talking with Kazuto about things related to it after the reveal…but it hadn't bothered her as much as she had thought it would.

After all, she loved him. That was a fact. She was sure that Asuna felt the same; there was no point in trying to deny that. As for the rest of them, she knew they at the very least had a crush on her adopted brother. If it went beyond that, she couldn't say, but none of them had bad intentions or were bad people. As for HIM, well…Leafa liked to think he at least felt _something_ for her. She had never gotten him to outright say anything like that, but the way in which he acted with her had changed in many subtle ways since her confession…though she was annoyed to notice that the same could be applied to Asuna. The other girls weren't really happy about that either, but Kazuto, Yggdrasil bless his idiocy, didn't seemed to notice that they were also attracted to him in some way, his brain apparently still having problems thinking just about her and Asuna.

He hadn't tried to do anything outright romantic with any of them, of course, and she knew that if left alone the poor idiot would most likely never try anything…but she wasn't about to give up just because of that.

Asuna and, to a lesser extent, the others were her 'rivals'. Kazuto's heart was the goal. She wouldn't back down from that, no matter what anyone thought. Her feelings were real and pure, and so she would fight for them.

After all, it wasn't about winning or losing…but about giving your all for that which you believed in.

With a soft hum, Justice decided to remind her that she was flying with her eyes closed, only for the blinking Sylph to notice that she had suddenly started to rise beyond the new (And way higher) Flying Altitude Limit. There was no invisible wall this time, just a feeling of speed being lost and then her wings suddenly stopping as the limits of the world stopped her from going further.

Reaching upwards with her hands, Leafa thought that she could almost grasp the moon and the stars with her hands…

 _"Maybe someday, Master."_

Her trusted ride/sword's words echoing on her mind, the blonde Sylph closed her eyes in satisfaction as she felt herself start falling. She could feel the air rush around her for several seconds, and was about to once again take flight…when strong arms closed around her body and dragged her through the air, making her gasp and open her eyes, only to see a familiar and smiling face looking down at her.

"Hey there, Leafa." greeted Kirito as they soared through the air, his white cape flapping behind him. "Did you need help?"

"…you know nothing was going to happen to me if you just let me keep falling, right?" pouted the Sylph with an 'annoyed' voice, though she made no move to get out of his arms. In fact, she seemed to move herself to be even closer. "Also, what happened with 'resetting' your character? You seem as Saitama-like as ever, Onii-chan."

"I tried." deadpanned the Spriggan while shaking his head and looking to the side. "Four times. All of them the system told me that 'the process was successful' but I was still like this every time I Logged In, so I thought it would be better to just resign myself."

"You say it as if you weren't expecting exactly that to happen." laughed Leafa before flying out of his arms and grabbing his arm, stopping their fall and dragging him through the air with a smile. Ashamed, the gamer looked to the side.

It was true that a part of him was more than sure that his Avatar would stay like this, but he had still tried to do the whole 'reset' thing. After all, if he HAD been able to delete his 'powers', then it would have proved that Kayaba's crazy words were just that, craziness.

The fact that he hadn't, combined with his meeting with Koujiro Rinko some days before releasing 'The Seed' to talk about Kayaba, only unsettled him more about the future. He could still remember that, after she finished sadly talking to him about the man, she had looked at him and muttered something that had made him very nervous.

 _"He always used to say that…you would surpass all his expectations."_

…he REALLY hoped that it was a meaningless coincidence that he got those 'ominous words from someone close to a defeated enemy' the same day he tried for the first time to 'reset' his Avatar. He didn't really like how his life seemed to get more and more similarities with some kind of twisted action plot. The boy really hoped that the special school he and the others were going to start attending next week helped him get a bit of 'normality' back on his life, because if it didn't then next thing he knew he may end up chasing after a serial killer of something…

"Onii-chan?" Leafa's words dragging him out of his tumultuous thoughts, Kirito idly realized they had at some point flown closer to the World Tree, the new and impressive Yggdrasil City now visible on its middle branches. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing…just a bit about the future." sheepishly answered the Spriggan, only for his eyes to widen when the Sylph dragged him closer to her and hugged him, their faces only inches apart as she kept them both afloat. "Uh?!"

"Really…? And what exactly were you thinking about the future, Kirito-kun?" asked Leafa with a soft voice, looking straight into his eyes with a heavenly smile.

His face burning red, the boy was reminded of yet ANOTHER thing that had become quite a crazy problem in his life. Both Sugu and Asuna's attitude towards him had changed drastically since that fateful day. Though the girls were still the same most of the time, he could clearly notice how their behavior changed when they were alone, the way in which they looked at him with those eyes that made him feel lost, the way in which their hands would unconsciously search his, how they would put themselves closer to him…

This was making him go insane! It wasn't bad enough that he was sure he had ended having a serious crush on his adoptive sister and his best friend, but to make matters worse none of the two seemed to be 'subtle' about the strange and silent 'fight' they were apparently having over HIM! The worst part, though, was that he couldn't bring himself to actually tell them that he did like them, as in, BOTH of them. In part because he was scared of how they would react and in part because he didn't want to hurt them just because he was unable to made up his mind like a normal person and just be in love with ONE girl…never mind the fact that he didn't want to think what would happen if he did choose one and either his mother or Asuna's family found out.

He REALLY hated the fact that the first problem he found in two years that his fists couldn't fix was something that was screwing with his head so much and that could potentially hurt two of the people he cared for the most in the world…or end with him beaten on the ground within an inch of his life. And he was sure that, if that DID happen and Sugu and Asuna didn't end him, the rest of his female friends would probably finish the job (Though his mind repeatedly screamed when he tried to think about that beyond 'feminine rage').

"I, uhm, you see…"

"HI THERE, SENSEI, LEAFA-CHAN!" happily announced Asuna with a shout, separating them and making both siblings squeak, Kirito starting to fall before the blue-haired Undine grabbed his arm, the girl wearing the colors of her race but with a couple of metallic boots and gauntlets like back in SAO. "I see you brought her in time, Kirito-kun! Though you shouldn't lost time meaninglessly like that when something big is about to happen, you know?"

"HEY! Who was 'losing the time', Asuna-san?!" shouted back the Sylph while grabbing the Spriggan's other arm before he could even open his mouth, somehow smiling cheerfully while projecting anger in her words towards the other girl. "We were just having a…wait. What do you mean with 'something big is about to…'?"

Before the girl could even finish her question, a massive shadow that suddenly blocked the light of the moon made the three of them turn around, surprise on Leafa's face while Kirito and Asuna looked up with mixed feelings on their faces.

There, floating high on the sky, an impossible 'castle' stood; many lights suddenly illuminating its strange shape as if it was some sort of magical machine summoned from beyond the heavens.

"No way…is that…?"

"The Floating Castle of Aincrad." declared Asuna with a suddenly solemn voice. "The world where Sword Art Online took place."

"A place filled with sad memories…and also with endless good ones." Kirito's words also had quite a deep tone in them, but the effect was somewhat reduced because he was still hanging from his arms while both fairy girls kept him afloat. "A place where friends met, where loved ones supported each other, where hope blossomed…"

"Where Heroes rose." blinking, the trio turned their heads in time to see Yui's pixie form flying past them, cheerfully looking their way as she started to ascend. "That's the most important thing!"

"Yui-nee is right, you know?" added Strea while floating up at max speed and trapping the three of them in a bear-hug, making the trio squeak in surprise. "This time, though, let's complete all 100th Floors just 'for fun', okay?"

"…eheheheh, yeah, that sounds cool, Strea." nodded Asuna before blinking and looking excitedly towards the Spriggan. "Oh, and this time you could also participate in the Boss Battles, Sensei!"

"Yeaaah…I think it would be for the best of everyone's enjoyment if I DON'T do that." sweatdroped the boy while Leafa awkwardly laughed.

"You got that right, Kii-bou." flying at their side with one of her usual grins (Though a bit strained as she looked towards the 'group-hug'), Argo stared at them with crossed arms, her new Caith Sith avatar seeming quite an irony for someone that had been nicknamed 'The Rat'. "Now that there are no lives in danger, players would be quite annoyed if you went around ending Bosses with one punch."

"I-I would still like seeing Kirito-sama do that from time to time, though!" added Sachi while getting near them, her shy voice being at odds with her new Salamander avatar, a spear almost twice as long as she was tall gripped tightly in her hands. "It just wouldn't be the same if we stopped seeing it…"

"Yeah, what would life be if we didn't get our dosage of Kirito punching everything, right?" commented Lisbeth while leaning on Sachi's shoulder, the Leprechaun chuckling when the other girl 'eeped' at her gesture.

"Indeed. Kirito-san's Ninja Way is that of his punches." followed cue Silica while appearing seemingly out of nowhere behind them, the scare she gave the group and her 'cool' tone as her new scarf flapped behind her body probably not being as effective as she thought because of how cute she looked like a Caith Sith AND because she was badly dissimulating a jealous pout towards the girls hugging Kirito. "Tho-though of course, it also includes that I…that WE are always at his side to help him punch his way through things!"

"Kyuuu?" deadpanned a certain blue dragon while floating at his owner's side.

"Shu-shut up, Pina!" shouted back the kunoichi, though everyone could notice the happiness on her voice at being able to once again argue with her dragon friend.

"Would you please stop talking as if punching things was everything I'm good at…?" asked the Spriggan with a depressed tone, looking down.

"You aren't? Could have fooled me." joked Philia while passing them by and ruffling his head, gaining an annoyed glare from the two girls currently 'trapped' in the hug with the boy and a cheerful smile from Strea, the Spriggan girl just grinning back at them. "Now, what are we all waiting for?"

"For someone to give some moving speech, maybe?" ventured Keita while stopping near the group, the Leprechaun boy followed by the other male members of the old guild (Who were smart enough to not get in the way to try and 'help' their friend). "Or someone to say some catchphrase before we part towards this new adventure?"

"…dude, don't say things like that." pleaded Ducker while deadpanning at his friend, his Imp avatar giving him a kinda 'gothic' look. "It makes you sound really silly."

"Yeah, only Kirito can say things like that without sounding all crazy." agreed Tetsuo while crossing his arms, his new Gnome avatar making him look tougher than he really was.

"Guys…I'm still here…" repeated the gamer while seriously wondering WHAT kind of image his friends had of him nowadays.

"Well…it's not as if they're lying." unhelpfully added Sasamaru, the Undine boy shrugging while, around the group of friends, all kind of players started to fly from Yggdrasil City, heading with cheerful determination towards the Floating Castle. "Shall we get going?"

"Yeah! Let ME say it!" shouted Yui before looking at everyone with shiny eyes, not a single one of them able to deny the little girl's wish. "United Heroes Association! Onwards!"

"YAY!" cheered Strea while everyone did the same on their own way, Asuna and Leafa so busy doing so and looking at Yui that they didn't realize they had let go of their shared crush, who was doing the same while only the Gnome girl supported him now. "…oh, and I almost forgot! Kirito!"

"Yes, Strea?" happily asked the boy while looking at her…before she stamped a kiss on him with enough force to take the breath out of his virtual lungs.

The sound of reality coming to a screeching halt seemed to echo around the group as they all FROZE, the girls STARING while the cheerful AI let go of the petrified boy, not losing her smile in any moment.

"I love you too!" she declared before letting go of the Spriggan, looking back at everyone as if him starting to fall from that unholy height wasn't anything to be worried about or she hasn't just done anything really special. "Race you all to Starting City!" she finally shouted before speeding towards Aincrad.

"AH! No fair, Strea-nee!" complained Yui while flying after her, leaving the silent and tense group behind.

"…heeeey, wait for us! We won't loseeee!" shouted Keita while pretending to follow the 'game', he and the other boys quickly getting the fuck out of there.

Two more seconds passed before the girls reacted, Asuna and Leafa being the first ones as they turned and GLARED in the laughing Gnome's direction.

"GET BACK HERE!" screamed the duo at unison before flying after Strea like a pair of rabid dogs.

"…no fair." whined Silica while looking down. "I-I also want a kiss from Kirito-san!" she added before shooting after the Sylph and the Undine, as if winning the 'race' had such a thing as prize.

"…say…do you think it's too late to go with crazygirl's idea of sharing him…?"

"…Liz, please, stop saying that with such a convinced tone or I will start thinking you're being serious…"

"U-uh? She isn't?" blinking at seeing everyone turns towards her, Sachi started to awkwardly laugh before flying away. "I-I mean, of course she isn't, ahahahah…!"

"Something tells me this is going to be a VERY interesting time back to school…" idly commented Philia before shooting after the laughing Salamander.

"…Liz."

"…yeah, Argo?"

"…you weren't kidding, right?"

"…"

"…le-let's just go and join the others before Aa-chan and Leafa-chi kill Strea, okay?"

And with those words said, the Caith Sith and the Leprechaun hurried after their friends, deciding to put away such thoughts… _for now._

Several hundred meters down, on a field in the middle of the Alne Plateau, Kirito STARED at the sky from where he had crashed back-first, his face on his best Saitama-like expression as his poor brain had apparently given up on trying making sense of his life.

"…I think I will start doing push-ups tomorrow."

Nodding at the thought and letting a smile spread on his face while entering that beautiful human state known as self-denial, the boy stood up, looked towards Aincrad, and JUMPED.

No one was really surprised when HE was the one who arrived first.

And on his throne above Everything, Fate crossed his fingers.

Because the end of a chapter just meant another, more exciting one, was about to begin…

* * *

There was nothing in the Virtual Void.

Time was meaningless here. Months in reality couldn't be differenced from mere instants in this place…

And such was the case for the strange egg-like thing floating in the middle of nothing, which was pulsing with an eerie silver light.

With a sound of breaking glass, the Entity emerged from its cocoon, long white hair flapping behind it.

Two perfectly human eyes opened, their heterochromatic colors looking down at its hands with the wonder of a newborn child.

It started to LAUGH. And not with those strange and reverberating sounds it made before…but with a perfectly human voice, which was lost in the meaningless void.

It said a lot about it, that it only made it sound much more ominous.

"Eheh…eheheheh…ahahahahAHAHAHAHAH…!"

Even as a wave of pure silver started to engulf and cover its new body like a living armor, the Entity tilted its head to the side, its orange/green eyes reflecting pure delight as the strange 'metal' covered its whole face except for them.

"Now then…"

For an instant, it STARED. Towards nothing specific, just…there.

As if it thought SOMEONE was watching it.

 **"…shall we begin?"**

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Purpose…objectives…memories…time and space…secrets and lies…Hmm? Oh, hi there. Shall I give you the next chapter's preview? Well, if you insist…Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude 'Peaceful Justice'. Even Heroes need to relax after a job well done, right? But one shouldn't just think it's all over, for a Hero's life it's never easy…Oh? WHO am I? Well… **wouldn't you like to know?** "

 **END OF THE PREVIEW**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's IT! Holy hell, this chapter went WAY beyond what I originally thoughts O.O! I swear I didn't intend for it to be THIS long, but the scenes somehow seemed to come alive and my hands were forced to make them way more detailed than I wanted at the beginning! Still, I hope you were able to enjoy the end of this season ^.^

Also, please bear in mind that some events are going different/lacking because my timeline is altered with that of canon. Here, SAO finished two months before when it did in canon, so things happen earlier in the VR-side of things, but something like the special school for SAO Survivors can't exactly start before the official school year itself does so, which is in April. Don't worry though, for anyone who wanted to see how different things were then the UHA started going there, you will be able to see it in the incoming interlude XP

Really, despite having much less action than the end of season 1, I found this chapter much harder to write (For obvious reasons). I'm not even sure if I balanced the 'drama' and the 'silliness' all that well, if I made the reactions of some too simple or too exaggerated (Especially for…you know what XD) AND if I managed to not make Kirito look like a total idiot (Most difficult part -x-). Guess I will have to leave that judgment to you all, as always :P

If anyone is interested, I based the 'Serious Uppercut' in that scene of One Punch-Man's opening just before Genos, Sonic and Rider are shown, when Saitama jumps while punching and eradicates that massive purple-thing XP Also, Strea's 'happy-kiss' is, as it should be obvious for anyone who played Hollow Fragment, heavily based on the scene when she does exactly that in the game. Oh, and if anyone is interested in knowing how Argo, Strea and Philia look in ALO, then search in Google for their avatars in the game Lost Song :3

And yes, I'm pretty sure most of you will probably still wanting to know what exactly is the deal with 'the Entity' or what that 'thing' she did with Asuna was, and which consequences will it have in the future…but I'm sorry to said that you will have to wait to find out OwO

Well, that's it for now my friends. I hope you enjoyed the ride of this second season, and are prepared to the much more action-filled Phantom Bullet arc :D! But first, next chapter, we have school and…the pool? Uh OxO?

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	19. Interlude: Peaceful Justice

Well, here we are, my dear readers. How you enjoy this short Interlude, serving both as an epilogue for the Fairy Dance arc and a prologue for the Phantom Bullet one =) Not really action or anything similar in here, just some world/character development, silly shenanigans, foreshadowing and a 'bit' of fanservice…sorry if you were looking for something more, but then again, an epicness-filled Arc is coming :D!

Also, I wanted to announce something: One Punch-Gamer got its own TvTropes Page! A million thanks to the one who created it, and I also want to thank you all. I never thought I would write something that made someone think of doing such a thing, I hope you all can keep enjoying this story until the very end :) Make sure to go take a look at the page (I put the link on my profile, but in a half-assed way because Fanfiction dot net hates most urls -.-), and fill in some stuff if you can! Let us all write this story's tropes together XD!

With that said, I will leave you all with this!

 **PS:** For those who didn't know, Tokyo it's not just the famous city itself, it's a whole prefecture, like Saitama (XD), which said city is part of, and the one referred to here, the info about the school's location coming straight from the wikia.

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: Peaceful Justice**

 **April 7th, 2025. Nishitokyo, Tokyo. 07:45…**

The early sun was already out, illuminating the streets of the peaceful city of Nishitokyo, in the Tokyo prefecture. This place didn't had anything special that made it stand out from other more notorious cities in Japan, like Kyoto or Tokyo itself...except by the newest school that had been opened this year, and which first school term started today. Many people from all the country knew about this city just because of this building for a single specific reason.

It was to be the place where any and all underage SAO Survivors attended (If they wanted) to get special classes and recover the time in their education that had been lost while they were trapped inside the Death Game.

As he headed towards this exact place, Kirigaya Kazuto couldn't help but release a sigh. Certainly, the school was classified as a 'National Vocational School' under the School Education Law, but he wasn't fooled by it (And he was sure that many others of new students neither): Whatever the government said, the 'school' had obviously the hidden intention of facilitating the management of most SAO Survivors in one place. The extremely 'good treatment' it had towards them (No entrance exams, lack of school fees, any student being eligible to take the entrance examinations for university after graduating...) was mostly because people important places were worried about how being trapped for two years in such sinister conditions had affected their mental health (Anyone who attended the school would be obligated to participate in a weekly 'counseling session', for crying out loud!). In hindsight, the boy supposed he couldn't really blame them for it, especially when it was an incredibly good opportunity for not only him and his friends but for any of the poor Middle and High School students that had the misfortune of getting caught in Kayaba's twisted delusion.

Stopping before crossing the street while idly looking at the 'slow' traffic light, the boy also realized that maybe a bit of counseling would do HIM good, because he had just caught himself thinking for the fourth time since that morning how easy it would have been to simply run and jump all the way to the school.

He was still debating if it wouldn't be worse for him in the long run be totally sincere in the incoming counseling sessions when someone put a hand on his shoulder and a familiar voice reached his ears.

"He there, Kirito! How is our brave leader this morning?"

Turning his head to the side, Kazuto came face to face with Toyonaga Toshiyuki, aka Keita for friends. Behind him, the rest of his male friends were also present, apparently having come together all the way there. Out of them all, only Eguchi Takuya (Ducker as he mostly knew him) was different in any way from his old SAO Avatar, his hair being a bit lighter than his avatar's dark-yellow, the boy apparently looking something on his phone before looking up and giving him one of his usual cheerful smiles. Both Akabane Kenji (Tetsuo) and Tsubasa Yonaga (Sasamaru) were also smiling at him, though Kazuto had to accept that it was a bit weird for him to see them wearing those school uniforms instead of their usual clothes and armors.

"Hey guys. And I'm okay, really. Nothing crazy going on these days...for now."

"That's quite a 'positive' way of seeing things, you know?" sweatdropped Toshi while shaking his head.

"So...you also weirded out for going around with this on?" ventured Takuya while gesturing to the uniforms, even as the group crossed the street and kept on walking. "I swear, when I had to put it on earlier and looked myself on the mirror, I couldn't help but wish to at least be carrying my dagger. Feels so...strange."

"I think we should be worried about feeling weird just for wearing school uniforms, but then again, I guess we only need time to adjust." continued Kenji while they saw some other students heading the same way the closer they got to the school.

"It will take us time to remember we're supposed to study and pay attention to class instead of going around slaying monsters or worrying about Boss Fights, uh?" tilting his head to the side, Yonaga seemed to be deep in thought for a moment. "And to get used to not seeing Kirito in his costume punching things around."

"Yep."

"That's right."

"Most difficult thing we're gonna need to get used to."

"...okay, now you're all just trying to annoy me." muttered the gamer while glaring at them with a twitching eyebrow. "...also, where is Sachi? Didn't she live close to where you do?"

"Yeah, she does, but her mother is apparently a worrywart, so she's gonna be taking her directly to the school for some time." clarified Toshi while remembering the conversation he had with his friend from the old computer club. "...and talking about girls that live close by...was your sister worried about you coming to school today?"

Seeing Kazuto freeze mid-step and almost fall down on his face made the brown-haired boy suppress a chuckle, the other boys doing the same. Yes, he respected the younger boy, maybe more than he had ever respected anyone else, since the day he saved their lives, but really, he felt they all deserved a bit of fun at his expense after all the madness they had been through together...and the several times he had gone away on his own to do 'Heroic Deeds' and left them alone with the girls.

Maybe they were all good friends, but seriously, hearing them 'discreetly' talking about their 'girl things' (The boy himself most of the time) had made the 4 boys wish more than once to be able to get out of the scene as easily as the One Punch-Gamer could do.

The fact that he was now 'reduced' to be at the same level that all of them and that he had (FINALLY) started to realize about his girls-related-problems felt like a bit of 'Divine Justice' for the four boys.

Of course, they had sworn they would help out their friend and leader if he ever ended up about to be seriously killed by their many female friends...but otherwise they would just sit back and keep themselves out of the way as much possible.

Kazuto, for his part, was doing his best to concentrate in glaring at his friends and NOT to think about how Sugu had happily kissed his cheek and wished him a good day that morning. After giving him a homemade lunch she had 'especially prepared for him' (Her words) the night before. He REALLY didn't need to have a perpetual blush so early in the morning, especially when they were about to arrive to school and…

"Hey!" energetically called out an all-too-familiar voice. "Sensei, guys! Over here!"

Turning around, the black-haired boy and his friends were greeted by the sight of Asuna, Shiori, Saori and Kotone standing near the closest wall of the, finally on sight, school building, the chestnut-haired girl happily waving their way.

"Well, take a look at this." commented Shiori while looking around as the guys walked closer, amusement filling her eyes. "The great Heroes of Aincrad, all clad in uniforms and ready to enter school…"

"Please, don't make a joke about how the mighty have fallen, Argo." sighed Kotone while shaking her head, annoyed but still smiling. "I, for one, am thankful for the return of a bit of normality to our lives…"

"But Philia-chan…" turning towards the dandelion-haired girl after greeting her friends, Saori seemed clearly confused about something. "Haven't you been, uhm, reaching nervously for your katana like 7 times now, only to remember you DON'T have one here every time?"

Kazuto forced himself to tune out any thought about how cute Kotone was when blushing and squeaking in embarrassment while shouting things like 'Do-don't be silly, Sachi!' He had enough problems in his personal life with Sugu and Asuna's 'silent war' over him without letting any other silly thoughts about the rest of his female friends to fill his mind.

"So, Sensei...do you think I look cute in this uniform?" asked Asuna while mysteriously appearing at the gamer's side, making him blink in shock as his inhuman reflexes apparently hadn't picked how she DID that. "It's not as practical as my armor, but…"

"Uhm, yeah, you look good on it, Asuna…" awkwardly commented the boy while looking to the side, keenly aware that he sucked in thinking up any non-survival-related topics to speak of with the girl…but not really aware of the many stares the rest of their female friends were giving them. "…also, can't you drop the 'Sensei' bit here? Please, tell me you're not planning to keep calling me that for the rest of our lives…"

"…was that a proposition, 'Kazuto-kun'?" boldly asked the chestnut-haired girl while smiling, the rest of the group freezing on the stop while the gamer did an impressive job of losing all color from his face at realizing what his words could be taken as. "Because I wouldn't really mind being by your side for the rest of…"

"Asuna-san, we're in school!" shouted a familiar young voice in a 'scolding' tone, making everyone blink and look around, confused. "Try and act in a more mature way! You must respect a-anything Kirito-san wants to do with his Ninja Way!"

"…Silica…how did you get up there?" questioned Kazuto with a truly confused tone, his words finally making everyone turn to look at the wall…UP the wall, atop which Keiko was standing up while looking at them with crossed arms, in a very cool-like way.

…did we mention that the wall was almost twice as high as she was tall?

"Heheh, a kunoichi never reveals all her secrets, Kirito-san…" replied he girl with what she thought was a mature smile (But only looked extremely cute).

"She climbed up a tree at the other side and then stood up there waiting for you all to show up. For 15 minutes." grinned Rika while walking near them, ignoring the shouts of 'Mouuu, Liz-saaaan!' her pigtailed friend sent her way. "By the way, Silica…you DO know anyone who looks up a bit closer can see your panties, right?"

There was a moment of silence while everyone blinked. Human nature acting in auto-pilot, almost everyone in the group looked up. Keiko squeaked and tried to cover her skirt with her hands. Obviously, gravity didn't like that, and so Rika realized a bit too late that her joke may have gotten a bit out of hand when the young girl screamed and started to fall forward.

The members of the (newly restored in New ALO) United Heroes Association had barely started to shout out the name of their youngest friend when their leader MOVED.

There was no super speed. No fancy blur of color that anyone could barely see. No 'boom' of supersonic speed.

But despite all of that, the SAO Survivors felt as if they were moving incredibly slow and their leader at a somewhat normal place. If someone had to make a difference, it would have been something akin to 'a snail racing a turtle'.

The point was that, when they had just started to assimilate that Kazuto was moving, he was already there, catching the screaming pigtailed girl on his arms, looking strained for a moment but holding his ground and not falling down.

Another instant passed and the black-haired boy let out a relieved sigh before looking down at Keiko with worry.

"You okay, Silica?"

"…yes…I'm okay…" whispered the self-proclaimed kunoichi while staring at his face with rosy cheeks, all her 'cool ninja-attitude' having apparently vanished now that she was on the gamer's arms. "Thanks for…catching me…Kirito-san…"

"No problem." nodded Kazuto with a solemn tone, strangely heroic background music echoing somewhere. "I will always look out for my friends."

"…so…how long are you going to keep carrying her around like a princess?" 'curiously' asked Asuna while smiling from where she had appeared at the pair's side, making Keiko squeak and jump out of the boy's arms with agility that one would have attributed to a true ninja, leaving behind a confused gamer, the younger girl suddenly blinking and scowling towards Asuna.

"…isn't anyone going to point out how cool and almost impossible it was for Kirito to have done THAT?" asked Keita while everyone blinked again, the aforementioned gamer just scratching his head.

"Holy shit, that was awesome!" shouted Takuya with the excitement he usually showed at finding a rare treasure. "Man, have you been training or something?! It was almost as if you were in the virtual world!"

"You're exaggerating. He's WAY faster in there…" softly muttered Shiori, her eyes never leaving Kazuto's form. "Still…he's right, Kii-bou, that was pretty amazing…what's your secret? Superhero training in reality?"

"I-it was nothing, really. Just a reflex, nothing to be worried about…" waved it off Kazuto while starting to walk towards the school, his friends following close while looking at him with a bit of skepticism.

Truth to be told, the boy hadn't told his friends about his 'last' secret, how having spent so much time in SAO with Saitama-like powers had affected him in reality. He wasn't sure why he hadn't in all the time since they were all reunited in reality (Maybe because it was never something he thought much about), though nowadays it was mainly because of the 'other' thing that secret had led to and that he was currently doing, though he was sure he would probably had to stop soon now that he was back in school.

After all, if he told them about THAT, they would either laugh at him, be very supportive of it…or beat the shit out of him for having been doing something so 'stupid' (The girls, mainly).

…well, he also hadn't told them about his adoptive sister's 'secret identity', but that was mainly because that was Sugu's secret, not his, and besides she had promised to stop doing it anymore, and she would never lie to him about something like that…right?

"Well, however the hell you did it, I'm just glad you're around, as always." muttered Rika with a small smile before trapping Keiko in a hug, the young girl squeaking in surprise. "Sorry about that, Silica. I guess I shouldn't act as if you still had ninja-like agility in reality…"

"N-no, Liz-san, that was my fault too, I-I shouldn't have tried to get up there in the first place!"

"But if I hadn't made that joke, then you wouldn't have…!"

"You know…when Liz isn't teasing all the time, she and Silica almost seen like sisters." whispered Kenji to his friends, even as they entered the school grounds proper.

"Well, they WERE kind of living and traveling together for most of the game before joining us, so that's only normal." replied Yonaga while they looked how Kazuto asked Asuna something about their recent exploits in ALO, the boy remembering when their leader told them that the day the two girls joined. "Besides, I think for them it's more difficult remember they can't do things like God Hand or Shurikenjutsu in reality, given the things they usually do with those…"

Catching the last part of his friend's words, the gamer frowned a bit, unintentionally tuning out Asuna's latest explanation about how they were planning to take on the 10th Floor Boss of New Aincrad that weekend.

When the Floating Castle had been added to ALO as some kind of 'expansion', making it the new 'goal' of the game now that the fake 'Grand Quest' was no more, the other thing that had been added was, much to the happiness of his friends, the Sword Skills System. They had all been happy of having back their trusted battle-method, and now being able to enjoy it without worry for their lives, because they clearly had troubles adapting to use the Magic of ALO, except by some very specific spells. Even Sugu had been curious enough to ask Kotone to show her a bit about Katana Skills, to test out how they were.

What he, and Shiori, had been absolutely shocked to find, was that the girls had also recovered something they weren't expecting.

Namely, their Unique Skills.

He could still remember the joy in Saori's (Sachi in that moment) face 5 days ago, while they were nostalgically fighting in the outer fields around Starting City, when they had been testing out the Sword Skills, to try and get used to them again, and she had, by instinct, unleashed 'Longinus' against a wolf mob. The light of her spear's aura manifesting and extending before destroying the mob had shocked everyone, before she started to happily say she had Infinite Spear back. The others had been quick to look up their menus and had been overjoyed to find their trusted 'super powers' were back with them too, Silica going like crazy about wanting Liz to immediately start making her new shurikens and a specially good Fuuma one, while the blacksmith boasted that it would be easy with her returned God Hand. Philia had wandered a bit from them and quickly unleashed a simply Battoujutsu Skill to bisect a group of wolves, before returning with a massive smile on her face. Strea had quickly scared the shit out of any nearby curious ALO players by using her Darkness Blade and gleefully tearing apart several of the local mobs, with Yui cheering her on.

The only ones who hadn't 'lost it' had been Argo and Asuna, who had only just simply checked with awe that their Skills were back before calming down. Even so, both he and the information broker had still been truly confused by the return of the extremely rare Skills…though the Rat had obviously been a bit distracted by testing out Berserker again and letting her body go wildly with the flow of the reckless fighting style, much more 'relaxing' now that her life wasn't on real danger if she overused it.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for his friends, but he had assumed, and it seemed that Argo too, that given the extremely rare restriction of the Unique Skills, they would have been removed from the game for one reason or another when the Sword Skills System was added.

Of course, what the black-haired boy didn't know was that, if things had gone as they should, that WOULD have happened.

But in this crazy and altered world, when the moment to look over the Sword Skills to add them into New ALO had come, the new management team of the game…decided the let them there. Why, exactly, no one knew, but the men and women of Ymir had just thought that it would be 'interesting'.

Seven of the Unique Skills had returned to their rightful owners. As for the remaining three…well, that's a story for another time.

And on its throne above Everything, Fate innocently whistled.

Shaking his head off the memory of how Leafa had been awed by the Unique Skills by around 3 minutes before a suddenly Dual Blades-using Asuna challenged her to a duel (Which was thankfully stopped by everyone in the guild restraining the girls), Kazuto returned his mind to reality in time to notice how the chestnut-haired girl had stopped talking and was blinking in confusion while looking around. It took the boy a second to notice why.

Silence. As they walked by, the conversations and usual chatter one expected from a first day back to school died down, people stopping to STARE at them. The gamer was idly aware of how the rest of his friends noticed this too and seemed suddenly at edge, looking around with a mix of confusion and caution.

It wasn't until they entered into the building itself, seeing a big crowd of students filling the hallway and the shoe-lockers area, that they stopped, Kazuto even frowning as he looked at the many stares, idly aware of Asuna crossing her arms at his side as she stared at everyone…

And then, slowly, someone started to clap. A second person joined shortly after.

In less than an instant, to the group of teens' shock, every single student on sight was clapping at them, many cheering or shouting happily their way. None of them knew how to react when the students swarmed around them, many with joyous smiles, others even crying at seeing them, all of them saying many things…that were in truth the same.

"Thank you, thank you, thank…!"

"You're great! If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't…!"

"I missed my family so much! Thanks, oh God, thanks…!"

"You're all real heroes!"

"Asuna-sama, give me an autograph, please!"

"Kirito, you're the most awesome thing ever!"

"Was it really you who split the sky at the end?! Is it truth that you fought Kayaba?!"

"Thank you…really…"

And even as the thankful crowd got so big that the teachers had to come out and get the students in order, Kazuto couldn't help but realize he was smiling widely, a warm sensation filling his heart. He saw the same expression on the faces of all his friends.

They had never truly stopped to think, about all the good they were doing. They mainly fought for themselves and for their friends, helping out however they could, yeah, but just because they thought it was the best thing they could do, after following his example.

Example he had started in the first place both because he wanted to see his family again and because of a certain Caped Baldy.

Now, seeing the scene in front of him, many of the teens around, some younger and others older than him, happy of being back where they belonged…

He could truly say that he didn't regret any of it.

Because some Heroes maybe started doing it for fun…but, in the end, they kept doing it for another thing…

* * *

 **April 21st, 2025. Nishitokyo, Tokyo. SAO Survivors School, 12:00…**

Slowly, a motorcycle came to a stop on the school's parking area, Kazuto sighing in relief as he took off the helmet, his passenger doing the same as she let go of him, Suguha mock-pouting his way as he got off the bike.

"Mou, Onii-chan, we could just have come in Jus…my bicycle, you know?" complained the girl as they grabbed their bags and started walking towards the building. "You wouldn't have had to spent fuel for your bike that way…"

"Sugu, we're twice as far the distance the hospital was from home, remember? And you were BARELY able to take us there that night at full sprint by leaving yourself exhausted. I'm NOT putting you through that again if I can just get us here in my bike." replied the black-haired boy with conviction, making a smile appear on his little sister's face.

…of course, the gamer didn't share that it was also because he really didn't want people to see him standing on the back of a bicycle while his adoptive sister rode it…or because he was sure he could FEEL said vehicle's hate towards himself every time he rode it. There were some things that were better off not said.

"Aww, that's sweet of you, Onii-chan." spoke Suguha while getting near her adopted brother and, to his surprise, catching his right arm on hers while leaning against his side. "You DO know how to be a gentleman sometimes!"

"Hey, I resent that…" whispered the boy while trying VERY HARD to ignore the feeling of a certain part of the girl's body pressing against his arm. "I know how to properly respect a girl, you know…"

"Heheh, yeah…and besides, that way we could come all the way with me hugging you." smiled the young kendoka with 'innocence', making Kazuto's face redden again as he remembered how she had been pressing herself to his back with a bit more strength than strictly needed. "Wasn't it nice, Onii-chan?"

"Ni-nice…?" stammered the gamer while looking at her, suddenly aware of how close her face was to his and the faint blush on her cheeks as she stared at him. "Ye-yeah…I guess it…was…"

"Onii-chan…" whispered Suguha while leaning closer to him. Slowly, despite what his common sense was screaming, Kazuto could feel himself also inching closer and…

"EHEM." startled by the sudden 'cough', the siblings squeaked and separated, turning around in time to see Shiori looking at them from around a corner, the rest of the girls from the guild coming behind her, but their confused expressions told them that only the information broker had seen what 'almost' happened. "Hi there, it's good to see you two are here already! Say, Kii-bou, weren't you called in for emergency counseling? You better go do that soon if you want to get any time in the pool."

"Yeah, don't remind me…" sighed the boy after greeting the rest of his friends (The overly enthusiastic hug he got from Asuna making Sugu scowl…and the rest too, though he didn't quite notice that), remembered with annoyance how he had, in fact, been told that morning about it. "Just the day I had promised to help you, Sugu…"

"Don't worry about that, Kirito-san!" confidently said Keiko while smiling at him. "We are all here, so we will help Suguha-san with her problem too!"

"Yes, that's what friends are for!" cheerfully added Saori while Suguha sent them a grateful smile, romantic problems forgotten momentarily. "Though I do wonder why Keita and the rest couldn't come…"

"…now that's a mystery." frowned the gamer while crossing his arms.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, the four other male members of the United Heroes Association were happily doing the second thing they liked the most, besides fighting alongside their friends in the virtual world: Fiddling around with computers.

"…so, how much high do you think it's the probability that Kirito is going to end very screwed today?"

"Let's see. He's alone, with all the girls, on the pool, his adoptive sister and Asuna actively trying to get his attention…you DO remember why we decided to make an excuse to not go, right, Ducker?"

"Well, yeah, but…if he calls saying they're going to murder him, we will go help him, right?"

"…yeah…we will totally do that…"

"…I think I should maybe leave my phone with the volume at max."

Back on the school grounds, Asuna waved goodbye to a sighing Kazuto, who started to head towards the building proper while the girls headed for the pool.

"Don't take too long, Sensei! We will we waiting for you and then have lunch together!"

"We will take good care of Suguha-chan here, don't worry." added Kotone at seeing some uncertainty on the boy's eyes, putting a hand on said girl's shoulders. "So really, stop being such a worrywart."

"Onii-chan, just go and be done with it already!" pouted the young kendoka while mock-glaring at him. "Otherwise, you won't even have time to come with us!"

"Yep, and you will also miss seeing us in our swimsuits." teased Rika with a wide grin, feeling proud of herself when every single girl in the area blushed at different levels at that, and the only boy there felt his face burning hard before turning around and stiffly walking into the building, Asuna and Shiori turning to glare at the blacksmith after that. "Heheh, did you see his face? Isn't he cute when he tries to pretend he's just a Superhero and not a teenager?"

"…let's just…go in there and get changed, okay?" sighed the chestnut-haired girl before turning towards Suguha, who looked back at her in silence. A smile blossomed in both their faces as their usual animosity seemed to evaporate. "Let's go and help you with your swimming problem, Suguha-chan!"

"…thanks, Asuna-san, everyone." softly nodded the girl before walking after the girls, the SAO Survivors guiding her to the pool's changing rooms.

Meanwhile, inside the building, Kazuto was shaking his head several times and taking deep breaths as he headed towards the Nurse Office, trying to banish any thought of his sister and friends clad in revealing swimwear and repeatedly reminding himself he wasn't a pervert.

He was still cursing teenage hormones when he opened the door and, besides the school nurse, found someone he WASN'T expecting to see in the room. Freezing, the boy knew he was in for something annoying when he saw the bespectacled man sitting in front of a computer turn to look at him.

"…Kikuoka." scowled the gamer while crossing his arms, suddenly realizing he had been tricked.

"Why, hello there, Kirigaya-kun." replied Kikuoka Seijirou while crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair, even as the nurse excused herself and walked out while closing the door. "Sorry for the small lie, but as you NEVER answered my…uhm, 'our' calls to explain some things about the details of what happened in SAO, and your dear sister always hung up the phone when I called to tell her to call for you, it was needed."

"You now, I don't need knowing that Sugu, who you supposedly helped know about my situation in SAO out of 'goodwill', dislikes you that much to know there is something fishy about you, Kikuoka."

"My, what could you be talking about, Kirigaya-kun? I'm just a humbler worker of the government, just another piece in the massive machine that is our country, nothing more!"

"Then WHY are you so insistent that I explain things about SAO to you, that don't really matter for anyone anymore, 6 MONTHS after the game was cleared?" calmly asked the boy while raising an eyebrow.

"…is for important purposes. We need to, uhm, make clear some details we couldn't get from some other players, to be sure nothing too, ehm, traumatic happened there." nervously answered the bespectacled man while trying to keep his cool. "After all, only the underage players that come to this school get regular counseling, so…"

"Okay then, let's get this done and be done with it quick, okay?" resigned Kazuto before walking closer to the man with annoyance. "I promised helping my little sister to learn how to swim today, and I don't want my friends to have to do all of that by themselves."

"Perfect! Well, why don't you start by telling me about your first day in SAO after the announcement, and…?"

"Wait." cut him off the gamer, his face suddenly illuminating as if hit by an epiphany. "If we're going to do that, then it's best if I talk you about One Punch-Man first.

"Eh? What…what the hell is One Punch-Man?"

For all answer, the black-haired boy only grinned before walking towards the computer…

In that moment, on the pool's changing rooms, the group of girls was finishing putting on their swimsuits while talking about what they were planning to do that weekend.

"…so, is anyone up to go see a movie or something?" asked Saori while turning around, her blue-black one-piece swimsuit finally on. "It's been a long time since we went all out together in the real world…"

"If you can convince Keita and the others to actually show up this time, then yeah." grinned Shiori while finishing putting her bag on the locker and getting out her towel, the yellow and gray two-piece she was wearing accentuating her normally covered feminine figure. "That way, we can make them pay for it all."

"Must you always be so 'evil', Argo?" questioned Kotone with an amused smile, leaning against a locker, the orange and white one piece she wore, similar in design to Rika's one, making her look pretty calm and relaxed. "You will never get a boyfriend if you act that way."

A small moment of silence flew over the girls at those words, every one of them WATCHING the others, like animals seizing each other up, Asuna simply crossing her arms with a confident smirk while Keiko tried to stand strong and stare back at the more developed girls without fear…

"Oh, do you think I can go with you?" asked Suguha (Having only heard Saori's bit of the conversation) while finishing changing and walking near the group, making them look at her…and freeze. "I want to relax after a bit before my next kendo tournament and…!...is something wrong?"

Confused at the silence, the kendoka just stared at the other girls while tilting her head. They, for their part, were too busy STARING at her green-black bikini. It wasn't 'indecent' by any stretch of imagination, but given the girl's 'very developed' body, it was certainly VERY…eye-catching.

Keiko quickly exited the room without a word, heading to the pool while muttering things about the unfairness of the world and the dark shadows clouding her Ninja Way. Despite currently not actively existing in the virtual world because his master wasn't online, Pina somehow still managed to facepalm with his wing.

"Tha-that swimsuit looks ve-very good on you, Suguha-chan." cheerfully commented Asuna while remembering she herself she was supposed to be the mature girl in the room, even if her eyebrows were madly twitching.

"Oh, thanks! I actually went out to buy it yesterday after Onii-chan told me we were coming here…" commented the girl while blushing softly and looking to the side, knowing it would be better to not reveal she would have ended up coming with a school swimsuit if she hadn't asked Kazuto what they would wear for the pool. "I wonder if he will like it…"

"…I would be worried about his inclinations if he DOESN'T like it…" flatly commented Shiori with just a hint of bitterness, much to Suguha's confusion.

"…they look so squishy…" softly whispered Rika, making Saori and Kotone, the ones closer to her, take a cautious step away from their friend at seeing her hands moving in a grasping motion. "…what exactly does this girl eats…?"

"U-uhm, ANYWAY, we should start moving, you know?" interrupted Asuna whatever was going through her blacksmith friend's head, moving to grab the young kendoka's arm and repeatedly reminding herself she was the older girl. "We need lots of work if we want to help you learn to swim and have some fun ourselves too!"

A while later, things were in full swing at the school's pool. Kotone, Rika and Keiko were racing at one side, the youngest girl surprisingly taking the lead, as if fueled by an 'unknown' grief, while Shiori rested on the edge and enjoyed the sun, looking with a smile how Asuna and Saori helped a determined-looking Suguha to try and swim by herself.

"C'mon Suguha-chan, you're doing great!" cheered the spear-user as her chestnut-haired friend let go of the younger girl, who managed to swim freely several meters before turning around and panting as she rested her feet where she could stand without sinking. "Woah, you have come a long way in less than 30 minutes!"

"Tha-thanks…" weakly smiled the girl while shaking her head and throwing off some water, taking another deep breath. "I-it's going better than I thought with you all helping me…"

"Yeah, you're doing pretty great…" accepted Asuna while purposefully not looking at what the movement of before did to a certain part of the kendoka's anatomy. "But to be honest, I'm surprised that someone like you has problems swimming…"

It wasn't a secret for the other girls that not only Suguha actively practiced kendo, but also that she was good enough to have achieved second place in the nationals of her category last year. Then again, after seeing her fighting in ALO, they could quite understand it. She had asked to spar with many of them more than once, and they had all been forced to use their Unique Skills to not be defeated several times. The only exception had been Asuna, who always ended up brutally defeating the Sylph when she used Dual Blades. Though this had, for some reason, annoyed the Undine, and she hadn't tried to use it again against her since last time, using only her rapier, leaving her score of Wins and Loses with Leafa pretty even. When the younger girl had bluntly asked one day (While Kirito wasn't around, of course) if she was taking pity on her by not going all out, she had just answered that she wished to beat her 'on the same level'. After a while, the Sylph had nodded and they had gone at it again.

That duel ended up with a tie.

"It's…because of something that happened when I was little…" muttered the kendoka while looking the side, her eyes lost in the water as if reminiscing something unpleasant. "But…I want to change many things about my life these days. I'm not the same I was before. And this is just one more thing I need to overcome in order to remind myself I can be really happy by giving my all…"

"Suguha-san…" whispered Asuna while staring at the young girl, who quickly stared back.

In that small instant, both girls could felt as if they were at the edge of a breathtaking epiphany, as if they were able to truly understand each other…

"Hey, everyone, sorry I'm late!"

…and then the familiar voice of the main reason they weren't friends half the time broke them out of that state, their eyes shooting to the side, like everyone else's.

"Ah, Kirito-sama!" happily greeted Saori at seeing the boy walking near the pool, clad in black and white swimming trunks as he awkwardly smiling at them. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come!"

"Yeah, sorry about that, that 'counseling session' got a bit more annoying than I thought…" answered the boy while stopping near the pool's edge.

"Really?" asked Shiori while entering the pool and swimming closer to him, the rest of the group already getting closer. "How did it go?"

"Well…

In that instant, someone who walked by the school's Nurse Office could have heard a man excitedly shouting 'God, he killed that mosquito girl with a freaking SLAP!'

"…let's just say that the counselor was satisfied with my answers." finished the gamer with a mysterious smile. "Well, how about I fulfill my promise and help you swim too, Sugu?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Onii-chan!" brightly smiled the girl…

"Hey, Sensei, do you like my swimsuit?" asked Asuna while sitting at his side, surprising the boy and making the other girls blink, as if they had forgotten something for a moment.

"Eh? Uhm, yeah, you look very good on it, Asu…"

"And what about mine, Onii-chan?!" quickly asked Suguha while stopping just under him, still on the water, making the gamer blink and look at her before his face reddened.

"Ehm…"

"Better yet, who you think look the prettiest in a swimsuit?" asked Rika with a knowing grin…definitively not crossing her arms under her breasts for teasing reasons.

There was a second of silence as everyone stared at the mace-user. Then, as one, every girl turned to look at Kazuto with shiny eyes.

To his surprise, the boy found himself deeply regretting having not staying watching anime with the newly hooked Kikuoka…

* * *

It was later that same day, the sun already starting to set in the horizon, when Kazuto was silently running through a park in Kawagoe, sighing as he went by.

Honestly, he still wasn't sure HOW he managed to get out of that one without the girls ganging up on him, but he was deeply thanking the Gamer's Gods for that.

The way back home had been a bit awkward, though, especially because he was sure Sugu had ben hugging him twice as tighter as before, and also muttering something about 'Never giving up' and 'Winning'.

His brain had been adamant about him not trying to think too deeply about it. Or about the many times the girls 'accidentally crashed' against him while they were swimming. He had been very glad to agree with his brain.

After all, as Saitama had once sagely said, _'I will leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow's me'_.

Sometime in the future, Future Kazuto would remember this moment and curse his past self. But that's not really important right now.

Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, the black-haired boy reflected once again in what he was currently doing.

More exactly, in the fact that he had already run 6 Km., still missing 4, after having finished doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats. As he had been doing the last 3 weeks.

"…why the hell am I even doing this…?" whispered Kazuto to himself while shaking his head.

Honestly, it was stupid. THIS was also the main reason why, lately, he had decided not to share with anyone, not even Sugu or Asuna, that he still conserved his 'inhuman' reflexes in the real world. And, a small part of him whispered, also probably why he had been able to catch Keiko at all the other day when she fell off.

Still, this was craziness. He didn't have ANY real reason to try and do Saitama's workout. It wasn't as if he had any need of getting the man's powers in reality (Not that he truly believed it was POSSIBLE in the first place, no sir). He wasn't planning to be a superhero, and there weren't any threats that even required such absurd strength. In fact, he was probably hurting himself more than anything, always requiring at least one hour of hiding in his room after returning home, so as to Sugu or their mother (In the few occasions she was there when he came back) didn't notice he looked like crap and could barely breathe at all. Even more, since he had started going back to school, he had told himself repeatedly that he HAD to stop this madness.

And yet, here he was again, despite the fact that he had been swimming some hours before, almost finishing with another day of 'pointless' training. If he had ANY common sense, he would stop right now, turn back home and never do this again. Never mind how he wasn't physically apt to keep doing this much more, Sugu (And everyone else) would probably beat him up if they discovered he had been doing something 'so stupid' in reality.

Shakily standing up, he turned his gaze around, almost ready to just go back…and his eyes caught sight of something 'strange'.

Almost 400 meters away from him, there was a girl swinging a sword on one of the many grassy plains of the park. It wasn't a shinai like Sugu (And he in the past) used, but a bokken. A wooden sword.

The strange part, though, was that the girl seemed to have no idea of what she was doing with it. Her stance was wrong, one that no swordsman with actual experience would ever adopt, wildly swinging the bokken before her with just one hand.

And yet…there was a strange sort of 'passion' in her swings. They were all deadly fast and, despite their wildness, there was also some kind of 'order' to them, all of them cutting through a specific area before the silent girl. No matter how weird or disorderly they looked, the swinging girl refused to even slow down.

Kazuto stared at her form for a couple of seconds more before shaking his head and looking back to the road. Silently, he started to run again.

It wouldn't really matter at this point, if he finished the last 4 kilometers, right?

Stopping her wild swinging for a moment, Asada Shino blinked and looked behind herself. The bespectacled girl only saw the mostly empty park and a boy tiredly trotting in the distance. Frowning, she turned her gaze back to her bokken and swung again.

"…not enough. Not fast enough…" whispered the girl to herself as she kept swinging, an unnatural determination on her swings. "I need to swing faster…to beat any gun…"

If someone had been near Shino in that moment, they would have seen an unnatural 'fire' burning behind her eyes…

* * *

In a dark room, a sinister figure stared silently at a computer screen, the only light visible in the dark room coming from it. On it, several articles about the SAO and ALO incidents were shown in different tabs and windows, and news about many of the new VRMMOs currently out or in development occupied a small place between them.

The sickly-looking young man scowled heavily, his eyes almost seeming to shine with a reddish light in the middle of the darkness.

"Idiots…all of them…they have all forgotten what fearing death truly is…what freedom tastes like…they're all just…!"

His dark monologue was interrupting by the room's door opening, making him squeak when the light of the perfectly illuminated hallway hit him in the face.

"Uhm, brother?" confusedly asked the boy of soft-brown hair standing there. "You okay? Mom says dinner is ready…"

"Goddammit Kyouji!" snarled the young man while glaring at his skinny little brother. "Can't you at least knock the door before opening it?! I was in the middle of something important!"

"O-oh, sorry about that…" awkwardly muttered the boy while shaking his head, turning around as he walked away. "I was just doing what mom told me…"

"…fuck it, I'm coming." simply growled him in response, standing up…

 **"Do you wish for power, Shinkawa Shouichi?"**

…only to freeze at the STRANGE and INHUMAN voice that echoed into his room. The voice coming from his computer's speakers.

Shouichi was vaguely aware of his brother returning to the room alarmed, apparently having also heard the voice, while he turned to look back at the screen.

There was a featureless mask of pure silver being shown on it, staring at him with two hypnotizing heterochromatic eyes.

One of a soul-chilling emerald green. The other of mind-searing orange amber.

 **"…or do you prefer _'Red-Eyed' Xaxa_?"**

In the ensuing silence of the darkened room, the wheels of Fate slowly started twisting again…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…eheheh…EHEHEHEH! Oh yeah…this is going to be SO much fun…Hmm? The preview for next chapter? Yeah, whatever, I don't care. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Phantom of Death'. In a world of desolation where only the strongest get what they want, a dark shadow slowly creeps over everything. What will happen when this causes a meeting between a certain gamer and the deadliest solo-player of this world of guns?...well, there you have it. NOW, Kyouji, move your ass! We have lots of work to do, ehehe-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And done. Wep, this interlude was the longest one yet. Hope you enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere (And the bit of fanservice XD) to calm down from the epicness and craziness of last chapter…because we're heading into an arc that's filled with LOTS of that everywhere, and we won't be able to really 'rest' too much for most of it :D!

Seriously, though, as many should have noticed, I decided to use the first part of the 'Special Edition' anime episode to make that scene (I'm not sure if I will use the second one, the one of the quest in the deep sea, but if I do it will be later…) minus, obviously the 'flashbacks' in it XP It was mainly to give the girls a bit more of screentime than for anything else, really, because as you all know, none of them gets much of it through the next arc. Even with the changes I'm planning, their interaction in most of the key parts of the arc will still be almost nothing because of the plot, so I wanted they to have more here. Of course, I'm planning on giving everyone more even screentime and interactions after finishing Phantom Bullet, but we're still ways to go from that, so please bear with it for the incoming chapters OxO

Well, that's it for now. As you can see there at the end, things are going to be way crazier this time around in GGO, so look forward to many crazy epicness and Kirito being forced to once again step in the middle of a mess to try and save the day…and not lose his slipping sanity in the process XD Next time, the official introduction of the character everyone has been waiting for, SINON! How has the madness of this world fully affected her :D? You will have to keep reading to know it!

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	20. Chapter 15: The Phantom of Death

And hello once again, my dear readers! Here is Saint bringing you all another chapter of this crazy story of mine =)

Well, not much to say this time, really, except that you may find some upcoming parts a bit 'too serious' for the usual of this fic, but believe me, they are necessary O,O More info in the notes after the chapter, so enjoy the read!

Oh, also, any help filling One Punch-Gamer's TvTropes' page is welcome! Honestly, there are too many Tropes that I don't know about and I'm sure the story has examples of, so if you spot any don't hesitate to go and note it down OwO!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: The Phantom of Death. Sniper meets Gamer…?**

 **September 9th, 2025. A badly illuminated bar, 'SPC Glocken' City. 23:30…**

It was just another late night in the strange and dark city. People went about their business in this strange world, similar yet different to the real one, ruled by guns.

And inside a simple bar, where many people were watching a TV interview to an important player…something terrible and sinister was about to start.

Everything seemed normal, in that moment. All kind of different-looking players, most of them following the stereotypical dress-code of army people, action-movies or anything gun-related, some just enjoying themselves or chatting with their friends, many hearing what XeXeeD, the winner of the last 'Bullet of Bullets', was saying in his interview of the MMO Stream's 'This Week's Winning Group'. Yamikaze, the one who had gotten the 2nd place in the tournament, was also there with him, having been invited for a discussion with the actual champion about Character Builds. Despite this somewhat interesting event, everything still seemed perfectly normal, just another night more in the virtual world…

And then HE stood up.

There was no warning. No great fanfare or change in the background music, no sinister sound or light effect…and yet, the moment the dark figure stood, everyone in the bar suddenly became keenly aware of his presence.

He was tall, and was wearing a full-body mantle with a hood over it. That alone would have raised suspicion in the real world, but in this one it wasn't something that could be truly considered out of the ordinary…

But there was something WRONG about him.

The cloak he was wearing…it was dark. TOO dark. As if it had been made by taking a piece out of the night sky, but taking away all the stars on it. And, if one looked closer, one could almost swear the darkness within was 'pulsing', whispers of it coming out of the mantle as if made of a dark fog.

Silently, the dark figure raised his head.

Two unnatural red eyes, shining like dots of fire inside ethereal darkness, stared up, making everyone who gazed on them shiver. But the unearthly gaze ignored them all, fixed on a single thing.

In the bar's television, which was showing how XeXeeD ranted about the superiority of Strength-Type players over Agility-Type ones.

Suddenly, the sinister darkness seemed to…'recede' somehow, starting from those unnatural red dots.

What was revealed, though, was perhaps even more terrifying, in a way.

It was a skull-shaped face, made of dark silver metal.

The Players who were staring tried to calm themselves, to tell themselves they were just making a big deal out of nothing, that it was just a strange piece of head-gear accessory…but, for some reason, there was something that just made them feel a cold dread as they looked at the 'face'.

Then, an arm emerged from the darkness of the mantle. It was wrapped in dark-red bandages, which almost seemed to be…'beating'. Like a heartbeat.

An all-black gun was on the dark figure's hand. It seemed utterly ordinary, nothing special about it, completely unimportant and unimpressive when compared to most of the rare weapons of that world.

But its mere appearance made everyone feel even more on edge. Because that 'weapon' was as WRONG as its owner. Something that…SHOULDN'T exist. As if wasn't made of polygons simulating to be metal, but of something far more sinister…darker…

And then, the dark figure finally spoke, with a deep, echoing voice, which seemed to resound into everyone's very souls.

"XeXeeD. Arrogant fool. Trash of the world. You have sinned, and have been judged. Your punishment…is Death."

The sinister 'player' pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoed through the suddenly silent bar as if it was an explosion in the middle of a calm lake. A black mark appeared on the virtual television.

For an instant, the thought of laughing at the 'stupid' action crossed through the gathered player's minds…but there was something, deep within them, a kind of survival instinct, which was telling them to not do that. To get as far away from HIM as they could. To run.

To Survive.

Darkness. Like a living disease, it started to spread through the television's screen, in an unnatural spider-web pattern. At the same time, everyone watching could see how, on the virtual space that was 'This Week's Winning Group's stage, XeXeeD suddenly froze, his face twisting in a strange and agonizing grimace.

His body then burst into polygons, an error message with the words 'Disconnected' appearing where he had been.

No one said a word, everyone frozen in place even as the screen that had been shot kept being covered with the spreading darkness. Then, slowly, the dark figure turned his crimson gaze towards them, somehow looking at every single one of the players inside the bar at the same time.

"…Fear."

A gunshot rang out again. A player that had started to stand to Log Out fell backwards, a bullet hole through his head, spider web-shaped darkness starting to cover his trashing form.

Screams started, even as several people ran or tried to materialize their weapons.

"Terror…"

More gunshots started to ran out, avatars falling down while writhing in agony as darkness spread to cover them, the screams increasing in volume as someone started to shoot at the dark figure with a machine gun.

The bullets went through him as if his body was made of smoke.

And then the Darkness EXPLODED outwards.

The screams increased again.

"POWER…"

A player called for his friends as he ran out of the dark edges, his mind screaming for him to not look at the shadows engulfing everything behind as he looked towards the bar's door, where two players he knew were screaming at him to go faster. Just a couple of meters more and he would make it…!

And then he stopped dead on his tracks, a sickly sound echoing through the air.

He was idly aware of his friends screaming and running away while he looked down, towards his chest.

There was a needle-shaped THING, made out of pure Darkness, stabbing his body from side to side. He couldn't even scream before it PULLED back, reeling him like a trap from hell and soon dragging him to the core of the darkness, face to face with those unholy red eyes.

"Remember it all. Remember and be afraid. Afraid of me. Afraid of us. Afraid of the NAME…"

The man finally screamed with all his might, even as the black gun's cannon touched his forehead.

 _"The name of **Death Gun**."_

BANG!

* * *

 **October 7th, 2025. Tokyo, Japan. A fancy-looking restaurant, 11:05…**

With a sigh, Kirigaya Kazuto opened the door and looked around with a mix of awkwardness and annoyance. This was the kind of place he would never come inside of…at least not by himself. And, definitively, only in an absurdly special occasion or something similar.

Being direct, the place gave you the impression of EXPENSIVE just by staring at it from the outside. Once actually inside, that feeling only seemed to multiply exponentially.

"…excuse me, can I help you with something?" suddenly asked a waiter to the silent boy, who easily noticed the man's slightly annoyed tone as he stared him up and down.

The gamer couldn't blame him, of course. His looks and age aside, not to mention being alone, the simple black and white clothes he was wearing didn't really gave the impression of someone able to pay for anything in that restaurant.

"Actually, I…"

"Oh, Kirigaya-kun!" called out a familiar voice, making the boy close his eyes and sigh with annoyance even as the waiter blinked and turned around, staring at the bespectacled man in the suit and tie waving happily their way. "I was wondering when you would arrive! Come, sit!"

"Excuse me, have a good day." dryly muttered the black-haired boy before walking towards the man's table and sitting at the opposite side, scowling at him. "Okay Kikuoka, no screwing around this time, get to the point: What did you call me for?"

"My, is that a way to talk to a kind government officer and fellow player? Relax a bit, Kirigaya-kun! Why don't you order something?"

"Because everything in this menu goes way above what I can save in months, thank you." acidly answered the gamer with a hint of annoyance.

"…I will pay."

"…Excuse me! Can you please bring me the biggest ice-cream dessert you have?" suddenly shouted the boy to a passing waiter, a hungry gleam on his eyes, making him blink in confusion before walking away. "…okay, talk. I have to meet with someone later, so please summarize it as much as you can. In 20 words, if possible."

"Sigh, so cold…" muttered the man while shaking his head. "Even when we see each other in ALO, you and your friends are always giving me the cold shoulder too…"

Thinking about the man's words, Kazuto realized he was more or less right. Despite Kikuoka having created himself an ALO Avatar (An Undine called Chrysheight), for 'investigation of Virtual Reality-purposes', as an obvious excuse to get closer to him and the others (For reasons he didn't even want to bother thinking about), they still pretty much ignored the man every time they 'coincidentally' met in a dungeon or in a Boss Battle.

No matter how 'innocent' the man claimed his actions to be, both he and Sugu knew there was _something_ about him that was…not good. One couldn't exactly call it 'evil' or 'sinister', but both Kirigaya siblings were sure that, whatever the hell was that the man was hiding, it would be better for them to stay away from it. The rest of his friends had been quick to follow his example, after they gave some explanations about from where they knew the 'excessively friendly' Undine.

Even so, when the man had called him yesterday to meet in that place, there had been 'something' that had told him to actually go and hear what he had to say. Perhaps he had noticed something truly worried in Kikuoka's voice. Perhaps he had felt that the bespectacled man wasn't kidding around this time. Perhaps it had been something else entirely…

But whatever it had been, here he was, and so it wouldn't do any good to think about 'What ifs'.

"I'm still waiting…"

"Okay, okay, I will get to the point." taking a tablet out of his briefcase, Kikuoka looked at him with unusual seriousness while showing him what was on the screen. "Take a look at this."

"What the…?" confused, the gamer stared at the several reports of people being hospitalized, and also what seemed like the tale of a sensationalist reporter written about a dark shadow attacking in a bar. "…what the hell is this?"

"The few info that the public was 'allowed' to know. Let me give you the full facts: Almost a month ago, this man…" the government worker pointed at the image of a confident-looking player with some dark shades. "…died. His name in the game VRMMORPG he played was 'XeXeeD'. In real life, he was Shigemura Tamotsu. The last time he was 'seen' he was having an interview in a popular online-show about VRMMOs when he suddenly seemed to have some kind of 'attack' and he was forcefully Logged Out without warning. Two days later, they found his corpse on his apartment after one of his neighbors noticed the bad smell and called the police."

"…and what's so strange about it?" asked Kazuto despite his sanity begging for him not to, almost feeling something crazy was about to be revealed. "Shouldn't the police just investi…?"

"Because there wasn't any sign that his apartment's entrance had been forced. He lived alone. Also, the police was unable to find any actual cause for his death. It's as if his heart just…stopped, for no reason."

"…a heart attack?"

"That would have been scary, right?" rhetorically asked the man before shaking his head. "But no, as I said, it's as if the man's heart just 'failed' and stopped beating for no reason. No trace of poisoning was found on him, and there weren't any wounds on his body. The only thing that the agents could say that was 'unusual' was a terrified expression on his face."

"…okay, I will accept that's a bit more unusual, but I still don't see how…"

"THIS happened at the same time." interrupted Kikuoka while pointing at the article on the small screen about the incident in a virtual bar. "Inside the VRMMO XeXeeD was famous in, Gun Gale Online, an unknown player suddenly started to declare something weird while they were broadcasting his interview, as if he had a grudge against him. Then he got a gun out and shot the image of XeXeeD on the screen. From the info we got from the 'survivors' of the incident, this happened more or less at the same time that Shigemura Tamotsu died."

"…wait, what do you mean by 'survivors'?" muttered the gamer, liking this less and less with every explanation. "Do-don't tell me that…."

"8 more people on that bar were 'shot' by this mysterious player that night. All of them, however, were thankfully found by their families or friends before it was…'too late'." sighing, the man looked to the side with a dark expression. "They're all in coma. The cause was certified as…epilepsy attacks."

"What?" Kazuto's voice was incredibly low as he asked the question.

"Whatever exactly happened there…it was something that seems 'out of place'. Unnatural. The people who escaped and we were able to interrogate…rambled nonsense. Crazy things, about a monster made of darkness with red eyes…" putting up an audio file on the tablet's screen, he suddenly lent the gamer a couple of earphones. "Here, heard this. It's what one of the 'survivors' managed to record while hiding under a table as all this happened."

Wordlessly, the black-haired boy took the offered gear and put it on, starting to play the audio file. His face went from surprised to shocked and finally to frowning as he heard what was happening, screams and gunfire filling the background several times…and yet the voice of the sinister player still was perfectly clear, like a knife cutting through the darkness and into one's very soul.

 _"The name of Death Gun."_ he finally heard before another gunshot rang out. The audio file ended shortly after.

"…okay, let me guess." raising his head, Kikuoka found himself very surprised at seeing the boy's deadpanning face. "Despite how crazy it sounds, you think this 'Death Gun' guy has 'powers' of some kind, that allow him to either kill or put someone in a coma as he pleases. And you called ME here because you got enough evidence to know that at least SOMETHING is happening and need 'specialized' help, right?"

"Uhm, yeah? I mean…there was another victim almost 2 weeks ago, another GGO player called Usujio Tarako. He was giving a speech in front of his squad when this Death Gun is reported to have appeared and shot him, 'Disconnecting' him…then other 3 members of his squad when they tried to fight back before they ran away. When we got word of this, I sent the police to investigate the addresses of all the 'disappeared' players in the real world. Effectively, they found Usujio Tarako dead for 'no apparent reasons' and his 3 squad members in a coma from epilepsy attacks. Again, no one had apparently entered their homes. Hell, 2 of the squad members lived with 2 or more people and they assure NO ONE got in there when this happened."

"So…he 'kills' only important people, and 'leaves in a coma' anyone else who stands in his way…" mused Kazuto before staring back at the bespectacled man. "You KNOW there is no real way he can truly hurt anyone from the virtual world, right? Especially with the AmuSphere safety features."

"Yes, and that's what is freaking out my bosses so much. We may be in front of another crisis for the VR industry, you know? The strangest thing, though, is how the ones in a coma just look…well, perfectly okay. As in, the doctors even guarantee they will soon wake up…it doesn't make any sense…" looking down, Kikuoka seemed clearly at a lost.

"So, to summary…you want me to get into GGO, find Death Gun, have him shot me to discover what's his 'trick' and stop him because no one in your freaking government agency supposedly dedicated to these things is competent enough to do so?"

"…uhm…yes? Not quite how I would say it, but…"

"Okay, where do I start?" sighed the gamer to the man's surprise, making him look up in shock. "I mean, I guess you should at least have A CLUE to guide me to this guy, right?"

"Ye-yes, in fact, we have reasons to believe that Death Gun may try and enter the 'Bullet of Bullets', a PvP tournament that is held to determine GGO's strongest player. The 3rd one is in 6 days, so…you are really going to do this?"

"I have the feeling I would somehow end up doing it anyways if you hadn't told me. I have started to resign myself that my life is doomed to always seem like the plot of some crazy action anime." muttered the boy before standing up…while still holding the very expensive and massive ice-cream dessert they had brought him. "Besides, I guess that it's a Hero's job to stop the crazy and spooky serial killer…God, how I miss the times when my life was just playing in front of my PC…" turning around as he started to talk away, Kazuto waved at the man. "Call me later to give me the details about this, okay?"

"You're not even going to ask how much we're going to paid you?" questioned the man with honest surprise.

"…wait, you're going to pay me?" blinked the gamer with honest surprise too, making the bespectacled man blink and curse, even as a smile appeared on the black-haired boy's face. "You know what…I am going to do this for 'free'. But…in exchange, you will owe me a favor."

"…what kind of…'favor'?" warily asked Kikuoka while seeing the boy's innocent smile.

"Oh you know, something or another." waved it off Kazuto while walking away. "It's always good to have someone from the government in your debt, right? And now, if you excuse, I have to meet up with a…friend. Later."

While still sitting stunned for 5 more minutes, the bespectacled man would realize too late that the boy had also taken both the bowl and the spoon from the restaurant with him when going away and merrily eating his ice cream.

The check was considerably more expensive than he had planned…

* * *

The Imperial Palace and its surrounding gardens were probably one of the most iconic places in all of Japan. Though not as famous out of the country as other places like Tokyo Tower or the many temples in Kyoto, no one who was native from the land of the rising sun could spent their lifetime without knowing about the beauty of this place.

It was the perfect place for families to come and have a good time, athletes to come and practice freely, average people to enjoy the view…

"Ah, Sensei! You came!" smiled Asuna while waving a hand towards the blinking Kazuto, who quickly shook off his captivated look at seeing her in the white and red jacket and skirt she was wearing, still not used to seeing her (Or more exactly, how pretty she was) out of armor despite having been out of SAO for almost a year.

"Ye-yeah, don't be so surprised about it. I promised I would, right?"

…and also a great place for couples to go on dates. Of course, this totally wasn't that, no. This was just two very good friends going out for a bit to chat, enjoy the view and have a good time. Two friends who just so happened two be a boy and a girl. One of which had openly confessed the like the other, who in turn had a huge crush on her.

…the most Kazuto tried to point it out on his head, the more he realized with 'horror' that this was totally a date. But he hadn't had the heart to deny his disciple's cheerful request when she called him to 'spend some time talking like the old times' the other day. At least she hadn't called it a date, but it had still made him very nervous the way in which Sugu had been STARING his way the last couple of days…

"Well, why don't we start moving?" Asuna's cheerful voice brought him out of his thoughts, the girl dragging him by the hand towards the east gardens. "We have lots to catch up to!"

"Asuna…we saw each other in school yesterday." sweatdroped the gamer even as he followed the girl's pace.

None of them noticed how a certain figure riding a bicycle stopped almost 600 meters from them, staring at the scene with a frown and tightly gripping her handlebar.

"So…you were right. They are here, Shiori-san."

The figure standing on the back of the vehicle sighed at this looking uncertainly at the girl 'giving her a ride' before scowling slightly towards the retreating pair.

"Yep. Told you my information network would work, Suguha-chan."

"…you just got Asuna-san to tell you by mistake where she was going, right?"·

"…are we going to follow them or what?" asked the information broker while looking to one side, dodging the question.

For the next 30 minutes, both teens walked calmly through the gardens, enjoying the weather and each other's company as they happily talked and questioned each other about several things they had been doing or planning to do.

They never quite noticed the two 'stalkers' following them, though, nor how darker their auras got with every minute that passed.

"Aahh…this is good." grinned Asuna while she and Kazuto sat on one of the area's many benches, a can of iced tea on her hand. "Reminds you a bit of the old times, eh, sensei?"

"Yeah…it does." softly muttered the boy while looking to the sky, his eyes wandering for a moment towards the view of the Imperial Palace itself before falling over the chestnut-haired girl. "Heh…remember when we spent three days going through the 3rd Floor's main jungle just to complete that Quest?"

"Hahah, yes! Your sense of direction wasn't very good back then…like Saitama's."

"Hey, I take offense in that! I DID learn to jump around to find directions better, it's just that that jungle was too damn thick!" half-shouted the boy in mock-annoyance, before both exchanged another glance and started laughing again.

"…what are they saying?! I can't hear anything from here!"

"Suguha-chan, we're almost 500 meters from them, I would be worried if you actually COULD hear them…" muttered Shiori before looking hopelessly back to the laughing pair.

Being honest, she was starting to lose any hope about her own feelings as the time went by, and she could see the rest of the girls from the guild going through the same.

She liked Kirito…Kazuto. She really did. She wasn't sure if she could assure with all her soul she loved the boy, but being a teenager no one really could blame her for not being an expert about her feelings.

When had it started? She could still remember the cocky guy from the Beta Test, always joking or getting annoyed with her, and she laughing openly with or at him. Then, when the Death Game that the true SAO had started, actually meeting his 'real' self and the crazy 'powers' he had obtained for no apparent reason (And that were even crazier for somehow being parallels of those from a manga). Quickly, she had come to see that he would become a driving force, a bastion of hope. Someone who could give everyone the motivation they needed to actually Clear the game…

Had it already started, back then? She could clearly remember spending many days with both Master and Disciple, befriending Asuna and getting to know both her and Kirito even more. Without almost noticing, the time she spent away from them became smaller and smaller, and she even actually started to spent most of her free time Leveling Up by taking advantage of all the information she gathered, just to be sure they didn't leave her behind.

Had she been chasing after her only two real friends, though, or after something 'more'?

…maybe it had been the day they investigated and did that nightmarish Quest together in Floor 22nd. She could still remember being scared shitless of THA THING while he acted just annoyed and nonchalant, always covering and protecting her. She could remember how she not only didn't complain but even welcomed her with an awkward smile when she started to openly stay with him and his 'group' during the whole Sachi incident…

When they announce their intention to form a Guild, she jumped in without hesitation. The United Heroes Association became her family, her home…

And when she realized it, she was already head over heels for the idiot in black and white. And, as she later had found out, every girl around him was too.

The 'funniest' part was that the guy hadn't tried to do anything to cause something like that. He had just…been himself. As if his mere way of being drew people towards him, and he made it his duty to do his best for them.

…maybe it was time for her to give up? She knew that she would probably never had the same chance as Asuna did, even if she gatehered the courage to actually tell the boy her feelings on his face. Hell, even the girl she was with right at that moment had more possibilities with him than her, and she was the boy's little sister (Adoptive, but still!)! perhaps it would be the best if she just…

The sound of her phone ringing interrupted her dark train of thought, making her blink. Confused, she stopped looking towards the chatting pair to grab it and look at it.

 _Argo-chan, don't give up! Everyone can be happy if we try hard enough!_

 _Kisses, Strea =D!_

Looking away from the screen, Shiori's gaze shot from side to side and around them at lightning speed, wide-eyed. Shakily, she touched the scowling kendoka's shoulder.

"Hey, Suguha-chan…did you tell Strea we would come here?"

"Uh? Strea?" confused, Suguha looked at the nervous girl behind her, idly remembering how WEIRD it was that the AI girl's attitude towards her adopted brother hadn't changed in the slightest even after kissing him, acting as if nothing had happened. "No…I didn't talk to her yesterday. Why?"

"…there are cameras around here, right?"

"…I think so? We're in the Imperial Palace, after all…"

"…I'm not going to be able to sleep soundly ever again."

Ignorant of the confusion going through the mind of his hidden little sister, Kazuto nervously stared to Asuna before looking up towards the form of the Palace once again. The girl had already been silent for almost 30 seconds, and the boy just KNEW that it meant something big. That the real reason for calling him out to this place was going to be revealed and…

"…Kazuto-kun." suddenly whispered the girl. "…we have been through a lot, haven't we?"

"…yeah, we have." slowly nodded the gamer, his voice even and serious at noticing how she wasn't calling him Sensei. "More than I could have imagined in my life, probably."

"…I think I have already made it clear before, but…I love you, Kazuto-kun." blushing, the chestnut-haired girl looked down before steadying herself and looking back straight at him. "So, that's why…I need to know! What do you think of me?!" shock filled the boy's face as he stared at Asuna's determined gaze, a strange 'fire' burning behind the girl's eyes. "I…even if you say you only see me as your disciple or as a good friend…I will understand. But please…can you tell me?"

There was a moment of absolute silence. The two watching girls held their breath, having slowly come closer until they could hear what the pair was saying.

Kazuto's face changed from surprise to guilt. Then, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if fearing the effect of what he was about to say, before apparently resigning himself and looking down.

"…I like you, Asuna. A lot."

The world froze. Asuna's face went to absolute shock to utter happiness. Shiori winced, hard, and ignored the sting she felt on her heart to look at the young girl in front of her, who suddenly seemed as if her very soul had been crushed…and was she going insane or she could 'feel' the BICYCLE shaking happily?

"Se-Sensei…I…!"

"…but…I-I like Sugu the same way."

The world 'blinked'. Everyone did. Asuna, Suguha and Shiori felt their minds suddenly suffer a crashing error when the boy's words finally registered.

"…uh?" dumbly muttered three female voices at the same time, though Kazuto could only hear one.

"I…I wanted to be honest, so I will. It…it's not right to see you always 'fighting' like that over me. It's not worth it and…I didn't want to make you sad, but this has to end. So yes…I like both of you." sighing, the gamer's voice suddenly seemed much lighter than before. "…you can insult me or whatever now, if you want. I won't complain, I probably deserve it…"

"…I see. Anything else you want to say, Sensei?"

"…uhm…I find all the girls in the guild very attractive?" ventured Kazuto, deciding that being totally honest probably wouldn't hurt him anymore in that moment.

The echoing slap that brought the two onlookers out of their stupor proved him wrong. Blinking, the black-haired boy found himself painfully staring at the sky from the grass-covered ground, a fierce sting on his right cheek.

Asuna blinked a couple of times before staring at her raised hand as if it was a totally foreign object. Then, her face twisted into a look of panic and guilt as she looked down at the boy.

"AH! I…I didn't want to…! I mean, it was a reflex and…and I'm used to you not even feeling it, so…!"

Apparently unable to properly form a coherent sentence, the chestnut-haired girl turned around and ran away as fast she could.

"…I totally deserved that." sentenced the gamer while closing his eyes, feeling both extremely relieved and extremely sad at the same time. He wasn't really aware of the sound of a bicycle speeding away or a familiar voice shouting. 'S-SLOW DOWN!', thanks to the turmoil currently running through his head. "…I need to tell Sugu the truth too when I arrive home."

Despite his words, Kazuto kept lying there for several minutes before finally standing.

He probably just lost his best friend, and he would probably lose any affection from his little sister by the end of the day, but he knew it had been long enough.

He couldn't stand seeing the two girls he loved (God, he had finally been able to think it without shivering) fighting for him when he felt he didn't really deserve any of them.

…the boy just wished that the thought wasn't so depressing. Hopefully, somewhere, someone was having a worse day than him…

* * *

Behemoth wasn't having a good day.

It had seemed like a pretty standard work day, when it had begun. Escort a small party of hunters through the eastern area back and forth. Cowards like them were what made his bodyguard job profitable, so he didn't really complain about how long the walk was, despite how extremely bored it had been. Just another day earning his keep in Gun Gale Online, the most 'difficult' VRMMORPG out there.

Then, the PvP squadron had attacked them.

He had been smirking like a madman when it started, taking off his hood and enjoying the look on the other team's faces upon seeing his GE M134 Minigun (That 'We're fucked'-look he loved so much) before starting to unleash hell upon them…when everything went WRONG.

The first sign the almost 10 players from both sides got that something wasn't going as it should was a sudden 'BOOM'. Then, Dyne, the leader of the PvP squad, flew backwards as his head was blown up, the shocked look on his face being the last team everyone saw before his cowboy hat flew away and shattered into polygons, followed by the rest of his body.

"SHIT! It's HER!" screamed the leader of the squad that had hired Behemoth, making everyone shout in panic and take cover, looking around and madly aiming their weapons.

The minigun-user was the less mobile of the group, in all senses, so he was opting to try his luck and staying out, now that everyone could see from where the Prediction Line would come…before it appeared over the broken wall behind which a member of his team was hiding.

He had enough time to blink before an armor-piercer bullet shot through the air and made the wall collapse, the scream from behind it and the sound of shattering polygons indicating the player had been ended even before the wall crushed him.

Behemoth turned around and, screaming madly, unleashing the full might of his deadly weapon in the direction from which the shot had come from, aiming at all the high points he could see on the ruined buildings almost a kilometer away.

The sound of another shot passing over him was an indication he had missed.

The following explosion of burning flames coming from the incendiary bullet and the startled screams of several players indicated that he was failing utterly on his bodyguard job.

Still, he HAD seen from where that shot came from. The others too and, any grudge they had towards one team or the other momentarily forgotten, all of them unleashed a rain of either bullets or laser shots in the direction of the run-down building.

Almost 10 seconds of continuous fire later, they all stopped, panting hard and staring towards the bullet-peppered structure with a look of relieved hope.

Then, the screaming sound of an engine filled their ears. Their eyes widened.

All the players scampered to try and change their empty magazines for fresh ones even as behemoth stared in shock at a cloud of dust coming their way, growing bigger by the second. He was still trying to aim properly at the fast-moving target when it sped over an irregularity in the road and 'flew' over them.

The post-apocalyptic style motorcycle seemed to go in slow motion over the shocked groups even as the minigun-user stared in absolute disbelief, unable to aim his weapon against it as it went over him. Riding on it, there was HER.

Her white scarf flapping madly behind her. her tight clothes hugging her figure in an almost indecent way, giving her absolute mobility. Her pale blue hair swaying at the wind, even as a futuristic blue 'goggles', not unlike Behemoth's, but way cooler than his, gave her the appearance of a masked cyber-warrior from a sci-fi movie…oh, and also the big-ass anti-materiel sniper rifle she was carrying with one hand and aiming down…oh shit.

The explosive sound echoed in everyone's ears as the rifle was shot, seemingly without even aiming, and blew to pieces one of the shocked players. The others were starting to react when the girl _swung_ the rifle to the side, the sound of the shell inside the barrel falling to the side with the action seeming like a death sentence, and SHOT again, blowing a third person to pieces.

By the time the minigun-user had finished turning around and raising his weapon, no other players but him remained and the bike was already touching ground again, starting to sped away. All of this had happened in less than 3 seconds. The man also knew that the magazine on the girl's weapon was empty.

With a roar of rage, fear and hate, Behemoth unleashed his minigun directly against the turning vehicle, his hidden gaze meeting the girl's 'visor' for an instant…before she JUMPED out of her motorcycle as she sent it careening forward against his hail of bullets.

The bodyguard player had enough to time to blink in a mix of shock and confusion before the speeding vehicle EXPLODED, unleashing fire and a massive cloud of black smoke between him and his target, the virtual smoke actually simulating the acrid smell and making him cough from the realism of it all.

Like an angel of death, the blue-haired girl shot from the middle of the black cloud, her rifle hung on her back, falling directly towards him. Utterly shocked, Behemoth hesitated for an instant before madly raising his minigun against the apparently weaponless girl…

 _Pssshhew!_

…and paid dearly for it when his dear and absurdly expensive weapon's canon was cut apart as if it was butter, together with his body, by the suddenly flashing edge of purple plasma.

He had enough time to see the girl landing and giving him a cold and emotionless look from behind her visor.

Then, he exploded into polygons.

Silently surveying the area, the girl confirmed that, effectively, no enemy were left before she powered down her lightsaber, or Photon Sword Kagemitsu G4, as it was officially called in that world, and hang the tube-like handle from her hips.

"…another day. Another victory." whispered the one known as Sinon to the empty air, raising her goggles to her forehead and letting her indigo eyes gaze forward. "…and I'm still not strong enough."

Turning around, she started to walk away. It would be a long way back to Glocken City without her bike, after all.

* * *

The sun was starting to set in ALO, but for the monsters that inhabited it, that didn't really mean much except some changes in their behaviors or spawn rate.

For the giant carnivore plant-thing that was lashing around with its tentacles, it just meant that the glare of the sun somehow blinded it (Despite not having eyes) and left it unable to evade the several burning shurikens that sped through the air towards it, the extra-elemental damage combined with its already low HP making it die and explode into polygons in a very brutal way.

"…and another down." stated Lisbeth while lowering her mace, looking back at the haunted-looking Silica. "Man, anyone would say you have a special grudge against that kind of mob or something…"

"Tentacles." simply whispered the Caith Sith while Pina sighed and patted her in the head with a wing. "Why do those things always attack with the tentacles…?"

"…I think she's a bit out of it." commented Sachi while sweatdropping, looking behind her as she lowered her spear. "Everything fine there, Philia-chan?"

"Perfectly." announced the Spriggan Ronin while sheathing her katana gain, scattering polygons showing what had happened with the small plant mobs that had tried to flank them as they dealt with the bigger one. "…say, do you think we should be worried about…'that'?"

In response to her words, the 4 girls looked around the open field where they were currently grinding mobs. Not far from them, Strea was in full Darkness Blade mode while Keita and the other boys made sure she didn't had any interference as she finished off another of the plant mobs that were the objectives of their current Quest. That wasn't what Philia was talking about, though, but what could be seen a bit further.

Over to one side, in an elevation of earth and rock that could only be accessed by flying, a silent Asuna mercilessly unleashed Dual Blades against 3 of the carnivore plant mobs at the same time.

The Undine didn't even blink as she slaughtered them, with an absent face as she cut them down.

On the opposite side, above the line of trees that marked the start of another patch of forest, Leafa flew, a similar expression on her face as she periodically shot down with her katana raised, only to quickly ascend after supposedly landing a solid hit on one of their targets hidden in the trees, like an eagle slowly wearing down a prey.

"They had been like that since we Logged In…" muttered Lisbeth while frowning at the two girls, slightly clenching God Hand around her mace even more. "And they haven't even said a word to one another…"

"Not to mention that they didn't really seem to be paying attention when any of us talked to them…" added Silica worriedly while looking to the side. "What do you think happened?"

"I don't know…but I'm willing to bet she does." pointed Philia while they all turned to look at the only present member of their guild that wasn't helping with the Quest at all.

Argo was sitting on a rock with a serious face, thinking very hard about something. On the Caith Sith's shoulders, an eagle-sized black crow cawed worriedly at her, but she apparently seemed not to notice.

"If Argo is ignoring Garasu, then something must be really wrong…" commented Sachi while looking worriedly at the Black Shadow Crow that their information-gathering friend had tamed months ago. "Maybe she's not at the same level with him that you and Pina, Silica, but she still respects the little one very much…"

"Of course she isn't. Mine and Pina's Ninja Way is so developed and close that we're already about to discover the secret that will allow us to combine our powers into one being." flatly declared the small Caith Sith, ignoring the deadpanning look of her friends while looking worriedly at the information-broker. "Still…I think it would be better if we go ask her what's going on."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" rhetorically asked Philia before marching her friend's way, the other startled fairies quickly following.

On the other side of the field, while Keita and the rest cheered for their victory over the carnivore plant, Strea let her usual smile slip down for a moment before looking worriedly at Leafa and Asuna. From her shoulder, Yui have him a pat on the cheek before the Gnome and the Pixie exchanged a silent glance.

This was bound to happen at some point. NOW it was when they needed to step in and 'start their plan'…

"Uhm, Argo?" blinking, the Caith Sith raised her head and looked towards her worried-looking friends, her pet cawing at them in greeting while Pina answered with a cooing sound. "Are you okay? You have been looking strange for the last 2 hours, and as Leafa and Asuna are acting even weirder, we thought…"

"…well, can't blame you for that, I should have guessed you would notice." sighing, the information broker stood up and scratched Garasu's chin while looking back at Lisbeth, the one who had spoken, but clearly addressing all of them. "I…have to tell you something. Something big, and I'm not sure of how…"

The sudden sound of something crashing with unreal force at the edge of the clearing stopped her dead on her tracks, her eyes shooting towards the familiar black and white form of a Spriggan, just standing from the small crater he had made.

The rest of the group had apparently noticed it too, for Strea and Yui were already greeting him, Keita and the other boys close behind.

The four girls that didn't know exactly what was going on, however, were keenly aware of how both Asuna and Leafa had just frozen where they were, their eyes going silently over Kirito's form (Which looked less ridiculous now that he had changed his spiky hairstyle back to his old SAO one) but not making any move to get near him.

They also saw how the Spriggan smile as he greeted the others and then waved their wave seemed both resigned and sad, and that he wasn't making any sign of going towards either the Sylph of the Undine either.

Their clear worry and shock was painted on their faces as they turned to look back at Argo, who was looking in the gamer's direction with a worried look.

"…so, what are you here, mighty leader?" joked Tetsuo while looking at the Spriggan, he and the other boys having also noticed that something was 'wrong', but knowing that it would be better to not ask their friend in front of the rest. "I thought we were going to meet up in Aincrad later?"

"Yeah, well…there has been a small change of plans, so I wanted to take advantage of the fact that everyone was already here to tell you all." informed the boy while looking around at everyone, his gaze looking a bit down as he forced himself to also look towards Leafa and Asuna for a moment. "…in a few days, you probably won't see me around for a couple of days, maybe more."

"…wait, what?" asked Strea with utter confusion, looking at him with alarm.

"Wha-what do you mean, Papa?" also questioned a clearly worried Yui.

Clearly aware of how everyone was suddenly looking at him with confusion, the Spriggan took a deep breath before looking silently at the sky.

"I'm going to convert my account to another game."

Silence reigned over the whole area, even Asuna and Leafa having looks of stunned shock on their faces.

Then, the expected reaction finally came

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **September 13th, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. 14:30…**

Walking calmly down a street, Asada Shino idly looked around as she headed back home, thinking about how much her life had changed in the last months.

Getting into Gun Gale Online and 'becoming' Sinon, her progress with her fear, the changes in school...

At that, her gaze flickered at the bag she carried on her back, where her bokken silently rested. She could still remember the confused and disbelief-filled looks she got when, 3 days after her last 'incident' with Endou and her followers, she entered the classroom carrying the bag with the wooden sword on her bag. Nothing had happened and she had ignored the strange whispers going around until, just before she went home, her homeroom teacher had asked her if she had joined the kendo club or something.

She had kindly answered that no, that she was only carrying the bokken with her for personal reasons. The aged man had nodded with a mix of confusion and worry and let her go. After all, there was no law in Japan that forbid a student that wasn't in a club to carry the 'harmless' practice weapon around.

The looks she saw on Endou's face when she and her two 'friends' went back to school 2 weeks later (One with a bandaged hand and the others with similar things over their noses), made it all worth it, though. In fact, the girl found she no longer minded the constant whispers going around, for they had stopped being about the 'sinister killer girl' and instead had started to be about WHY she carried a bokken to all places.

She found the doubt and confusion much more welcome than the previous hostility and reclusion. Though she was still 'alone', she no longer felt sad and unwelcome in her isolation. She was STRONG, after all. Still not as strong as HER, but she was sure she would soon be. Besides, she had...

Blinking out of her deep-thoughts, Shino looked at her ringing phone and answered it with a polite smile, stopping walking as she did so.

"Yes, Shinkawa-kun?"

"Ah, Asada-san, is great to hear you!" happily commented Shinkawa Kyouji from the other side of the line, the boy that had introduced the bespectacled girl to GGO seeming cheerful as always when they talked. "I just wanted to wish you luck for the preliminaries later. I'm sure you will manage to enter, of course, but as I may be a bit late to see you..."

"I see...well, thanks for that anyway, Shinkawa-kun." replied Shino while staring at the sky in silence.

The Bullet of Bullets. Gun Gale Online's 'strongest' was determined through the grand-scale tournament, and she was set on winning it this time.

Last time, in the 2nd one, she had been VERY close to do it, ending up in 3rd place. If that dammed Yamikaze hadn't caught her with his insane speed, she would had been able to win despite only carrying her trusted blade and a submachine gun.

But this time, it would be different. She had Hecate now, and when combined with her photon sword, she was invincible. She let the memory of how she had obtained the ultra-rare PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II, the sniper rifle that had changed her from just a crazy girl with a lightsaber into one of the most feared players of GGO, run through her mind again. Anyone who knew the events would have said she had been just incredibly lucky of the 'bug' that had allowed her to harmlessly tear down that absurdly strong mob's life from a place where it couldn't strike back, only to finish it by jumping down and ramming her sword into its brain (Just because she ran out of bullets, though), but she knew that it wasn't something as silly as that.

Just like how meeting HER hadn't been luck, getting Hecate had been the same. Fate.

This time, when she won the Bullet of Bullets, she would be close enough to her Heroine to leave all her fears behind. She was sure of it.

The only thing that had her a bit worried and sad lately, though...

Glancing to the side, Shino looked at a stand for newspapers, a minor article in the cover of one ironically reflecting her worries with only the headline: 'Bicycle girl gone?'

"...where are you?" softly whispered the bespectacled girl, remembering how the reports about the mysterious Heroine had started to become fewer and fewer until they suddenly stopped, without any apparent reason.

The most skeptical people said that the ones behind the 'Urban Legend' had grown tired of it and decided to stop spreading it. Those who truly believed in (And, in some cases, had been helped by) the masked heroine of the bicycle had started to debate the wildest speculations. Some thought the girl had just gotten tired of it all and decided to stop. Others that she had finally bitten more than she could chew and that a criminal too big for her had ended up taking her down, or worse. Some of the craziest theories even said that the Bicycle Girl had ridden away into the sunset towards some other place where she was most needed.

Shino knew most of it was craziness and silliness, though. As one of the few people who had actually met the masked Heroine, the bespectacled girl knew that she was as human as anyone else, but...'special'. Special in a way that she held a inner strength that could outshine anything she had ever imagined, and her actions were as pure as her determination was unbreakable. Shino refused to believe that she had been 'beaten', and she KNEW the Bicycle Girl hadn't gotten tired of her 'work'. The words that she had told her that day, that 'People like them reminds me why I do this' had been something that had seared into her mind as much as the revelation of how a simple sword could beat any mighty gun, just like how a teenage girl could ride a bicycle with helmet and health mask and truly become a Heroine.

But that still left a single question that had been gnawing at the corners of her mind for the last months, even as she pushed herself to become stronger both in GGO and the real world.

What had happened with the Bicycle Girl that had made her stop riding around saving others and bringing Justice?

With a sigh, Shino forced herself to forget about it and resume her walk back home. She needed to prepare to get into the BoB's preliminaries, after all. Besides, as much as she wished for it, it wasn't as if she was going to run headfirst into the answer to her question or something like that.

The only thing that truly worried her about the upcoming Bullet of Bullets was if she wasn't going to find a true challenge. After all, since getting Hecate, it was as if no enemy could actually pose a threat for her, always falling under her bullets or her blade, no matter how many or strong they were.

Hopefully, there would be someone who was actually Strong and that she could take as a worthy opponent this time...

* * *

Getting off his bike, Kazuto stared up towards Toritsu Central Hospital, from where Kikuoka had told him he would be Logging In, and headed inside while releasing a tired and slightly depressed sigh.

Four days ago, it had taken a while for him to reassure his friends that he wasn't quitting ALO and that his 'change' of game was something temporary, because of an 'investigation work' he had been asked to do. Technically the truth, though not all of it, but as much as the gamer hated no telling everything to his friends, he knew Kikuoka was, for once, right about the fact that it would be better to keep the Death Gun Issue under wraps. Besides, he had seen that they all still seemed worried even without knowing that, and he had a good enough idea of WHY to know he didn't need to worry them even more.

He still wondered how exactly had Sugu discovered what he had told Asuna that day in the Imperial Palace (Maybe the girl herself had called to tell her?), but the point was that, when he got back home, his adoptive sister already knew the truth. The way in which she had actively avoided him, then the silent way in which she had acted in ALO (Very similar to Asuna's) before he announced his 'work' told him that much, not to mention how she hadn't answered when he had knocked on her room's door to try and talk to her.

She had still seemed very worried the last four days, though, looking his way and seeming about to say something before falling silent when they ate. He had noticed Asuna acting very much the same in the breaks on school. He just hoped none of them thought it was the current situation was their fault, it was his and his alone, first falling in love with both of them and then letting both kiss him and not immediately answering.

Kazuto just wished everything could return to some kind of normality soon. Even if he could never be with the girls in THAT way, he still held them in a special place in his heart. Romantic feelings aside, they were still his little sister and his best friend. If things could return to just that, he would be happy enough. Besides, it was clear that everyone else in the guild was being affected by their current situation, and he didn't want to bring problems to his second family in any way, not when he had sworn to protect them from anything...

He was brought out of his deep thoughts by Aki, the nurse who had helped him on his rehabilitation therapy after SAO, who seemed really worried that he had just been nodding absently at her questions and that he hadn't reacted to whatever teasing she had tried to use to embarrass him.

The gamer reassured her that he was fine several times before following her instructions, putting on the several life-monitoring devices that she pointed for him (Which made the boy wonder if Kikuoka was really expecting him to suffer some kind of harm or die during this) and put on the already prepared AmuSphere.

"Good luck, Kirigaya-kun." smiled Aki at him while finishing calibrating the medical machines. "Take care, okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry Aki-san. I'm not planning in getting in anything too dangerous…probably." lamented Kazuto, actively trying to not think about how much his life seemed some kind of shonen plot before steeling himself and staring at the ceiling.

At least with some luck stopping whatever this 'Death Gun' was trying to do would help him forget about his currently screwed situation with Asuna and Sugu…

"Okay, everything set. Ready when you are, Kirigaya-kun."

"Link Start!"

With a familiar wave of rainbow-colors washing over his vision, Kirigaya Kazuto's mind abandoned his body.

Kirito opened his eyes once he finished materializing, the contaminated and metallic view of SPC Glocken City (Which had at one point been a massive spaceship in which the human's returned to earth after whatever disaster left it like it was now ended, in the game's lore) greeted his eyes.

"Well…I'm not really into post-apocalyptic games, but I guess this place is kind of cool…" muttered the gamer while looking around and then staring down at his hands, familiar white gloves covering them. "Yep, my 'beloved' jumpsuit and cape are with me. Also, I don't seem to be any taller or anything, so there go my hopes of the game-change actually giving me a cool-looking or epic look." sighing as he walked to a nearby building with more-or-less reflecting panels on the side, the black-haired boy tried to cheer himself up. "Well, at least my luck hasn't actually gotten worse and given me an even more ridiculous…WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

The scream, that caught the attention of several players around, was totally justified, in the disbelieving boy's point of view, because of the figure staring back at him with a mix of shock and horror from the glass panel.

His face was exactly the same, as always, and he was indeed wearing his familiar Saitama-like costume, but…okay, Kirito had always known that he didn't look exactly 'manly'. In fact, he was sure most of the respect he had gotten from being a 'Superhero' in SAO wouldn't last much if anyone ever knew that he and Sugu used to be confused as SISTERS when they were little (And not that he thought about it, he dearly hoped his sister kept the secret even now that she probably hated him)…

But that had been before his skin became paler. His eyelashes longer. His black hair now flowed down his back past his shoulders. And his eyes turned a black so shiny that seemed slightly purple.

For the first time, the stupid-looking jumpsuit had the totally positive effect of being the ONLY thing that stopped anyone from confusing him with a GIRL. No girl with enough self-respect would wear THAT, after all.

"…I don't know how…or why…but this is somehow Kayaba's fault." darkly muttered the gamer with a twitching eyebrow. "It HAS to be. I can't have such screwed luck so many times in a row…" his head hanging down, the resigned boy turned around to stare at the tall and dark buildings that surrounded the area, suddenly aware of one thing. "Ah…not having any fucking idea of where am I supposed to go. Saitama's greatest weakness."

Honestly, if the boy had been his usual self, he would have bothered doing all the research he could about the game in the 4 days he had had since Kikuoka asked him to do this, but with his mood since his confession about his (Stupid) feelings he hadn't been exactly in the highest of moods, so he had just investigating enough to know the basic lore of the world of guns and a bit about the different weapons people used in there.

Shaking his head and purposefully ignoring the guy who was trying to ask him if he would sell him his 'M9000' Type Avatar for a considerable price (Which was kind of a big deal, since GGO was the only VRMMORPG whose currency could be exchanged by actual money in the real world, and vice versa, though most players were just barely able to pay their monthly fee to keep playing), Kirito decided to get out of the area in a burst of super speed, leaving many people confused and looking around, wondering where the girly-looking and silly-dressed boy had gone.

Twenty minutes later, a black and white blur stopped in the middle of an alley in the labyrinthic city, finally understanding firsthand how frustrating it had been for Saitama to be unable to get where the Sea King was in one go.

"I'm lost." simply declared the gamer before sighing and staring out of the alley, starting to walk at normal pace and ignoring the confused or weird looks most players he came across sent his way. "…I guess I will have to ask for directions."

It wasn't a matter of pride, really. In fact, Kirito would have done exactly that at first if it wasn't because he was pretty sure most people would either mock or laugh at him, and while he usually couldn't care less about what suck jerks thought, he was, as repeatedly stated, not in the best of moods, and he didn't want to risk attracting some GM's attention by punching a player halfway through the city.

Lamenting the fact that this was the same reason that stopped him from just jumping all the way over a building and looking for any place that looked 'important', the black-haired boy stopped in and looked around in time to see a pale blue-haired figure turning a corner in front of him.

"Ah, wait!" called out the gamer while following after her, not noticing how every other player in the area had run for it with terrified looks the moment they saw the girl, who stopped and turned around with confusion on her indigo eyes, which turned to disbelief the moment he saw the weirdly dressed…boy calling for her. "Uhm, excuse me, but, could you please help me out? I'm new in this game and I'm a bit…lost."

"Yeah, I could kind of notice that, you…uhm…"

"Kirito. And if you're doubting it, then yes, I am a guy." deadpanned the boy before releasing a depressed sigh, making the surprised girl blink. "Sorry, not having the best of weeks and now converting my account and ending up looking like this…you could say I'm a bit edgy today."

"I…see." tilting her head, the girl seemed to consider the gamer's ridiculous looks for a moment, and Kirito thought for a moment that it seemed as if she wasn't really used to talk to openly other people. "…guess I will help you out, if it doesn't take much. I kind of need to do something important in a bit…"

"Oh, thank you, really. Last thing I needed was screwing up THIS too." muttered the black-haired boy with a thankful smile, the first honest one had in 4 days, before offering his hand to the blue-haired girl, surprising her even more. "Pleased to meet you, uhm…"

"…Sinon. Same here, I guess…Kirito." finished the sniper while accepting the handshake.

The moment their hands touched, both teens felt for a moment as if an electrical current ran up their arms.

Somewhere else, a dark figure stared with a sinister smile towards a computer screen, where several images, Sinon's included, were shown, before turning around towards a nearby AmuSphere. For an instant, a silver mask with heterochromatic eyes seemed to flash on his screen before vanishing without a trace.

On its throne above Everything, Fate leaned forward, his metaphorical chin over his crossed hands.

The time for Light and Darkness to clash was coming…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Greetings to all of you. I'm Behemoth, bodyguard for hire in Gun Gale Online, and I'm here to give you the next episode's preview. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Clash! Punch vs. Bullets!' As the caped hero makes his way into the world of guns, meeting an unlikely companion, so different yet similar to him, the Darkness and its shadows hang sinisterly over it all…Also, please, if you want any kind of help, call me. Seriously, since that maniac of Sinon destroyed my minigun, I haven't gotten a single job, and I only accepted doing this for-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's it! Such an 'intense' chapter, uh OxO?

But seriously, sorry for the less 'funny' and more 'serious' mood that the chapter overall has had, but it was needed. REALLY. Not only because the Phantom Bullet arc is actually a slightly dark and dangerous one in many ways (We got a serial killer, a girl with PTSD and a couple of insane lunatics around just in canon, for crying out loud), but because I finally wanted to start progressing a bit with Kirito and the girl's situation.

Honestly, as a writer, I could have probably just thrown the girls to his feet and having them all be happy with sharing a man since Season 1 without any problem, that's the kind of power and author has…but me and you all know that it wouldn't have been realistic, stupid even, and it would have made this story much less intense or funny. So yeah, while I have 'plans' for the future, for now we have gotten the more or less realistic reaction of both Sugu and Asuna to Kazuto being honest with what he feels, and he himself beating himself up for it . Both of them are angry and sad, yeah, but at the same time they know what kind of person our One Punch-Gamer is, and how he has always been honest and sincere with them, so they're VERY confused emotionally right now. Not to mention that the entire main cast isn't exactly 100% sane either mentally or emotionally, thanks to the 'Saitama-effect' Kirito has been triggering since chapter 1, so…yeah. That. Too bad no one has a plan made for this and that no strange and life-threatening event is about to happen to remind everyone how they feel about the idiot…wait a minute OwO

So, yes, expect things to get livelier in next episodes, and also the return of the usual sillines…and the action. There is no GGO-Arc without shamelessly exploiting action, and this fic won't be an exception. And I'm pretty sure you're all wondering about the 'Superior' Death Gun too, heheh…

Finally, Sinon! Yeah, she's finally in the story officially :D And she's WAY more badass than canon (How many noticed her Hecate was shooting things it SHOULDN'T been able to? Heh, wait for it…). Being honest, I was one of the few that were only 'really confused' about the extreme hype Sinon got when SAO II was announced. I mean, yeah, I had read the novels from a long time ago, and I really like her character, but I didn't understand why everyone made such a big deal out of her (And yes, we all know that she could one-shot almost everyone in the canon cast, except specific exceptions, but at the same time, even canon Silica and Lisbeth could easily beat her without effort if they got close enough. Hell, anyone who reads the novels would probably agree with me that fully serious Kirito could probably cut one of her bullets in half without looking even if she shot from 2 Km. away…). SO, to help myself (And her fans) a bit with that, I have had her Take A Level on badassery , both in reality and in the virtual world, in part thanks to the inspiration of a certain local Heroine XP! You will see more of how she has changed in next chapter =)! And also how different her interactions with Kirito are now that he, you know, isn't pretending to be a girl just to get help -x-

Well, that's it folks, got nothing more to say…except that you may want to pray to your God/s that the updating rate of the story doesn't decrease…because I just got Digimon Cyber Sleuth for my PsVita, and it's very hard to resist the call of the virtual world for long :P

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	21. Chapter 16: Clash! Punch vs Bullets!

Welcome you all once again, to another episode of One Punch-Gamer :P

Nothing really specific to say this time, except that, well, anyone else has felt that there are some 'annoying' bits about the Phantom Bullet arc? For example, that it makes the Japanese Government look a bit incompetent? I showed a bit of my 'annoyance' to this in the previous chapter, because if you can remember canon, Kikuoka and his team were unable to get a SINGLE fucking clue about Death Gun's motives, and he had to rely in telling a teenager classified information and asking for his help. Now, we all know that, in canon, this was because their 'killings' were quite absurdly complex and specific to do, but c'mon, couldn't they have at least deduced there was MORE than one person doing this by themselves? Kirito could pretty much deduce THE WHOLE thing after having just confronted the guy a couple of times, and that while protecting Sinon AND dealing with his own traumas! Not to mention, another showing of 'incompetence', Kikuoka somehow manages to get an audio file with the words of his first 'declaration' recorded but not even a measly DESCRIPTION of the guy to help Kirito identify him. When there were lots of players clearly seeing him in that bar. And when he obviously had to had talked with one of them to get that recording ._.

That's why, in this fic, I gave a bit of an 'excuse' to both things, with Death Gun's new 'powers' throwing Kikuoka and his folks for a loop of confusion and a bit of actual fear, and the nightmare-inducing scene of the bar making it hard that anyone present could remember properly WHAT the guy looked like, as they were all too busy fleeing in terror.

Just thought I should clarify that for anyone interested. Now please, excuse the rant and enjoy the chapter ^_^

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Clash! Punch vs. Bullets!**

 **September 13th, 2025. A lonely street, SPC Glocken City. 15:30…**

Walking through the shady-looking streets of the world known as Gun Gale Online, a very unlikely pair that caused both confusion and fear from everyone that saw them headed towards the Governor's Office, near the city's center.

Sighing again, the caped boy looked apologetically towards the blue-haired girl, awkwardly scratching his head.

"I'm truly sorry. It must not be nice to have people staring at you like this because of me…"

"Eh, leave them be, I learned not to care about what they think a while ago." simply shrugged Sinon, preferring to not mention that lately most other players just ran the fuck away the moment they saw her, as she sent a quick glance towards the girly-looking boy.

So far, he hadn't acted like anyone else she had known. Of course, seeing how she had literally had NO friends since she was very young because of 'The Incident' and that her father had died before she could properly remember him, she didn't really had much of a stretch to compare him with, except for the male population of GGO, which seemed to be formed of a 95% concentration of jerks that underestimated or looked down on the girls that played the game…and her only friend, Kyouji. And as much as she was grateful to the boy for introducing her to this world and for always seeming to be worried about her, she also accepted that he sometimes seemed a bit…TOO insistent, in many things.

Mainly things that had to do with what she did in her free time.

This Kirito, on the other hand, seemed to be a strange mix of polite depression and contradicting weirdness. His bad luck with his converted Avatar's looks aside, he had only questioned her about the game and hadn't tried to do anything stupid or annoying, as she had come to expect from the males in the game. Second, he didn't stop sighing every now and then, a clear sign that whatever he was referring to with the 'Having a bad week' statement was truly bothering him, but he was still here playing for some reason (Maybe to try and find something 'important', like she did?).

And finally, there was his absurd claim of wanting to register into the Bullet of Bullets. And not wanting to buy ANY equipment, declaring that 'I have everything I need with me'.

She just wished he meant that he had some kind of bulletproof vest or combat clothes on his inventory together with his weapon. After all, he did say he came from another game and he was used to fighting already, but he couldn't really be expecting to get into the BoB with a silly Superhero cosplay and barehanded, right?

Shaking her head out of those thoughts, Sinon just decided it would be better if she didn't think about it anymore. After all, she wasn't anyone to stop the boy from getting his virtual ass kicked if he wanted, and she was only helping him out because he had been polite enough. Once the Preliminaries started, he would be just another enemy she had to defeat on her way to become the Strongest…

The black-haired boy, meanwhile, was just feeling grateful of finally being headed in the right direction. He reminded himself he should probably thank the girl again after they arrived to this Governor's Office. He would be utterly lost and without any information about the tournament he was supposed to enter if it wasn't for her.

Honestly, his personal problems aside, he SHOULD have prepared himself better for this. This was supposed to be something important. People had DIED, and others were in a coma, for crying out loud! Seriously, this could be called almost as big of a screw-up as when he had tried to do the 'Saitama Workout'

With a somewhat nostalgic smile, the boy remembered that he could proudly state he had followed the insane (For someone of his physical condition) training regimen for 3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days.

Then, the 5th day of that week, Sugu had found him lying on the house's entrance hall face-first after coming back from kendo practice and, after panicking and asking/shouting in worry what was wrong, called for an ambulance.

Thankfully, he didn't have anything worse than a severe extenuation resulting of forcing his teenage body to his limits for far too long. A couple of days resting had been enough to get him back to perfect health. And while he wouldn't be punching down buildings anytime soon, he HAD become a bit 'stronger', so that was good!

…not so much good as with the girls' reactions when he was forced to accept WHAT he had been doing when the doctor asked, though. They were chewing him out for being SO stupid for HOURS. He didn't know even SILICA could be so harsh.

Of course, Sugu had been the one who had been the most annoyed with him, in part because she had been the one who found him and in part because both of them had often joked in the past about him trying the One Punch-Man training in reality. Asuna was also noticeably more annoyed than the rest, but not the same as her ex-vigilante sister, giving that she wasn't so 'understanding' about what it meant to try and do Saitama's training.

Thinking about that just made the boy release another depressed sigh. Too bad his life couldn't seem more like an anime with THOSE problems as well, otherwise either something absurdly complex or silly would be ready to fix it all soon. But really, expecting that to happen was both childish and stupid, so he could only hope to be able of fixing what remained of his relationship with his adoptive sister and best friend soon and…

"…Kirito? Are you hearing me? We are here already." blinking at Sinon's words, the gamer found himself standing at the entrance of the (at least on the inside) more futuristic-looking building, the blue-haired girl standing not too far away from him, just in front of some sort of 'Registering Machines' that she had explained him about before. "…are you SURE you're in any condition to try and participate in THIS tournament? I know it's impolite to try and pry in affairs of the real world, but if whatever happened to you is so bad, then maybe you shouldn't be here. The BoB is a brutal battlefield, and no one will show you mercy even if they see you like that, you know? In fact, everyone will most likely take advantage of it…"

"Uhm, no, it's okay." replied the black-haired boy with a small smile, walking forward and starting his registration. "I have to do this. Don't worry; I know how to take care of myself…but thanks for the advice."

Sending him a surprised look, the sniper quickly shrugged before starting her own registration. She didn't notice how Kirito stopped for a moment, blinking at the part of the process that said you needed to fill out some real world-information if you wished to get some of the tournament's special prizes, before looking around with a thoughtful look. Half a minute later, both teens had finished and once again stared at each other.

"Well then, are you ready for this?" asked the girl with a challenging smile before pointing behind her, the gamer following her as they made their way into the waiting area for the competitors, even as she explained him a bit more of how the preliminaries were going to be.

Upon entering, Kirito was quickly aware of many stares coming from the dark and burly-looking Players, carrying all kind of firearms, looking their way…before many froze and looked away, as if scared upon seeing his impromptu guide, which made him blink. Though he noticed a couple risked a look just to send disbelieving stares his way…

"Uh…seems like the people here is a bit hostile." idly commented the caped boy, despite the fact that he would have still remained unfazed even if the whole room pointed their weapons at him.

"Leave them be, more of them are losers or idiots. What kind of person lets his future opponents see what weapon they're going to use?" shaking her head as she stopped in front of a door, Sinon pointed towards one not too far. "Okay, here are the changing rooms. You can change into your battle equipment here, but I suggest waiting till the last moment before equipping your actual weapons, okay?"

"Uhm, yeah, I got it…" sweatdroped the boy while remembering the girl's explanation about how they would be teleported straight to their preliminary fights, not willing to tell her he DIDN'T have or need any equipment. "Well then…good luck?"

"I don't need luck. I make my own." answered her with a confident smile before entering the room. The gamer, meanwhile, took his opportunity to look around at the gathered players ignoring the mocking or disbelieving stares most were giving him as he tried to see if anyone around was likely to be 'Death Gun'.

 _"…knowing my luck so far, this guy is going to end up stumbling directly upon me or something."_ mentally sighed the boy while looking to the ceiling. _"Wonder how much crazier can my life get before the end of the day…?"_

"…oh, you're still there? Wait, why haven't you changed?!" turning around, Kirito blinked several times after seeing Sinon's 'battle clothes', the girl raising her visor from her eyes to stare at him in disbelief.

"Oh, no need, these…clothes are all I need. Also, I kind of see now why you didn't laugh openly about them…it would have made you a bit of a hypocrite."

Opening her mouth, the sniper seemed about to reply something before closing it and blinking.

"…okay, forget about that. Also, it seems we're in the same Block of battles, but in opposite sides, so we probably won't be seeing each other again…"

"Wait, doesn't that mean we would get to face each other in the finals?" confusedly muttered the black-haired boy.

"Yeaaah…it certainly means that, but…" looking at the caped boy again, Sinon decided to just shake her head. "Well, good luck in any case, Mr. 'Superhero'. You're going to need it if you want to get into the actual tournament; you NEED to arrive to the final round to do it, after all…"

"…wait. If you already qualify for the tournament just by arriving to the Preliminaries Final, what's the point of the last fight?" confusedly questioned Kirito, even as the blue-haired girl blinked again, truly surprised.

She was about to try and give an answer that didn't make seem as if the people running that game were as retarded as she sometimes thought when her body vanished into a blur of polygons. The gamer blinked once, before the same phenomenon happened to him.

The preliminaries for the Bullet of Bullets had officially begun.

* * *

"…okay then, let's do this." muttered Kirito once he had appeared on the open area, some trees on the distance, grass all around and some old-looking ruins. "Now, how to go about this…?"

His face not betraying anything, the gamer quickly jumped to one side as his instincts calmly informed him about something, his cape flaring behind him as a rain of bullets coming from some automatic weapon flew over the space he had occupied a second ago. Once 'safely' hidden behind one of the many broken ruins, the caped boy, closed his eyes to quickly calculate more or less from which point the attack had come.

Well, now he only needed to think of WHAT to do. After all, if he went in there all Superman and let the bullets splash harmlessly off his chest, he would most likely be disqualified and accused of cheating or something even before the actual tournament started, and he couldn't have that. Punching in the guy's direction and having the resulting blast blow him to pieces was, sadly, also out of the question, for the same reasons. Which meant…

"Where the hell did that clown go?" whispered Kirito's current opponent, the unimportant GGO player being almost as confused as the spectators when the kid cosplaying as a superhero had jumped out of the way of his shots as if he had seen them coming, which made no sense because the Prediction Lines hadn't even appeared and…

"I'm right here." quickly commented a voice behind him, the guy barely having enough time to let his eyes widen in shock before someone grabbed his head and slammed his face against the ground.

Then again. And again. And again…

When the player's head finally exploded into polygons, followed by the rest of his body, Kirito stood up with satisfaction and dusted his hands. On the observation area, everyone gaped at the screen in disbelief, many wondering WHEN the boy had moved there.

Hopefully for the gamer, if he kept his 'act' up and his strength limited as he had just done, they would still be wondering about that for his next rounds…

He had just started to entertain those thoughts when he found himself back at the waiting area, having just been announced as the winner of his match and told to be on standby for the next via a message.

Kirito was just about to try and look for a screen that showed how Sinon was doing on her battle…before a sudden VOICE spoke from behind him.

 ** _"…is that you?"_**

Turning around, the caped boy blinked before looking up.

There, staring down at him, was a tall figure, a player…but there was something that was just WRONG about him. Be it his soul-chilling red eyes, his sinister skull-metal face or the life-sucking mantle of absolute darkness that covered him, the hood seeming to cast ethereal shadows meant to announce the end of all things…

"…pardon me?" asked the gamer in extreme confusion.

"…I asked if it's you…the real one. It is YOU, right… **Kirito?** " asked the tall and dark figure once again, though somewhat less calm. "Yes, it HAS to be you. No one else would wear such stupid…."

"Have we met?" finally asked the caped boy with honest curiosity, staring obliviously at the red-eyed apparition.

The tall and dark being of shadows and darkness did NOT facefault. He was too sinister and evil for such a stupid cliché. Instead, he just cursed and growled before raising one of his sinister and red-bandaged arms from inside his mantle and stopped his hand just an inch away from the still staring Kirito, who just tilted his head to the side.

The gamer took that moment to notice that, just under his wrist, over the bandages, there was a familiar-looking tattoo of a waving coffin with a massive smile…

"…forget it. It must be just some stupid coincidence. After all, there is no way HE would forget about ME…yeah, no way at all." muttered the mysterious player before turning around. "…still, I will just kill you too for wearing THAT stupid costume. Goodbye." and then, he just walked away, melting into the shadows of the room, his mysterious and sinister aura somehow much less effective than when he entered.

"…if that guy ISN'T Death Gun, then I'm a master of the art of getting girls." deadpanned the boy before staring at the ceiling with the same stare. "Okay life, thanks for that, really. Anything else obvious you want to throw at my face? No? Good, then I will stop talking alone and get to the much more important matter of figuring out…WHO the hell is that guy? And WHY do I feel as if I should know him?"

The tattoo, at least, was a dead giveaway that this Death Gun was an ex-member of Laughing Coffin, but that didn't really help. They were a lot of crazy weirdoes in the 'killing guild', and they had caught and imprisoned them all sans PoH, but something told the gamer that that HADN'T been the sinisterly charming ex-leader of the guild. Still, that wasn't of much help either. There were many members in the group and he couldn't remember a single one of them for the life of him, but SOMETHING just kept screaming at him that he SHOULD know the guy. If only he could remember what his damn name was…

"…well, I will be dammed, you're still here." commented Sinon while looking at the distracted black-haired boy with surprise, Hecate now hanging from her back and her photon sword from her waist (There was no point in hiding them now that everyone had seen her first match), but she quickly frowned at noticing something seemed 'wrong' with the boy. "Hey…are you okay? What are you mumbling about?"

"Oh hell!" suddenly shouted Kirito while turning towards the sniper with a panicked expression, making her squeak in surprise when he grabbed his shoulders. "I'm having troubles remembering the names of people I don't give a fuck about! I'm becoming too much like Saitama!" blinking, the surprised gamer froze and let silence take away a couple of seconds, even as he slowly let go of the girl (Who was staring at him as if he was mad from behind her visor), and chuckled weakly. "Aha…hah…sorry about that, uhm…yeah. Sorry, Sinon…I…"

Thankfully for him, a blur of teleport took the boy away to his next match, saving him the trouble of keep thinking about an excuse that didn't make him sound like a complete lunatic.

"…okay. That guy REALLY has problems…" muttered the blue-haired girl while staring at the point the gamer had occupied a moment ago.

"Sinon! Hey!" shouted a sudden voice, making the sniper turn around to see a familiar figure waving at her and running to her side.

"Spiegel…hi there. It's good to see you managed to get here in time…" greeted back Sinon at the form of Shinkawa Kyouji's avatar, the boy of silver hair stopping near her and looking around with a conflicted expression. "Uhm…is everything…?"

"Say…wh-who was that…girl holding you a moment ago?" asked the machinegun-user with a somewhat nervous tone.

"That was a boy. Seriously, no girl would ever wear something as silly as that costume." sighed the blue-haired girl, not noticing the sudden dark look crossing through her friend's eye for a moment. "As for who he was, well, just another participant that I met before. He seems lucky, but he's also really odd and doesn't seem to have his head really here, so I don't expect him to get much far…"

"SHIT! That guy did it again!" the sudden shout and general murmurs filling the room made both players blink and turn around to look at one of the many screens, in time to see how Kirito, who 'somehow' had once again slipped past his opponent's guard without being noticed, threw the shocked rifle-user over his head, forcing him to let go of his weapon before starting to slam his face against a wall.

"…how the HELL did he do that?!" demanded Spiegel with absolute shock. "That…he shouldn't have been strong enough to do THAT if he was fast enough to slip past him! You can't balance AGI and STR like that!"

"…well, what do you know?" whispered Sinon while a challenging smile appeared on her face. "This guy may just be more than I had pegged him for…"

Whatever the silver-haired boy had to say about that, Sinon couldn't hear it, because she was teleported to her next fight in that instant.

The moment she appeared on the battlefield, though, any trace of her previous smile vanished, replaced by a cold and calculating look even as she ran for the first cover she could find. Quickly, she entered the nearest building and ran as far as she could to the top, quickly unslinging Hecate from her back as she entered the roof, positioning and aiming the anti-materiel rifle towards the area's main street in one smooth motion, before calmly looking through the scope.

Anyone looking would have thought that her 'visor' would make that difficult and annoying. And if this was reality, they would have been right, but…

"Activating." whispered the sniper as she was suddenly able to see the world's heat signatures.

…this wasn't the real world. So the modified headgear synched with her rifle's scope and granted her a modified night vision without any problems. A phantom of a smile tugged at the edge of the blue-haired girl's lips when she saw her target heading to a nearby vehicle, before she quickly suppressed it.

Right now, she was one with her weapons. She wasn't Asada Shino, a girl on her last year of Middle School. She was Sinon, one of the most feared players of GGO. The 'Silent Death' and the 'Merciless Edge'.

Slowly, with methodical precision, she let her hand move to the strange, red and blue attachment that seemed to have 'replaced' the area around her weapon's original barrel. I was a bit bulkier than the original one, and it was clear that it didn't belong to the weapon, but she didn't care about aesthetics, only for its worth. And that 'Alternate Cartridge' had been worth the month she had to spent without playing after having bought it, as she was unable to get enough money after to pay her monthly fee.

She saw how her opponent started the engine of the military vehicle even as she moved the add-on to one side. A small 'pop-up' on the corner of the HUD-view of Hecate's telescopic sight informed her, unnecessarily, that she had just changed to explosive rounds.

When the car of her opponent rounded the corner and seemed ready to sped down the street to try and get past her, she calmly squeezed the trigger while aiming to the vehicle's front, a small explosion being followed by a bigger one when the vehicle exploded, taking her opponent with it.

Sighing, Sinon stood up while deactivating her visor.

"Not a challenge at all…let's see if we can change that before the end of the day…"

* * *

The sun was starting to set when the blue-haired sniper was teleported to her final fight of the day. As always, she didn't waste even a second before turning and starting to run, taking in the area she was in (Some kind of abandoned highway filled with empty and useless vehicles) as she dove inside an old school bus and quickly hid beneath the windshield, only to quickly aim with Hecate through one of the bus' many holes an instant later.

She had been waiting for this moment for a while now. She KNEW who her opponent was right off the bat. That mysterious boy, who showed an unreal ability and skill, having defeated all his enemies BAREHANDED. The mysterious Kirito, dressed like a kid cosplaying superhero and acting like a crazy guy…clearly a clever strategy to fool his enemies and hid his impressive ability. She had to give the boy credit, even SHE had been fooled for a while, but 3 fights after seeing him fighting it had all started to make sense for her. And now, here she was, ready to fight and finish him.

Maybe he would be a bit more of a challenge than the others? Would he be the one that FINALLY helped her to see how strong she had gotten without falling in an absurdly easy way?

"…where the hell is he, anyway?" softly whispered the sniper with a small frown, trying to catch any sight of the caped boy with the girly avatar trough the depressing landscape, wondering if she should change to night vision…when an unexpected shout caught her attention.

"HEY! Uhm…Sinon? Yeah, I know it's you, I saw how you were totally dominating your fights earlier…" came Kirito's voice from somewhere behind the cars. "So, well, I wanted to ask…do you REALLY want to fight? Because, as I told you before, I only wanted to get into the tournament, and I think we both agreed about how pointless and silly this 'last battle' is, as both have already qualified for the real thing, but, from a gamer to another, I just wished to know if you still wanted…"

The black-haired boy was suddenly interrupted when Sinon shot to the fuel tank of the car he was hiding behind. A massive explosion ensued, quickly followed by the people in the waiting room cheering.

"…idiot, shouting away his position for no reason." disappointedly whispered the blue-haired girl before removing her gaze from her rifle's scope. "I guess I got my hopes up for no…"

"Okay then." suddenly came an extremely calm voice from the field's other side, making her freeze and everyone watching the match to gap. "Have it your way."

Sinon's gaze shot back into her telescopic sight in time to see the gamer jumping out of the curtain of black smoke the explosion had created, jumping from car to car and over the pieces of debris with extreme agility and seemingly no effort. The sniper let herself had a second of utter shock before quickly aiming and shooting again, straight to his head.

The boy moved it slightly to the side before the Prediction Line had even finished to form, the high caliber anti-materiel bullet passing him by and only slightly ruffling his hair.

What baffled Sinon the most, though, was that the gamer hadn't even BLINKED when the bullet shot past him, as if it was just an unimportant afterthought. A hint of 'something' sparkling inside her, she shot again.

And again.

And again.

And every time, she missed the black-haired boy by an inch.

Disbelief and excitement were filling her to such a degree that she almost thought she was dreaming when the gamer crashed through the bus' windshield, glass raining all around her as she looked up, seeing his long hair and cape flapping behind him as he raised his fist, cocking it back like a God of War about to deliver his decisive blow, an incarnation of unmatched power with a face made of darkness and two burning white stars for eyes.

For a moment, instead of him, the girl saw the mighty form of a heroine about to swing her sword to wipe out evil from the world…

Sinon stared in utter wonder…but still with enough self-conscience to remember to whip out her right hand from her waist, the crackling sound of her photon sword coming to life filling her ears as she slashed to cut down her amazing enemy…

The plasma edge was stopped dead on its tracks, just a cm. before touching the boy's face. Blinking in confusion, the sniper looked at her hand in shock, seeing the gloved left one of the black-haired boy over it, having somehow moved in less than a millisecond to stop her…

And then Sinon was flying through the air, having been thrown like a ragdoll through the now destroyed windshield, and crashing face-first against one of the cars, only to roll down into the ground, her HP in the red.

Back on the destroyed bus, Kirito winced as he turned around. That was NO WAY of treating a girl, deadly battle or not.

"Shi-shit, sorry! You okay?!" cried out the gamer as he jumped off the bus, staring at the groaning girl as she stood. "It's just…I was surprised when you whipped out that freaking LIGHTSABER out of nowhere (Which is awesomely cool, by the way), s-so I reacted by instinct and…!"

"…you were holding back." muttered the girl with a bit of awe, confusing the boy as she looked at him and raised her visor, cold and deadly eyes seemingly trying to stare into his soul. "You could have ended many of your other battles faster if you had done something like THAT…why didn't you do it?"

For a moment, Kirito seemed to fall silent…and then he sent a sad smile towards the girl.

"Because I didn't need to. This power of mine…it's not to use it without reason. It's to protect those I care about." as if having been waiting for his words, a rush of virtual air made his cape flap, the setting sun behind him giving his form an impressively cool look.

And in that instant, Sinon stared in shock, the boy's form being replaced by that of a girl with reflective glasses, health mask and a riding helmet, staring at her from the same position, though it was night and in a dark alley.

 _"It's not a problem. People like them remind me why I do this…"_

"…this is my loss." finally spoke the blue-haired girl, making the gamer blink in surprise to her as she opened her menu and selected the 'Resigning Match' option. "But make no mistake. When we meet again in the BoB…I will beat you. Until then, you better watch your back…Kirito."

And without even giving him time to answer, the sniper accepted the resigning option. The black-haired boy suddenly found himself being teleported even as he was announced as the winner of the preliminaries.

Sinon, for her part, was thinking deeply, extremely focused. She barely gave herself enough time to get out of the building that was the Governor's Office before Logging Out.

Asada Shino took off her AmuSphere, staring silently at the ceiling before a shark-like smile appeared on her face.

FINALLY! The challenge she had been waiting for was here! Some people would have been confused, or even accused the boy of having somehow cheated, giving his unreal ability in the fight, but she knew better. No one that was so much like HER would ever do something like cheating. Even more, he clearly had only been there for a specific reason, something that must have been important to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been there, trying to get into the Bullet of Bullets while being clearly depressed about something that had happened to him in real life.

Maybe, if she beat him, she would finally be a step closer to Her…?

Slowly standing up, the girl grabbed her glasses and put them on. Then, she stared at the small drawer across her room. Without hesitation, she headed towards it and opened it in one go.

Inside, the reproduction of a laser pistol from GGO, prize she had obtained from the last BoB, lie innocently. Shino felt her heart accelerating when looking at it. Hesitantly, she reached with her hand and picked it up.

She felt herself go dizzy, a horrible dread starting to spread through her body and mind as everything around her seemed to distort, the only thing consuming her world being that small GUN on her ha…

It stopped. All the dread, all the panic, everything…went away. Blinking, the bespectacled girl looked to the side and realized that, at some point, her body had unconsciously moved and she was now tightly grasping her bokken. Something between a smile and a frown appeared on her face at that.

It was a progress that had overjoyed her, at first. So long as she carried the blade, the feeling of security it gave her, of assured Justice that summoned the memory of her Heroine, her fear and terror towards the firearms vanished from the real world as seamlessly as it did when she was in Gun Gale Online. Even so, she knew it wasn't enough.

She couldn't just carry the wooden sword forever (Maybe), and she couldn't carry it EVERYWHERE. Maybe now, that she didn't go anywhere but school and sometimes to a café in the zone, there wasn't any problem, but she couldn't just let it stop there. While it was a progress, thanks to the inspiration she had gotten from the Bicycle Girl, it was just a step towards finally overcoming the phantoms of her past.

"Just you wait, Kirito…" muttered the bespectacled girl, fire burning in her gaze. "Next time we met, you will be in for the fight of your life."

Just getting out of the hospital and about to ride his motorcycle back home, Kirigaya Kazuto blinked and looked around.

For some reason, he felt as if someone was laughing at someone else because of him.

…he REALLY needed to go and talk sincerely (As he had never done with the school's counselor) with a psychologist at some point…

* * *

 **September 14th, 2025. Kirigaya Household, Kitchen. 11:30…**

The black-haired boy could still remember the days when he would sit at the table for breakfast and barely talk to his sister or (If they were there) their parents. He hadn't realized how lonely and sad that used to be until Sugu and he reconnected through One Punch-Man, and that's why he had cherished so much the lively meals filled with a conversation or just idly and smiley chatter since he got out of SAO.

That was why the current awkward silence as he and his adoptive sister silently ate their breakfast, trying to not stare at each other, made him feel so depressed, especially because, once again, it was his fault. Only difference was that now it was HER who didn't want to talk to him, and he could only blame himself for it.

He was so busy trying to think of something to try and start fixing what remained of their relationship (And to get out of his self-depression), that he almost jumped out of his chair when the girl suddenly talked.

"…Onii-chan?"

"Ye-yes, Sugu?! Wha-what's up?"

"…what are you doing in that game of guns you moved to?" bluntly asked the young kendoka, staring at him with a stare pretty different to the neutral one she had giving him the last days.

It almost seemed concerned…

"U-uh? I-I already told you and the rest, that annoyance of Kikuoka asked me to do some investigation about the game in exchange of stopping bothering us, so I…"

"Then WHY did you need to enter the biggest PvP tournament in the game?" inquired Suguha while raising the tablet she had been hiding on her lap, showing it to the surprised gamer, as it showed the list of participants of the Bullet of Bullets in a site about important gaming events, his own avatar's name staring at him from the screen. "What kind of investigation requires you to do such a thing, when we all know you could win with your eyes closed if you wanted?"

"We-well…" sweating bullets under his sister's scowl, Kazuto cursed he had been so distracted lately that he hadn't even entertained the thought that his participation in the damn BoB would be announced somewhere his friends could see. "I…need to check out the game's different play styles, so there is no better place for it than a PvP tournament, do-don't you think?"

A couple of seconds of silence went by, both siblings staring silently at each other, one with an indecipherable expression and the other praying to the Gamer Gods that she believed it…when Suguha simply looked down, sadly, making his mind stop.

"Onii-chan…you aren't doing something dangerous, right? I…know things aren't…at their best between us right now, but…you wouldn't just go and do something stupid again without telling me, or anyone else, right?"

Biting his lips, Kazuto had to use his whole willpower to not let the guilt crush him, reminding himself that Kikuoka was right about trying to keep all of this a secret as long as they could…and finding that that really didn't help to make him feel any better.

Still, he forced himself to reach over the table and grab his adoptive sister's hands with his, surprising the girl as he gently held her hands.

"Hey, Sugu, it's okay…you remember who I am, right? How did you call me…? 'One Punch-Gamer'?" letting out a chuckle at the memory, the boy put on his best confident smile. "Nothing can stop or hurt me! All enemies fall upon my mighty fists!" standing up dramatically as he raised a closed fist to exemplify his words, Kazuto suddenly realized how silly he looked and scratched the back of his head while blushing. "Eheh…heh…so, yeah, there is nothing you need to worry about, okay?" waving awkwardly to the blinking kendoka, the boy turned around and headed out of the kitchen. "See you later tonight!"

Staring silently on the direction her adopted brother had gone, Suguha frowned a bit.

Certainly, the boy still sucked at keeping secrets under pressure as much as he had when he was a kid. Still, what he had said WAS true, as far as everyone knew and she had seen many times. Nothing could beat him as long as he was the 'virtual Saitama'. No one in that tournament would be even able to come close to him, even if everyone teamed-up and started shooting rocket launchers his way.

Even so…she couldn't help but had that nagging FEELING that something bad was going on…

…she was also blushing and looking down at her hands, remembering the feeling of Kazuto's around them while her heart kept beating like a drum.

Conflicting feelings or not, one thing was certain: She still loved him. And he also felt something for her, which should make her unbelievably happy…if it wasn't because he had openly accepted to feel the same way for someone else (Who just SO happened to also feel that way for him), then left clear that he thought he didn't deserve the affection of any of them.

Dearly wishing that life wasn't as complicated as it was right now, Suguha decided that she should try and talk to Asuna when everyone met up to watch that 'Bullet of Bullets' (Now that she thought about it, maybe she should have told Kazuto they were going to do that, right?). It hadn't been even a week, but it was clear that the current situation was hurting everyone, and that needed to stop…

With a sigh, the young kendoka lamented that, unlike anime, there was no specifically designed character around to help her and the others get out of this mess all happy and smiling.

In the virtual world, Strea and Yui sneezed, before looking at each other in utter confusion.

* * *

Staring at his 'friend' as she talked way more than usual, while she sat on a swing from a local park, Shinkawa Kyouji found himself not as happy as he thought he would be in such a situation.

It may have had something to do with the fact that Shino wasn't talking endlessly about HIM, but about… _someone else_ , though.

"…and then he threw me over his head as if I weighed nothing! While I was STILL holding Hecate! Can you believe he was strong enough to do that?!" excitedly continued the bespectacled girl while grabbing the chain-links of the swing with tight fists. "And then…!"

"Hey, Asada-san…are you okay?" blinking at the sudden interruption and the 'nervous' tone on her only friend's voice, Shino turned to the side to see how the boy was staring at her with a weirdly worried look. "I mean…you have been talking about that guy, non-stop. And praising him. For almost 20 minutes. That's…not like you."

"Uh…really?" muttered the bespectacled girl while looking upwards, frowning slightly as she thought deeply about it. "Yeah…I guess you are right. It's just that, since I got Hecate and started using it with my Photon Sword…I haven't had ANY kind of challenge at all. I was even feeling that I could stand on the same level of guys like Yamikaze or XeXeeD like an equal…and that annoyed me because I KNOW I'm still not as strong as I want to. But that Kirito guy…" looking to the side as she remembered the moment he could see a reflection of her Heroine on the boy's words, Shino missed how a suddenly dark look shot through Kyouji's face, and it was gone the instant she looked back at him. "When I fought him, I felt something I had forgotten…the exhilaration of a real fight. A true challenge." suddenly, a predatory smile appeared on her face. "And when I beat him and win the BoB…I'm sure I will find the answer I have been seeking. I will understand what it truly means to be 'Strong'."

"…then I hope you kick his ass really hard, Asada-san." smiled Kyouji with a cheerful tone, getting closer to the bespectacled girl as he looked at her. "Because…I don't like it when you act all bothered like that…it doesn't suit you…"

"Oh, uhm, thanks for your worries?" ventured Shino while sweatdropping, slightly nervous at the boy's proximity.

Smiling even wider at that, the boy got closer to the bespectacled girl and tried to hug her.

Startled by the sudden action, the fan of the Bicycle Girl squeaked…and hit the boy between the legs with her right knee.

With a different kind of squeak, one of unholy pain, Kyouji fell over, his hands shooting towards his crotch even as his bespectacled friend blinked and stood up, panicking and worried.

"O-oh shit, Shinkawa-kun, I'm sorry! It's just that, you know I'm not very good with physical contact of any kind, so I…!"

"It's okay…Asada-san…I can wait…besides, this isn't…the most painfully traumatic thing I have gone through in these last months…"

"…wait, what?" confusedly asked the girl while looking at him.

"…nothing. Now, co-could you please he-help me stand…? I need to…call my brother for…reasons…"

And as she did just that, Shino couldn't help but feel that there was something that wasn't quite right going on…

* * *

It was half evening when Kirito arrived to the governor's office, most of Glocken City seeming already to be in nighttime because of the tall and absurdly close buildings. Idly, he noticed several people were looking his way as he walked through the room…though he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Well, here I am. About to enter a deadly battle royal in a world of guns, on some kind of island with several absurdly hard to navigate landscapes, with a serial killer that the government is freaked about enough to even consider the possibility that he can harm/kill people on reality from the virtual world on the loose…"

Silently, the gamer wondered WHEN had his life started to be so messed up that his teenage-romantic-problems seemed bigger of an issue for him than something like THAT.

Sighing, he decided to head inside the main area where people would be waiting as they got ready for the tournament…and found with surprise a familiar face staring silently out of one of the massive windows of the building.

Apparently noticing him too, Sinon turned around, her visor up on her forehead as her indigo eyes settled over his form.

For a moment, Kirito could have sworn he saw a shark-like smile appearing on the sniper's face, before the 'illusion' was gone and she was just walking towards him with her usual (That he knew) calm demeanor.

"Ah, there you are. I hope you are ready for this, 'Hero'. Unlike the preliminaries, the BoB itself is a true survival-test where only the strongest can get." pointing her powered-down lightsaber at the gamer, Sinon suddenly seemed extremely serious. "Show me that what happened yesterday wasn't a lucky fluke. I will be sure to match and defeat you this time, so don't you dare to lose to anyone else."

And with that said, the sniper turned around, walking away as her scarf flapped behind her.

Standing there in silence for several seconds, Kirito suddenly stared at the ceiling with a deadpanning face.

"What's with me always getting into some kind of problems with an absurdly strong girl when I try to 'be a Hero'?"

As expected, the virtual ceiling offered no answers.

* * *

ISL Ragnarok. Also known as Ragnarok Island.

This desolated and hostile place, somewhere in the dead sea of Gun Gale Online's post-apocalyptic world, consists of various geographical elements: it had forests, hills, deserts, rural and city areas, rivers, prairies and bridges…all of it abandoned and destroyed, of course. With also the standard ruins of a once grand city on its center, of course.

It was also the stage of the 3rd Bullet of Bullets. And, curiously, it was roughly circular and had some 10 Km. in diameter.

Some kind of superior force must have a very odd sense of humor.

It was through one of the many rocky hills of the area where Sinon ran; quickly stopping after arriving to the vantage point she had been looking for, which allowed her a perfect view over a bridge that was the only way of crossing that area's river for almost a Km. in each direction.

As she took position with her trusted sniper rifle, she couldn't help but feel a small bit of annoyance at still not having found her 'rival'. For all she knew, Kirito could have been teleported to the other side of the island as his starting point, as he was none of the few players near her when she looked the brief radar-locator every participant of the tournament had been given. Even so, she just hoped to get a chance of actually facing off against the caped boy again. He would certainly be more of a challenge than the two nameless idiots she had sniped so far.

Taking all those thoughts out of her mind, the blue-haired girl adjusted her sight with a small smirk as she saw the one known as Dyne, that idiot with the obsession to look like a cowboy, come running down the bridge, before turning around and aiming his rare assault rifle forward.

"C'mon, try and get me…" grinned the man while steadying himself, clearly sure that his current position and weapon would allow him to end anyone that tried to come his way through the bridge.

Sinon was musing if she should just blow his head up already when a gloved hand suddenly touched her shoulder from behind, making her freeze.

"Hey, Si…"

"KYA-!" the girl didn't manage to complete her surprised scream, or even to try and reach for her Photon Sword, because Kirito's hands shot both to her right one and her mouth, silencing her while looking at her with an apologetic and pleading look.

Incidentally, thanks to their position, his face was so close that the blue-haired girl could almost see her own face reflected on his eyes.

"Wait, please, don't shout! Hear me out…I'm going to let go of you, okay? I'm not going to try and defeat you right now, I just want to…no, scratch that, I NEED TO check out something about the player that's coming, Pale Rider, and I won't be able to do that if you blow up that guy with the cowboy hat before he shows up…okay?"

Unable to reach for her weapons, Sinon was forced to slowly nod while cursing herself endless times. How was it possible that the boy sneaked up on her so easily?! She had prided herself in her instinct to always detect anyone which tried to come too close, but the gamer had literally been like a ghost to her senses until he touching her shoulder!

"…what the hell are you talking about, anyway?" harshly whispered her once she was able to talk once again, mentally debating the pros and cons of just aiming and shooting him pointblank on the chest before Kirito could react. "We're in the middle of a tournament! Why would you want to check over other players instead of beating them?!"

"…because it's very important that I see if this Pale Rider is who I think he is or not." answered the black-haired boy while turning his sight away from Sinon and towards the bridge, surprising her with both his tone and face, she also turning to look back at the confident Dyne.

Was whatever the mysterious boy wanted to see the 'true reason' for which had entered the Bullet of Bullets out of the blue despite seeming clearly bothered for something important?

She was brought out of her thoughts when a figure that could only be Pale Rider stepped forward. It was a tall and lanky male, dressed in white-gray camouflage clothes and wearing a futuristic-looking helmet. He was also carrying a shotgun as he advanced towards Dyne without fear, as if he was the main character of some movie.

At her side, Sinon could hear Kirito sigh and curse at the same time.

"Okay, so it's not him. Dammit, will I need to run through the entire island to find him?"

"What?" questioned the blue-haired sniper while looking back at the gamer, as if thinking he was spouting nonsense…

When an unnatural WRONGNESS filled the air.

Both teens froze, their gazes shooting once again towards the bridge. They had been missing some of the impressive and unreal movements Pale Rider had been doing to evade Dyne's bullets (Though Kirito knew that Silica could do better with her own 'ninja moves'), so they were a bit surprised to see the shotgun-user crossing over the steel-beams of the structure…

But theirs, and the two fighters', attention was totally drawn when, from nowhere, a small cloud of Darkness materialized in the middle of the bridge.

The black shadows solidified, taking a humanoid hooded shape in an instant, crimson-blood eyes somehow STARING at Dyne and Pale Rider at the same time, despite not having even glanced in their direction, still looking straight down at the flowing river.

Unnaturally, the Dark One turned his head completely to the side and upwards, staring at the frozen shotgun-user.

"Pale Rider. Your sins have been judged. DEATH is your punishment." announced him with a dark an eerie voice…

And then Dyne screamed and unleashed the full might of his assault rifle against him.

Death Gun MOVED.

As if he was an unnatural entity just mimicking an human shape, the hooded 'player' bent to the site, turning around and jumping over the rain of bullets before materializing a black gun on his hand as he brought it out of his dark mantle, shooting only once.

The bullet hit the cowboy straight on the head, making him fall backwards with shock, letting go of his weapon…and unholy, spider-web-shaped Darkness started to spread through his face, even as he started to shake and make pained grunts.

Still staring at him, Death Gun seemed totally unaware of how pale Rider jumped, did a backflip on mid-air and headed straight for him, his shotgun in front of him like a lance of divine punishment as he fell down the hooded man's head…

And with a sickly sound, SOMETHING shot from Death Gun's dark mantle, long and needle-like, impaling him from side to side when there were still two meters of free-fall between them, making the Acrobatics-master let go of his shotgun from the sudden pull, the weapon falling down and vanishing INSIDE the hooded 'player'.

Dumbfounded behind his helmet, Pale Rider stared down at the tentacle-like limb that was impaling his body, the tip seeming very much like an unnatural needle…or an estoc.

His mind was still trying to process what the hell was happening when Death Gun's head turned around180º, his crimson eyes STARING into his very soul as his arm bent the wrong way just to aim straight to his face.

Another gunshot echoed and the crystal of the shotgun-user's helmet shattered, his body falling downwards like a broken ragdoll as the needle-limb of Darkness returned to the shadow-like mantle of the hooded 'player'.

The darkness was barely spreading through his head and his convulsions starting when he suddenly went limp and his body 'vanished', a signal of 'Disconnection' appearing where he had been.

Dyne's body, who was still convulsing and, for some reason, trying to claw at his eyes, exploded into polygons and showed a similar message an instant later.

His WRONG and unnatural body returning to a more 'normal human'-like look, Death Gun started to talk again, seemingly to no one.

"I'm the Judge of the Unworthy. I'm the Fear of the Weak Souls. **I'm Death Gun.** " his face turning to the side, the unholy crimson gaze suddenly fixed on what seemed like an holographic disc floating in the air a bit under him, apparently having been observing the whole scene. "And as an old friend of mine would say… _It's Showtime._ "´

Sinon remembered she was able to breathe and move the moment the English words were spoken and she saw the THING pretending to be a player raising his gun towards the holo-camera.

Then, she felt a rush of movement at her side and her world was shaken for the second time in the last minute when Kirito JUMPED through the air like a living meteor, clearing more than 20 meters without effort and crashing at the end of the bridge with a mighty crash, the virtual ground cracking around him.

"Wha…?" muttered the frozen sniper while trying to make sense of what was happening.

Death Gun, for his part, had stopped his motion to destroy the holographic camera in favor to turn and STARE at the caped boy, a hint of something resembling 'surprise' flashing for a moment in his inhuman eyes.

It was gone as fast it came, amusement and dark glee replacing it as he looked at the gamer's enraged face as he stood up.

"Heh…I KNEW it was you, Ki…"

Kirito didn't even gave him the chance to speak, crossing the distance separating them in less than a second and PUNCHING through the hooded player's body, his mantle seeming to rip from the pressure as he was sent flying back through the air several meters, heading straight towards the metal beams at the side of the bridge…

And he STOPPED, darkness shooting from him as his mantle 'regenerated' and it anchored him back to the ground, the shock on the black-haired boy's face only growing as the 'hole' he had made with his fist 'closed', tendrils of black mass filling it without effort.

There was an eternal pause as Death Gun's head, which had bent backwards from the punch, slowly righted itself, his crimson gaze fixing over the frozen Kirito.

He started to LAUGH.

Then, he threw himself off the bridge, tendrils of darkness shooting out of his body and towards the gamer as he started to fell to the water…before his whole body 'disappeared'.

Too late, the shocked boy realized he had somehow turned invisible when he felt countless and needle-tipped limbs he couldn't see ensnare his body, dragging him into the water as the massive splash in the river indicated Death Gun had just fallen into it.

He managed to hear Sinon screaming his name before he sank face-first into the water, still too shocked at the impossibility to react.

His enemy made himself visible again them, both his hands out of his mantle as he aimed his way with his black gun and what Kirito recognized as an all-black shotgun…identical to Pale Rider's shotgun.

"Goodbye, Hero."

Both weapons fired.

* * *

Sitting on the rented home that the United Heroes Association had in Yggdrasil City, Asuna looked silently at Fafnir's Fang and Elucidator as they waited for the rest to arrive, to sit and watch the 'Bullet of Bullets' together.

She could vaguely feel Argo and the other's worried eyes over her, and a part of the girl wished she could still attribute such a thing to their confusion as to how her old blades had remained when everything else from everyone's inventories had been 'wiped out', due to being incompatible with ALO, the moment they transferred their accounts. Back then, she had managed to brush it off by the 'usual weirdness that happens around Kirito' when they had revealed the events of what happened inside the World Tree the day they faced off against Oberon.

The only thing she hadn't told anyone about, not even Kirito, was her encounter with that…THING. The 'Entity'. The real reason she had, somehow, gotten back her swords when she needed then and…'transformed' in that way that, as she had later learned, was a clear parallel to the character called 'Genos'.

It wasn't because she didn't trust her friends, but because she wanted to forget about IT, even more after having seen how her blades were still there when she got her new Undine avatar.

Even the memory of that…creature made her shiver in a way that Sugou never had been able to.

…thinking back on the bastard, the Undine felt a phantom of a smile tug on her lips at remembering when they were told that he would probably spent the rest of his life (Whatever remained when he got out of prison) in a wheelchair, the damage to his nerves that her Sensei had unknowingly inflicted having been too great after the drugs he had used on himself wore off, having only worsened things for him in the end. Ironic and pathetic, just the way she expected him to end.

Wincing softly at the memory of when she kissed the black-haired boy, before knowing about the whole 'thing' with his adoptive sister/cousin, Asuna finally decided to sheathe her blades and put them away on her inventory. She shouldn't have slapped him. Yeah, it had shocked her, even hurt her a bit, when he had accepted to have feelings not only for her, but for Suguha too. But he hadn't lied to her, nor done anything remotely similar to 'cheating' on her. After all, despite her and his 'little sister' having openly stated their feelings for him, they were still 'just friends'. Hell, he had even been ready and willing to let her punish him for having essentially done NOTHING but tell the truth, because he felt he didn't deserve that they were fighting over him…or had kissed him!

Slowly nodding to herself, Asuna decided that it had to end. Yeah, maybe she would have to resign herself to only ever be friends with the boy she loved (Despite ironically knowing he also felt something for her), but, if it was the best for everyone, she could deal with it. The moment she saw Suguha-chan, Leafa in there, she would talk to her, and when they sorted things out they would also speak with her Sensei to get him out of his own depression.

The other girls, for their part, exchanged a confused look at seeing the Undine's demeanor suddenly changed for no apparent reason. Truth to be told, they had been really worried and conflicted by what had been happening with Asuna, Kirito and Suguha the last days, after Argo told them what she 'knew', some hours past the guild leader's 'revelation' about going to another game.

A selfish person would have thought this was the perfect opportunity for any of them to try to get a chance to push forward their own feelings for the boy, now that the two 'main rivals' were 'out of the way', but they would have NEVER even entertained the idea. Yes, they all loved Kirito, each one in their own and no less valid way, but they also were almost like family to each other, and to Asuna too. They had gone through things that almost no person alive could even dream about, together facing death every day. They were sisters in all but blood. And even if they had such a deep connection with Leafa/Suguha, they still had become very good friends of the upbeat cousin/adoptive sister of their shared crush.

To try and take advantage of their current suffering would have made them feel like scum.

Of course, that didn't mean that they knew quite well how to actually HELP them. They had tried it all on their own ways, from Silica offering cheerful talks about the difficulties of the Ninja Way to Philia challenging them to duels. Sachi had tried to give them moral support and Lisbeth even designed new armor just to see if she could make them give out a reaction from the gift.

As Argo had suspected, none of it had gotten the two girls out of their funk. In fact, the only thing that truly confused the Caith Sith was why SHE hadn't apparently tried anything to help…

"We're here!" turning around at the voice, the group saw Leafa's (To their surprise) smiling form entering the room. It was not a forced thing, though clearly it wasn't on the same level of the usual bright smiles the Sylph used to give, but it was still a massive improvement from her emotionless mask of the last days. "Sorry we're late; we got into some trouble getting some of the snacks…"

"You say troubles, I say 'There is no way that those guys were THAT stupid.'" complained Sasamaru while the boys from the guild, sans their absent leader, entered, carrying in their hands diverse Alfheim-native sweets, salad cookies and other similar things one usually ate while watching a movie or something similar. "Seriously, WHO starts a fight over a piece of cake?"

"Those Pookas, apparently." added Keita while letting the snacks on the table and shaking his head. "But seriously, let's forget about that and prepare to…uh? Where are Strea and Yui-chan? Also, weren't you going to invite Klein and his mates over here too?"

"Yeah, but for some reason they declined the moment we told them if they wanted to come see Kirito-san participating in this tournament with us." informed Silica while frowning slightly. "Klein-san said something about having to run to make some bets or something…"

"Isn't betting in these events kind of illegal?" asked a familiar young voice, everyone turning around in time to see the virtual sisters entering the room, Yui sitting on her little sister's shoulder as always. "Oh, sorry for the delay, by the way, we were…uhm…busy."

"Yep, we totally were!" cheerfully confirmed Strea while taking Gram off her back and giving it a last look before putting away the Demonic Sword in her Inventory. "So, did we miss Kirito kicking everyone's ass?!"

"Uhm, no, this thing just began, in fact…" muttered Sachi while staring at the Gnome, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to gather to courage to do so. "Say, Strea-san, uhm…"

"Yes, Sachi?"

"You see…I…well…"

"She wants to know WHY you still have that sword when Kirito stated repeatedly it was just 'being keep safe' until you could return it to its true owner." bluntly stated Philia with a calm look, the Salamander at her side suddenly squeaking and sending her a panicked look. "What? It's not my fault you are so badass when fighting but are still so meek when it comes to ask awkward questions to others!"

"Bu-but you could at least be more…!"

"Oh, don't worry, that's just because we tried and we couldn't!" dismissed it the red-eyed girl with a bright smile, making most of the people in the room blink. "Kirito tried to find that Eugene guy for months after ALO was opened again, with no luck! Not even Alicia-chan or Sakuya-chan were able to tell him where he was. And that time he tried to go to the Salamanders' Capital to ask directly for him, every Salamander screamed and Logged Out as fast as they could the moment they saw him!"

"…somehow, that doesn't really surprise me." muttered Liz with a faint smile after several seconds of dumbfounded silence.

After that, the group took seats either by the couch near the massive holo-screen showing the BoB's footage or the seats a bit further back, at the side of what looked suspiciously like a barman's bar.

Incidentally, everyone was keenly aware that Asuna and Leafa had deliberately sat on a couple of these last seats, at each other's side but away from everyone else, though they wisely decided not to comment on it and just watch how the players tried to slaughter each other with their firearms on screen, wondering when they would see their intrepid leader punching something.

"…say, Leafa-chan?"

"…yes, Asuna-san?"

"I…I think we should… _talk_." muttered the Undine while trying to keep their conversation out of everyone else's ears. "About…you know. Sensei. Your brother."

"Yes…to tell you the truth, I wanted to talk to you about that too." replied the blonde girl while looking away from the screen and staring at Asuna with a very serious face.

The older girl allowed herself a momentary shock at that. Sometimes, she had a hard time remembering she was talking with a girl 2 years younger than her (And not only in _that_ way). Suguha, when needed, could be so serious and mature that she seemed her same age or older.

Then again, maybe it had something to do with being a national-level kendoka and also the time her adopted brother had spent trapped in SAO…

"I see…so, I think I will be clear and direct with this…" continued Asuna while ignoring a random explosion echoing from the screen, Ducker vaguely commenting something about how that must have hurt. "…you really love him, right?"

"Yes, I do. With all my heart." whispered Leafa while a blush appeared on her cheeks, but never losing her serious look, even when the sounds of machinegun fire filled the background. "…and you too, right?"

"Yeah…he's the one who showed me how small my view of life was. How to be someone I never dreamed about…a better me. I owe him more than my life, in a way…" looking a moment to the side at the memories, the Undine also sported a small blush as she muttered those words, even as Pina squeaked from Silica's head when someone suddenly had their head's blown up on the screen, probably from a sniper. "…and I'm sure I love him more than anything."

"Neither of us wants to see him sad, uh?" smiling sadly, the blonde Sylph chuckled bitterly before staring straight at the other girl once again. "Say…what do you say if we stop this? I…promised myself I wouldn't give up on Onii-chan, but…I don't want to see him sad like this, to see how everyone else also suffers for it…"

"Me…me neither." accepted Asuna with a defeated sigh, staring back at the other girl before raising a hand towards her. "So…we talk to him, tell him he's forgiven, then stay just as…friends?"

Leafa didn't need any magic to tell how much effort it took for the Undine to say those last words. Even so, the Sylph did her best to put on a similar smile.

"Yes, I think that would be for the…"

"Or, you could always go with Option 3!" cheerfully whispered a voice from behind Asuna, making both girls freeze and slowly turn their heads to see Strea happily looking at them, Yui sitting on her head and staring at the television, but clearly fully aware of the ongoing conversation. "The one where everyone is happy!"

"S-Strea-san?!" almost shouted Asuna before remembering they were supposed to not raise their voice. "Si-since when have you been eavesdropping?!"

"And…what do you mean with option three…?" questioned the blonde Sylph with a mix of dread and…something else.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" asked the AI while tilting her head to the side, as if she thought both girls were being silly. "Both of you love Kirito. And Kirito loves both of you, right?" taking the girls' sudden blush and exchange of uneasy stares as an answer, Strea's grin just widened. "Then I don't see what the problem is!"

"You…don't see…?" started muttering the Undine before the Gnome cut her off.

"Yep! You can just be both with Kirito, and like that he and you will be happy!"

Despite how clear and simple they had been, Strea's words may have very well have been spoken in an unknown an ancient language that men was never meant to know, given the sudden 'crash' that both the girls' minds seemed to suffer after hearing them.

They spent several seconds of frozen silence, implications and…'images' shooting through their minds that made Strea extremely curious, wondering if they were testing the limits about how many times could the color of your face change from different edges of the spectrum inside the virtual world.

Finally, Asuna seemed to recover first before looking at the AI with a slightly twitching eye and a very awkward smile.

"Strea-san…I think you're mistaken…again. You see, that…kind of things can't just really happen in the real world. I mean, I know you may have a hard time understanding it because…"

"…because I am not human?" finished the Gnome with a suddenly serious face, making the Undine freeze on her tracks and look down ashamed, surprised when she heard a soft chuckle coming from her friend. "It's okay, Asuna. I know I'm not. Yui-nee isn't either…but none of you have ever judged or looked down on us because of that, right?"

"No, they haven't." finally spoke the younger-looking of the ex-MHCPs, still staring at the screen, but with a soft smile on her face. "Papa has been kind to us since the beginning and Philia-san, despite thinking we were crazy at the start, never changed her attitude even after fully accepting what we were. Everyone else too, they were surprised and incredulous at first, but they still welcomed us…like another member of the family. Like just two more persons." crossing her hands over her chest, the pixie seemed suddenly lost in thought. "We know we're not human, perhaps even more than any of you is willing to think about…but we're still happy to be with everyone here."

"There you have it, Asuna. Is as Yui-san says. I'm fully aware of what I am and what I am saying, and I also know that, by 'normal human standards', it may sound, uhm, how is the word…strange? Scandalous? Weird?" shrugging with a laugh, Strea seemed to momentarily forget they were supposed to be talking 'in secret'. "What isn't weird in your lives? You have two super-advanced AI's as friends, most of you have defied the very laws of the virtual world at least once, Leafa-chan's sword has some sort of weird sentience …" the Sylph seemed to squeak in surprise at that, even if Asuna just seemed more confused. "…and we're in love with a guy who can split the skies and reality with his fists if he wants, but still acts as a humble and somewhat idiot boy when he's with us. Why would this have to be different? Why can't we all be happy and forget about the worries of the world?"

"Be…because…ahm…I…" panicking at suddenly finding herself at a loss of words (For Asuna was scared that meant a part of her was thinking the AI girl was RIGHT), the Dual Wielder turned towards the silent Sylph at her side, searching for her. "Suguha-chan, yo-you tell her why this is so crazy!"

"…it is?"

"…what?" flatly muttered Asuna, feeling as if someone had suddenly cast a 'Stop' spell over her.

"It's just that…well, all that she said…from what Onii-chan told me, it is truth, right? And…don't take this the wrong way, Asuna-san, but, back then during the ALO incident, there were moments when I…hated you. A lot." fiddling her fingers with a blushing face, Leafa seemed to force herself to continue talking. "With how much Kazuto talked about you…with all the times that he went to the hospital to 'see all his friends', but always seemed worried about you first…I was sure he loved you, at least in some way, even if he didn't realize. And I…I felt that I didn't stand a chance. Yeah, we're technically cousins, but we have been as 'siblings' for most of our lives. Despite promising myself I wouldn't give up on my feelings without trying, a small part of me was sure that…he wouldn't see me as a girl, ever. So when I managed to…tell him the truth and I saw that not only he didn't hate me, but that…he may also feel 'something' for me…I felt like the happiest girl in the world. That's why I tried so hard to make him 'see me' more than you these last months, but…I guess I knew deep enough that he wouldn't just forget about you." sighing deeply, the Sylph remembered that evening some days ago, when she first felt extremely miserable at hearing the boy saying that…and then utterly shocked and emotionally confused after hearing him finish his 'revelation'. "What I didn't expect was that he wouldn't forget about ME on the same level…so, well, that's why…i-if we can stop this situation a-and try to get, uhm, a bit of happiness, even if we know it's probably not going to last…why don't we try it?" Leafa seemed to let a second of silence sink into the depths of the world as she said them. "I mean…we're still teenagers, right? Sho-shouldn't we try to, uhm…enjoy life while we can?"

"YES! That's the spirit, Leafa-chan!" cheered Strea before fixing her gaze on the gaping Asuna, like a hungry animal searching for a wounded prey. "Now then, Asunaaaa…what do you say?!"

To say the AI was ecstatic would have been putting it lightly. This was going WAY better than she had expected! Originally, she had just meant to make sure that, after they fixed their current 'problem', none of the two girls forgot or tried to suppress their feelings for Kirito, hence her 'teasing', but Asuna's sudden words had let her speak aloud what she truly thought without fear. Now, Suguha-chan was at least willing to try it! It was a great start!

…yeah, perhaps none of them knew she was being quite literal when she said she wanted to see EVERYONE happy, but she had enough contingency plans to deal with that when the time came. Right now, Suguha and Asuna were both the biggest obstacles and the biggest 'hope' for her and her sister's plan to work, and she had already 'half-succeeded'. Convincing Kirito himself would obviously be difficult too, but seeing how the boy was unable to deny the girls on his life when they all ganged up on him (And he had no way of 'running'), THIS was the only real challenge!

Now, if only the Undine could stop looking so indecisive…!

"I…well…uhm…!"

Whatever Asuna's answer was going to be, it was interrupted when she froze, eyes widening. Strea and Leafa suffered the same fate, all the awkward/excited/hopeful mood around them being crushed by the sudden feeling of WRONGNESS.

Their heads snapped towards the screen at the same time Yui gasped and everyone else in the room cringed in shock at seeing the scene, the mysteriously hooded avatar bending unnaturally to evade the bullets coming to him after having finished saying something they hadn't quite caught.

The loud gunshot and Dyne's falling body starting to be swallowed by darkness shook everyone to the core…but it was the sudden 'impalement' of Pale Rider that made them stand up, their gazes fixed on the unnatural phenomenon and the terrifying scene.

"What in the world…?!" shouted Keita while they saw how the shotgun-user was 'defeated'.

And then, he 'vanished', the Disconnection message sending an ominous feeling into everyone's souls.

Leafa became aware that Strea and Yui were shaking for some reason, even as their eyes were unable to leave the strange 'player' as his body returned to a more 'normal' state.

He turned around, staring straight into the camera that had let them see the 'battle'.

A spark of recognition shot through the original members' of the United Heroes Association minds, but it was still clouded by the unnatural wrongness they were feeling as the 'player' started speaking.

["I'm the Judge of the Unworthy. I'm the Fear of the Weak Souls. **I'm Death Gun.** "]

Something else was going through Asuna's mind, though. Something more…sinister. It was…

 _Heterochromatic eyes staring right into her soul, a feeling of wrongness filling her, but also of strength, unparalleled strength. Her body was suddenly made of metal, unfeeling but stronger, unstoppable, and a rage and hate unlike any other burned through her virtual veins (Circuits) as she wanted nothing more but to destroy the bastard in front of her…_

Releasing a quiet gasp, the startled Dual Wielder realized that not even as second had passed and that, thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed her 'episode'…

Except Leafa, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

["And as an old friend of mine would say… _It's Showtime._ "]

"No way…no fucking way." muttered Argo as she STARED at the screen, her fists clenching and unclenching.

"That…that thing…" gulping down, Sachi seemed to unconsciously grasp for her currently unequipped spear. "Is…?"

"Red-Eyed Xaxa…" whispered Asuna while everyone flinched at the sight of the black gun being aimed to the screen, as if Death Gun was pointing it to every single person watching the scene. "What…what in the world happened to him…?"

Anything the gathered friends could have thought about that, however, was interrupted when the scene shook and the hooded 'thing' turned around, the camera following cue in time to see how a black and white figure crashed down with mighty strength…and the mood once again suddenly changed in the rented house as everyone blinked.

"…is that Kirito?" voiced Ducker what everyone was thinking, even as the girlie-looking avatar dressed in the unmistakable jumpsuit and cape stood up.

If it wasn't for how the serious and enraged face their leader, friend and (for the girls) shared crush was sporting, they would have almost felt inclined to make a comment about his appearance.

Death Gun then say something they didn't quite manage to catch, because the sonic boom made by Kirito's punch roaring forward drowned it when he slammed it against the human abomination's chest, sending him backwards like a ragdoll…

But the relief in everyone's faces was short-lived when they saw how the figure 'unfolded', as if made of living solid darkness, tendrils of it stopping his body from being flung away even as the damage done by the unbeatable punch 'healed'…no, more like 'closed' itself, for the phenomenon was too wrong to be linked with anything healing-related.

Death Gun's laugh seemed to pierce into the group's very souls, and every lesser person that was watching the scene from another place suddenly felt the terrifying urge to run away.

Then, the thing pretending to be human jumped backwards, shot his estoc-tipped tendrils towards Kirito…and vanished.

The realization about the invisibility of the madman became obvious when they saw their friend being dragged through the air, still seeming as shocked as them, and fall down towards the river.

[KIRITO!]

THAT managed to snap almost everyone out of their shock, though. Not only because it was the voice of someone shouting what they all would have in that situation…but because it was a FEMALE voice.

The last thing they saw and heard before the camera was apparently destroyed was the loud sound of a weapon being fired and how everything in the screen suddenly exploded.

Static and a sign of 'Technical Difficulties' appeared on the screen for a couple of seconds before the view of other cameras was shown, different areas and places of Ragnarok Island and the ongoing Bullet of Bullets continuing as it nothing had happened.

Finally recovering his voice, Keita managed to speak.

"…well, at least now we know WHY he suddenly went to that other game, uh?"

The staff-user realized he should have probably kept his mouth shut when he felt the oppressive feeling settling over the room.

And somewhere, staring at several screens that showed all the live-footage of the BoB, a humanoid figure stared in silence with amber-emerald eyes.

It released a lone, quiet chuckle before continuing its watch.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…oh, uhm…hi? I'm Shinkawa Kyouji, Spiegel in GGO, and I'm here to give you the next chapter's preview this time…Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'True Strength!' A Hero and Warrior. A Demon. All three have a meaning and an idea for 'strength'. Which one's is he real one, though? And who will be standing still when their deadly clash ends?...man, what a shocking development, though. WHO would have thought something like THIS what's going to happen in the middle of the BoB, uh?...why are you all staring at me for? I have nothing to hi-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Woah, that's that! Man, this is the longest non-season end chapter…I don't know if that's good or bad, judge it yourselves XP

Ah, who doesn't love some good cliffhangers, eh…? No, wait, no one does. Not even me. Yet, I keep doing it…I think I may a problem O-O

SO! Really, how many were thinking the 'depressive' thing from the past chapter was REALLY going to last or that it would end in killing the 'fun' of this fic? Because really, anyone would say that you forgot that Strea and Yui had been carefully preparing to 'strike' for a while now -w- Of course, deadly crisis had that annoying way of ruining 'important' discussions, but things have started to move from that end too :P (Remember people, like OPM, no matter how hard it tries sometimes, this story isn't really mean to be 'too serious' at heart, it's mean to be fun and entertaining, no more XP)

And at long last, the BoB starts, with way more madness and a nightmare-fueled Death Gun ready to be unleashed. As you may have noticed, I took some changes with everyone's reaction to 'him' too, not only because of his 'changes', but because of another of those bits I mentioned before 'annoyed' me about this arc when I read/watched it for the second time. Okay, so, despite how Xaxa was being ABSURDLY non-subtle about his identity, what with going around with the LC Tattoo and the red-eyed skull mask, I can perhaps accept the bit in canon that Kirito couldn't remember him and then his name for most of the arc because of his trauma, and perhaps that Silica and Lisbeth couldn't either (Despite, you know, Laughing Coffin being one of the most 'important' and widely-known things that happened in Aincrad after the tragedy of the 25th Floor Boss)…but that not even Klein and Asuna, two Front Liners that even happened to PARTICIPATE in the raid against LC, and that should have been present for all the info-gatherings about them before it? Do we really have to believe they couldn't remember it in the slightest either, despite the only 'relevant' members beside PoH were him and Johnny, and Klein could immediately deduce Death Gun wasn't PoH O-O? So, in here, everyone gets to recognize him on sight, though they're still shaken by his new 'powers'. And Kirito doesn't because of the Saitama-effect of always forgetting about people he doesn't really give a fuck about XP

And also, what I'm sure everyone is curious about, let's ask the question: Can any of you tell in WHICH One Punch-Man's character are Death Gun's new 'powers' loosely based in, before the obviously hint and eventual reveal in next chapter? It shouldn't be too difficult, even for anime-only watchers OxO

Okay then, that's all from my end for now. See you all next time, which may be the end of the Phantom Bullet arc (Man, that was fast!), unless I drag the most 'epic' scenes too much and leave the after-BoB bits for the actual last one XP

Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	22. Chapter 17: True Strength!

More than 600 followers. 550 reviews. A view count of over 90000…

Every time I watch this info on my PC, I kept waiting to wake up on my bed and find that it has all been a dream…but it's not. Thanks again to everyone who has made this story the biggest thing I have ever written. I hope you can keep enjoying it till the end, my dear readers =)

So! Many tried to guess whose character the 'powers' Death Gun was showing were from, but only a few actually did get it right, because most of you were centered around the 'tentacles' bit instead of what Death Gun was REALLY showing to be able to do :P The true answer is…well, why ruin it for those who didn't get it before it's actually revealed XD? Enjoy the chapter, folks!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 17: True Strength! The meaning behind a Punch!**

 **September 14th, 2025. ISL Ragnarok, Gun Gale Online. Inside a river, 18:35…**

It was one of those deadly situations so typical of shonen manga.

The hero was caught in a seemingly impossible situation, about to 'die', with no way to escape…

So Kirito finally reacted, 'tugging' at his binds and breaking the steel-grip of the tendrils with laughable easiness before moving his head to one side, evading the gun's bullet while his other hand shot around him at hyper speeds.

He opened it and let go of the many spherical 'balls' of darkness that had come from the shotgun's shell at the same time he touched the river's floor. It all had happened in less than 2 seconds.

Death Gun, despite having red 'lenses' covering his eyes, visibly blinked.

That was when the gamer scowled, reared back his fist…and saw how a bullet hole appeared on the hooded player's head.

Then everything EXPLODED with brutal violence, the underwater detonation sending him careening backwards through the virtual liquid from the surprise.

He had never thought about the annoyances of underwater-fighting, after all.

Up on the bridge, Sinon finally arrived and inspected the damage she had done with a small grimace. The side of the structure was all blackened and parts of it had fallen down from the explosion. It shouldn't have been possible for her weapon to do that, even with GGO's slightly lax attitude towards destructible structures, but she was sure that it had something to do with the fact that her…'acquaintance' had somehow cracked the edge of the road just in front of it.

Sighing deeply, she turned around. She regretted having just killed both Kirito and the sinister…THING together, but in her panicked state of mind from earlier it had seemed like the best idea. Whatever that 'Death Gun' had done to Dyne and Pale Rider, she didn't want to see it happening to the caped boy too, so the best option had been…

The sudden sound of splashing water caught her attention, making her turn in shock in time to see the gamer jumping back on the bridge, shaking himself like a wet dog and sighing before deadpanning at her.

"Okay, I know I may not be in your friendly list right now, but did you really have to blow me up underwater? That sent me spinning backwards all dizzy!"

"You…what…? I-I just hit you almost point blank with one of Hecate's explosive rounds! Those are enough to take down even a vehicle, how the hell are you unharmed?!"

"Ehm…well…"

Before Kirito could even try to make up a proper excuse, another sound froze both teens' minds dead on their tracks.

The sound of water splashing.

Heads shooting to the side, the 'Superhero' and the sniper watched in shock how a dust-like mass of blackness shot out of the water and spun together in what seemed like a small tornado or a cloud of sinister shadows, before it solidified again at reaching the shore, Death Gun's dark and, apparently, unharmed form STARING at them.

"Futile…you cannot stop me anymore, Kirito. No one can…" as he muttered those eerie words, the hooded being slowly vanished from sight again. "Now look as I turn this tournament into my playground…"

"…yeah, because that's not ominously cliché or anything." cursed the boy before turning to look at Sinon with an apologetic/worried look. "Hear, Sinon, sorry about this but I think our 'fight' will have to be postposed till later, okay? There is a dangerous psycho on the loose that can turn invisible and can seemingly regenerate from even being blown to pieces, so I need to go and stop him before anyone else gets hurt."

"Yes…I can see why THAT may be a problem." deadpanned the girl before slinging Hecate over her back. "Okay, lead the way and be sure to explain exactly what the hell is going on as we go."

"…what?" confusedly asked the boy before the sniper sent him an annoyed glare.

"I'm going with you, of course! That bastard is up to no good, and he made it personal the moment he tried to ruin this tournament!" turning around, the girl started to run towards the other side of the bridge, not even bothering to look back. "Now let's go!"

"Wait, wait, are you serious?! Didn't you just saw what just happened?!" demanded Kirito while easily matching her speed and staring at her in disbelief. "That guy can shot needle-tentacles from his body, is virtually unkillable AND can turn invisible! Not to mention, I'm pretty sure he somehow got Pale Rider's shotgun and used it as if it was another extension of his body…"

"All the more reason for me to help you then, right?" challenged Sinon while giving him a sideway look. "Hear, newbie, I have been playing this game for months and you for barely 2 days. You NEED me to get around here, and even if you could somehow discuss that I'm still going to go on with this…besides, as you say, that guy can turn invisible. What's stopping him from being staring at us and watching our every move right this instant?"

At that, the gamer blinked before looking uneasily around, the sniper doing the same as if she had suddenly realized the meaning of her own words.

"…you may be right; sticking together may be for the best."

"O-of course…" replied the blue-haired girl before coughing and looking back at him. "Now then, that explanation?"

Sighing, Kirito started to give her one.

It wouldn't really do him any good to keep the secret, now that she had seen firsthand what this 'Death Gun' could do…

* * *

Keita wasn't exactly a prideful person, but a part of him had long accepted that, when situations like this arose, HE was the one who needed to be the voice of reason among their friends.

Namely, the 'Kirito did something stupid and all the girls were at the edge of murdering something or losing it completely'-kind of situations.

Asuna could be the official 'Second in Command' of the Association, but when she was also busy debating between strangling or worrying about her beloved Sensei, the ex-guild leader from the old Black Cats was the one who had to try and keep order.

Key word: Try. He didn't had any wish to become the target of the girls' unstable emotions, so he just safely stood aside with the other boys while watching over everything, hoping things would eventually calm down, but ready to intervene if something truly got out of hand.

Oh, and also mentally cursing Kirito without end. Friends or not, he REALLY hated when the boy did something like this without thinking how the consequences would affect someone other than him…namely he and the other boys.

Talking about them, he noticed with a glance how Tetsuo and Sasamaru were standing close to one another and glancing uneasily at the pacing females, eyes shooting from time to time to the holo-screen, and that Ducker seemed to be muttering something to himself in a low voice.

Finally, a change in the clearly on edge group happened when their missing member entered the house again, Leafa having a serious look as everyone's eyes immediately shot her way.

Asuna didn't was any time in running to her side, speaking before anyone even had the time to open their mouths.

"So?"

"I called Kikuoka…san. He's Logging In right now and I told him to come here. The moment he does, we're going to demand some explanations about WHAT exactly did he ask Onii-chan to do."

"…and if he doesn't want to talk?" questioned Argo while playfully moving her claws, which Keita could have sworn hadn't been there a second ago.

"Then we will have to be a bit more 'forceful' with our questions." confirmed Asuna what everyone was thinking, a scary understanding coming from the gathered girls as they slowly nodded.

The boys present decided to wisely keep silent and not express their opinions on the matter.

"We-well, why don't we try to calm down a bit?" commented Tetsuo while looking at everyone, apparently eager for the murderous intent in the room to be reduced. "…hey, Ducker, what are you muttering about?! Perhaps some new joke?!"

"No, not really, I was just trying to calculate the absurd possibilities of Kirito actually getting a girl worried over him in a game where seemingly 99% of the players are male and that he hadn't been playing for even 2 hours!" confusedly commented the Imp, sadly not noticing the panicking eyes of his friends as he raised his head. "How does he even…do…?"

Ducker was suddenly aware of the empty stares every girl in the room was giving him, which forced the boy to suffocate a terrified squeak.

Luckily for him, the door chose that moment to open and let a certain bespectacled Undine enter the room, looking around in confusion

"Uhm, hi everyone. Did you want to talk with…?"

Chrysheight, Kikuoka Seijirou's ALO avatar, hadn't even finished his phrase before releasing a scream of shock as several shurikens flew through the air and hit the door around his frame, making him freeze in place. Then, a darkness-covered Gram stopped an inch from his neck, Strea's sinister red eyes staring at him from beyond the black haze that Darkness Blade gave her. The shining tip of a spear ready to extend itself followed shortly after, courtesy of a scowling Sachi, and a calm-looking Philia casually stood to his side; hand over the shining hilt of her sheathed katana.

Behind them, Asuna, Leafa and Argo stood (Swords and claws openly visible), Silica a bit on the background while idly 'playing' with more shurikens on her hands, Pina yawning from over her head as he stared at the frozen government agent with a face that seemed to said 'You fucked up, man'.

"Hello there, _Kikuoka-san._ " smiled the blonde Sylph, making emphasis on using the man's real name as a way to let him know how serious (Or pissed) they currently were. "We have some questions for you, about my brother, and we would REALLY like that you answered all of them truthfully."

"Indeed. Otherwise, you may find that there are quite an interesting number of 'unpleasant' things one can experience in the virtual world despite being unable to feel any pain…" added Asuna with an equally 'cheerful' tone.

"Also, why the fact that HP doesn't go down in a Safe Zone it's not always a good thing." finished Argo while staring at the man like an especially evil cat (…rat?) about to play with its prey.

Quickly panicking, Chrysheight sent a pleading gaze to the only persons that still seemed to have some sanity in the room: Keita and the other boys.

The males of the UHA just exchanged a glance before sending a sympathetic look at the bespectacled Undine, then sitting with Yui (Who was now in human form) to keep watching over the holo-screen in case Kirito showed up again.

That would be but the first of many times Kikuoka Seijirou would curse his job in the upcoming year.

* * *

The respectably-sized city on the center of Ragnarok Island was extremely detailed and quite an awesome representation of what many otakus would call a typical post-apocalyptic or Zombie Apocalypse setting.

Kirito could accept it was cool, but he was more of a Fantasy-type guy, so he wasn't as impressed as most people would had been, even as he and a silent but wide-eyed Sinon hid behind a ruined wall, the boy staring at his satellite-radar as it showed him the current localization of all the BoB's participants, as it did every 15 minutes.

The gamer could see quite a few massive holes with such a system being used for a tournament like this, especially taking into account the sheer size of the island and that it was intended for only one participant to remain standing, but decided not to point that out in favor of looking over the names of the players closest to him and his impromptu partner with a confused frown.

"…so, you are here to stop a serial killer under a petition from a government officer."

"More or less. But don't go around saying that, I don't want you arrested because of it or something." nodded the boy while touching one of the glowing dots and looking over the name of the player.

"…a serial killer who can kill people for real from the virtual world…"

"That's impossible, no matter how you look at it." cut her off Kirito while looking over more names in the few seconds of satellite-scan he still had left. "While I do accept that Death Gun can do SOMETHING to people in reality, you can't KILL anyone from the virtual world. It was only possible in SAO because of the Nerve Gears and a specially hidden order in the code, it's impossible for the current AmuSpheres to do anything like that."

"…yeah, let's not forget the bit about you being a survivor of Sword Art Online." muttered Sinon while staring again at the caped boy. "And…you're supposed to stop him and uncover whatever, uhm, 'scam' he's using to make everyone believe he can harm someone from this world…"

"Oh no, he most certainly CAN harm them in some way." commented Kirito as if it wasn't a big deal. "That's why I want to stop him as soon as I can; any potential non-lethal victims in this tournament are in maybe more danger than the ones he's actually planning to 'kill'…"

"Wait, what?! But you just said it was…!"

"I said it was impossible to _kill_ someone from here, I never said you couldn't HARM them. It's very possible to cause real damage to someone in reality from a virtual world. In fact, I myself know this firsthand." looking up, the black-haired boy remembered how Sugou had ended pretty much paralytic for life after taking one of his punches back in ALO when the 'Pain Absorber' was set to 0…which was a clear sign that you couldn't really be KILLED from anything done in virtual reality, because otherwise his punch wouldn't have left even a memory of the bastard. "But I don't know HOW he is doing that either, because the only way I know cannot be used in any of the current VRMMOs out there, and even if it could, the method could only be accessed by an admin…"

"…just WHO the fucking hell are you?!" finally shouted the clearly distressed sniper. "Some kind of virtual cop or super spy?!"

"Nah. I'm just a Gamer playing Hero for fun." idly commented Kirito before standing up, eyes narrowed. "And now I'm sure there is something I'm missing here…hey, Sinon, remember when I asked you which players in the tournament were new compared to the last time?"

"…yes, I remember." deadpanned the girl when it was clear she wasn't going to an answer that make more sense from the boy. "Why?"

"Because there is one I can't find anywhere, and I have been going around the island to be in very different and almost opposite points of it the 3 times the satellite has passed overheard till now. The one whose name is some foreign word, but not in English, something close to that…"

"…Sterben?" asked the sniper after a bit of difficulty remembering. "Now that you said it…that MAKES sense. I mean, Sterben means 'to die' in German…wait, did you just said you went around the ENTIRE island in the 15 minutes intervals?"

"Yeah, I ran from place to place." waved it off the boy while thinking deeply about the implications of what Sinon had just said, even as she once again stared disbelievingly at him. "Hmm…I think everything is starting to come together…good thinking with that, by the way, Sinon. I totally suck in other languages except English, and that last one only recently…"

"It's…not a big deal. I have a friend that's the son of a doctor, and the word is apparently a medical term usually used when a patient dies…" muttered the blue-haired girl before blinking and frowning. "…well, now we know that. So, what's the plan?"

"We have a couple of players nearby…the closest one is someone called 'Musketeer X'. I'm going to go and see if Death Gun is anywhere around he directly, you cover me with your rifle from somewhere high, okay?"

"…no problem." informed Sinon after staring several seconds at the gamer's face. "I can do that from the building at the other side of the street. Now get moving. The faster we defeat this bastard, the faster we can have our fight."

"Of courseee…whatever you say." sighed Kirito before shooting forward through the street and disappearing in seconds, running as fast as a car. The sniper STARED after him for a couple of moments before shaking her head, softly whispering something and starting to run towards the building she had mentioned before.

It wasn't lost to her, as much as the boy had tried to hide it, that he was actively trying to keep her away from the battle using her status as a sniper as an excuse. A part of her felt outraged by this, because she knew she was strong enough to be perfectly capable of fighting without having to hide if she so wanted…and other part of her felt slightly relieved and grateful to the boy.

No matter how strong she thought herself to be, she knew that she still wasn't _really_ strong. Not like her heroine…or how that boy dressed as a comic's superhero seemed to be.

And after having watched that…THING that was 'Death Gun', despite Kirito's assurances he was just another perfectly normal human like them under the avatar, a part of her couldn't help but feel a deadly uneasiness at the mere presence of the…

Not even blinking, the blue-haired girl unslung Hecate from her back and shot to the side, blowing the head of the invisible player and forcing his headless body to materialize. Luckily, she was quick to jump behind cover as it raised a hand that quickly sprouted a black shotgun and started to calmly unleash its projectiles against her, with deadly accuracy.

The sniper could appreciate and be surprised by how good shooter Death Gun was, despite the small issue of currently lacking a head.

"…that was annoying." darkly declared the dark one as his head and hood finished regenerating from the unholy mass of darkness that seemed to make up his body, his red lenses/eyes shining again when they fixed back on their place. "Can I ask HOW did you know I was there?"

"I was trying to make it look all the while as if I was actually worried about you being invisible, in case you were actually spying on us, bastard!" shouted the girl while changing twice the type of cartridges inside her Hecate before gripping down on her fear to become one with the weapon. "I have night vision on my visor. I saw you the moment I started running down the street."

"Oh…figures that bastard would somehow end up getting close to some stupidly skilled bitch the second he set foot on a virtual world." spat the killer with annoyance, much to the sniper's utter confusion. "Well, that doesn't really matter…It won't change the fact that I'm going to enjoy seeing his face when I tell him how I killed you, before finally humiliating and defeating him."

"Really? Sounds to me like you're just a sore loser with a grudge and too much power…" continued Sinon before steadying herself, ready to aim and shot in just an instant.

"And you sound way too cocky for someone who has seen what I can do." Death Gun's voice echoed through the entire street as if it was a dark sentence, his eyes seeming to shine stronger as his body seeming to 'ripple' for an instant. "If you can really see me with that night vision of yours…what else have you SEEN?"

At that question, Sinon instinctively turned her gaze towards the wall she was behind of, which was actually thin enough for her to see through, thanks to her visor, and towards the humanoid thing.

On her vision, his 'body', unlike that of any other avatars she had seen, even Kirito's, was as 'cold' and dead as the rocks and metal that formed the ruined city around her. The only things emitting some sort of weird 'heat' were several strange 'dots' spread over his body that…

The blue-haired girl frowned. Weren't there more of those shining things on his body a second ago…?

The sound of a gun being cocked just behind her made her freeze, her gaze shooting backwards just as an estoc-tipped tendril threw Hecate out of her hands.

There, standing before her, was Death Gun, aiming straight at her head with the same black gun from earlier. Which was impossible, because she had clearly seen the killer standing behind her a second ago.

Dread started to fill her at the impossible realization. There were…two of them?

"No-no way…"

"For a weakling like you, maybe. For me, not." sentenced the hooded being before caressing the gun's trigger with his finger. "Say goodbye, Sinon."

The girl, however, was too busy staring with DREAD at the gun on his hand to hear him, her whole existence seeming to be consumed by it in a way that she had never experienced in that world.

Because it was a Type 54 'Black Star'. The only gun she could say she knew better than her own Hecate, and had known since even before getting into GGO. The same one that had obsessed and terrified her for years.

It was the same handgun _that man_ had used, so many years ago, in that postal office. The same one she had taken away from him. The same one with which she, barely a child at the time, had killed him.

If there was one thing in the world that could summarize and concentrate all the fears of Asada Shino, the girl that existed behind Sinon's face, was that weapon.

Death Gun, for his part, looked in amusement how the girl started to shake and dry-heave, seemingly about to suffer a mental breakdown or a panic attack. He enjoyed seeing the terror on the faces of the poor and pathetic weaklings before they died, but this was almost hilarious.

The sniper, for her part, suddenly felt like a scared little girl staring at a monster about to devour her. She wanted to cry, to call for her mother to save her, for someone to come and help her…

It all stopped the moment her hand closed around the 'hilt' she carried at her hip. Her eyes widened, the memory of a figure wielding a bamboo sword offering her hand to her shooting through her mind and then, for some reason, also that of the strange but kind boy dressed in black and white.

She was still weak….but she wasn't a scared girl that cowered in fright from a hand gesture. Not anymore. Endou and her friends no longer scared her, the older girls having started to actively avoid her since they saw her carrying her bokken around. The voices of the people in her school no longer hurt her or made her feel apathetic, like they had done for so long.

Her enemy may be a monster…but it was still a simple man, in the end. A man wielding a gun.

And she always carried a weapon that could beat any gun…

 _SHHHWINK!_

"What in the hell?!" shouted the killer as the lightsaber ignited and his hand was cut away from the sheer surprise, the Black Star flying away with it.

…even the gun from her worst nightmares

"UAAAAAAHH!" roared Sinon before slashing wildly through him, starting to run towards the fallen Hecate even as Death Gun's bisected body began to twist and reform. The sound of a weapon being raised made her look briefly to one side and confirmed her worst fears: There was another Death Gun there, the first one she had seen, raising an arm that had sprouted a machinegun her way…

And it was suddenly crushed by the descending fist of a boy clad in white and black, the ground cracking and the earth shaking through the entire area at his 'landing'. Kirito quickly stood up, blurring out of existence before scooping her on his arms the moment she got a hold of her trusted rifle and JUMPING, both of them soaring through the sky and over the nearest ruined skyscraper.

Sinon allowed herself a second of awe and shock before turning towards the gamer. He seemed about to say something before she quickly interrupted him, pointing down with her lightsaber as she shouted.

"There are two of them!"

"No, there aren't!" replied Kirito as he glared down, watching as, much to the sniper's shock, both Death Guns suddenly seemed to 'shot' towards one another the moment they finished regenerating, blurring into an unique mass of darkness before starting to 'run' forward after them, the body quickly recovering a more 'humanoid' form. "It's only one!"

"Ho-how the fuck…?!" started Sinon before suddenly falling silent again as the hooded killer jumped an unreal distance and crashed against the side of the building they were about to land on, more of those tendrils, that she know realized were being formed from the same thing that made up his body…his 'avatar', sprouting from him and starting to drag him upwards, like a spider from hell, as his unholy crimson gaze seemed to pierce both their souls.

"KIRITOOOO!" roared Death Gun with an inhuman voice, two machine guns sprouting from his shoulders and unleashing a rain of bullets over them, forcing the caped boy to spin through the air to protect her from the deadly attack. "DIEEEEE!"

The moment the bullets hit his cape and back, the black-haired boy's eyes widened and the sniper stared at him in horror as they fell towards the building's roof, especially at seeing him wince several times.

But he seemed to get over whatever THAT had been in just an instant, landing feet-first in the last second and sprinting to the edge of the building before jumping down, just in time for their chaser to reach the cracked roof and turn his hand into an honest-to-God bazooka, firing at the falling pair.

Sinon felt the virtual hairs on her neck stand on end when the whistling black missile barely missed them, exploding in the air several hundred meters forward, and came to a sudden realization just before Kirito created another crater on the ground.

He wasn't fighting back because he was protecting her.

"Let me go!" shouted the blue-haired girl the moment they landed, the gamer looking at her in surprise. "You go and fight him, I will get out of the way myself!"

"But…!"

"Shut up and do as I said, idiot!" screamed the sniper before jumping out of his arms herself and starting to run away…in time for several shotgun-shots to crash against the shocked Kirito's head, sending him tumbling to the ground even as Sinon grit her teeth and forced herself to keep running. "FUCK!"

"…well, doesn't matter. I will go after her after I'm done with you…Kirito." darkly muttered Death Gun even as the caped boy shook his head and stood up, glaring at him.

"You…how the hell are you doing THAT…whoever you are?"

There was a moment of utter silence.

Then, the hooded being released a maniacal and VERY angry laughter as his mantle 'unfolded' like the wings of a mutant butterfly, weapons of all kinds and sizes half-emerging from it as they all aimed towards the blinking gamer.

"Why don't you taste it firsthand, you bastard?!" roared Death Gun before opening fire with the most horrible and brutal cacophony of overlapping gunfire anyone in Gun Gale Online had ever heard before.

Kirito raised his hands in front of his face by instinct, taking the barrage head on as he was blasted backwards by the unholy amount of bullets and the occasional missile.

Every time one of them impacted him, he could 'see' strange flashed of light shooting through the edge of his vision for a brief instant, as if something was being projected into his very brain before stopping against a barrier it couldn't get through…but the sheer amount of it all was starting to make him feel dizzy, his head starting to 'hurt'…

On the real world, the nurse known as Aki stared with a mix of shock and worry as the machines hooked to the boy to watch over his life signs suddenly started to go wild, his breathing and pulse starting to skyrocket.

 _"This…is this how he is doing it?! But…what IS this…? And God, why is everything starting to…feel so weird…?"_

His HP wasn't decreasing, not even an inch, despite taking enough firepower to level that entire block of the city…and yet, every second that passed, the caped boy could feel as if something was starting to fill his brain with cotton, as if the things around him were starting to blur and his mind to slip far away in a buzzing…

"HEY, IDIOT! JUMP!"

A small part of his brain, used to obey when an angry and screaming female shouted something to him with a small bit of worry, obeying (Despite knowing it usually would end up badly for him), Kirito jumped to the side and out of the direct path the endless barrage of weapons was shooting at, landing face first on the back of a roaring buggy driven by none other than Sinon, denting the metal of the machine and barely taking a hold of it as the girl quickly swerved wildly to the side and forced the virtual machine to its limits as they sped down the road, away from the onslaught and the screams of rage coming from the madman.

"Head…killing me…feels like…I have a drum on my brain…" moaned the black-haired boy while weakly trying to sit upright on the vehicle.

"Thanks God, that means you're not dying or anything!" shouted the sniper with genuine relief on her voice, glancing back for an instant as the gamer shook his head several times. "Wha-what happened back there?! Yo-you took…all of THAT head on and not even your clothes seem to have any damage!"

"Couldn't hurt me…not here, at least." growled Kirito while trying to somehow stop the throbbing headache he was feeling.

His strength…it was still there. And his invincibility too, if the fact his avatar was still in one piece was anything to go by…but whatever Death Gun's weapon did apparently could target his only 'weak point', the only thing that was still as normal as 'Kazuto' when he was 'Kirito'.

His mind.

The boy's eyes shot open, realization hitting him and the pain moving to a second plane at the same time he realized something was echoing madly behind them. Turning his head back at the same time Sinon's did, he watched something that was both bizarre and terrifying.

Death Gun was chasing after then…having become some sort of mechanic-centaur hybrid, his lower robot-horse body galloping over the ruined streets as he raised his arms their way, more weapons' barrels emerging from his shoulders at the same time these morphed.

"You can't ESCAPE FROM ME!"

Kirito was reminded that GGO was a game set on a post-apocalyptic FUTURE when several ray guns and laser weapons finished forming, Sinon's scream of frustration and fear ringing on his head even as he stood up at inhuman speed, barely keeping himself on the vehicle as he shouted.

"SINON, GET US OUT OF HERE!" the boy's hands blurred as he used his bare fists to intercept the incoming laser beams, the sniper gaping in shock as she saw the gamer's hands somehow outrun the many shafts of deadly light that would have impacted directly with her back or head otherwise. "Head towards the desert, we have to lost him for a moment!"

"Ho-how?!" answered the blue-haired girl with a shout on her own as she took a mad curve around the street, almost losing control of the vehicle. "He's chasing us as if he was some kind of mythological abomination with fucking optical weapons, and I doubt you can keep taking his shots forever with whatever he's doing to you!"

"I will just have to use some magic, then!"

"Did his shots made you lost your mind or something?! There is no magic in this game!"

"MINE is! Now, accelerate!" replied the boy before turning around just as they took another wild curve, taking more than a dozen laser shots as he raised his and reared back his arm. "I CAST FIST!"

Feeling the skull-splitting headache worsening, Kirito PUNCHED.

Death Gun had enough time to look shocked before the aftershocks of the attack cracked the entire street and collapsed the already ruined buildings around, sending the screaming killer backwards through a wave of rubble and displaced air, cursing the gamer's name all the while.

Sinon STARED. It was just their luck that they were already out of the city and entering to the desert area of Ragnarok Island itself, because otherwise they would have crashed against something without a doubt, because the sniper apparently refused to tear her gaze away from the panting boy.

"…I need to stop doing that. It gets old, and it's probably a clear sign I'm losing it…"

"…what." simply stated the blue-haired girl, not really as a question.

"Yeah, just…need a moment to catch my breath…let this headache go away, it's something wrong with my body in the real world…Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Ca-can we get…somewhere to hide…?"

Nodding dumbly, Sinon turned around and kept driving the buggy towards the depths of the desert.

Back on the outskirts of the post-apocalyptic city…several crimson-red marble-like things emerged from the rubble of the destroyed street.

The spherical objects hovered in the air for an instant before unholy blackness shot from the mountains of debris under them, surrounding the 'cores' in a cloud of what seemed like liquid shadows, which quickly solidified into one dark and sinister being.

"You can run, Kirito…" muttered Death Gun as his body started to…'break', as if purposefully reforming itself that way. "But it won't change anything. By the end of this day…DEATH will fill this joke of a 'tournament'."

And with that ominous declaration, the now 3 shadowy figures shot forward, each one in different directions.

Their prey wouldn't be able to escape his power.

* * *

Shocked silence filled the rented house in Yggdrasil City after Chrysheight finished telling everything to the members of the United Heroes Association.

Finally, the silence was broken by a certain Sylph girl, who seemed to be trying her best to control herself.

"S-so…let me get this straight. You asked Onii-chan to…go and investigate a serial killer, who has somehow already put people in the hospital and KILLED others, with unknown means, while claiming that he's somehow doing it all from the virtual world?"

"…yes?" 'answered' the bespectacled Undine with a nervous tone.

"Okay, let's leave aside the legal and moral problems about an adult government officer directly and actively involving a minor in something like this and ARE YOU FUCKING RETARDED?!" roared Asuna while finally losing control of her own temper, stepping past the still shocked other girls to raise her fellow fairy by the neck, showing the clear difference in stats when she did so without effort. "You're freaking lucky this isn't SAO, you incompetent excuse of an adult, because if not then I would be having serious troubles to not consider just throwing you through the window all the way down to Alne!"

Giving that this, in fact, WASN'T Sword Art Online, Chrysheight put two and two together a bit late and he couldn't do anything to not be sent crashing through a window and falling from the World Tree.

He was too busy screaming in shock and panic to remember he could fly.

Back in the house, everyone was staring in silence at the panting and growling form of the Dual Wielder, the blue-haired Undine turning to them and raising an eyebrow, even as a slightly embarrassed blush crept up her face.

"…what?"

"Asuna-san…sugoi." whispered Silica with stars in her eyes.

"I guess you really don't mess with the Mighty Flash." commented Philia while shaking her head.

"That…wasn't really productive, Aa-chan, but hell if it wasn't very satisfying." declared Argo while turning around. "So…anyone else has anything useful to contribute to the last revelation?"

"I recorded it all." helpfully informed Yui, though she was staring with concern at the screen, some of the members of the group doing the same and seeing how, on the distance from the view showing two players trying to shoot down each other, part of the city seemed to _collapse_ , stopping both players as they turned to stare in confusion.

"Good thinking, Yui-nee, but we can worry about blackmailing that guy later!" shouted Strea before looking worriedly at the group. "Everyone, we need to…!"

"I'm going." announced Leafa while opening her menu, everyone looking at her in surprise. "I don't care if I can't help him right now, I can at least be at Onii-chan's side in the real world while this is going on!"

"You're right, I'm going too!" announced Asuna as the Sylph vanished, quickly Logging Out too.

The rest of the UHA exchanged a glance for a moment before looking at their AI members, who just smiled back sadly.

"Go." said Yui with a firm nod. "We will call you as soon as you're out…and will tell you if they show anything else." finished the little girl while pointing at the screen.

"...thanks." Sachi's words reflected a part of what everyone really wanted to say; even as they quickly opened their menus.

"It's going to be 'fun' explaining this one to my family…" commented Argo with a tired smile.

"I-I will just tell my parents it's an emergency with a friend, that should do it!" shouted her fellow Caith Sith in answer while and her dragon pet vanished.

"Well, I'm just glad of living not far from there." sighed Philia even as her virtual body went away.

"Guys, wait out of your homes, I will get you all and we can head there as fast as we can!" informed Keita while looking at his fellow ex-Black Cats.

"…to get first and make sure the girls don't kill Kirito for doing this shit behind our backs?" asked Sasamaru with a raised eyebrow.

"Exactly."

"…and what about when he gets out of there?" questioned Tetsuo with a somewhat nervous tone.

"…then he will have to face the consequences of his actions." solemnly declared the Leprechaun before Logging Out, the other boys following cue.

They respected the black-haired boy a lot, but not enough to try and stop the worry/fury of the girls when he was up and running again.

Strea and Yui, meanwhile, turned their worried sights to the screen…in time to see both Players that were being shown fall down as shots of darkness went through their heads, the virtual sisters taking a step back as the sinister form of Death Gun landed between their writhing bodies.

Once again, that sinister sensation of 'familiarity' made both of them shiver. And it wasn't coming from Xaxa, no, it came…from something else.

Something both of them were unable to properly recall, but still filled their minds with an unnatural fear…

["None can escape my judgment. Death Gun will end you all…pathetic fools."]

"Kirito…" muttered Strea with an unusual uneasiness filling her heart.

Yui, for her part, looked down as she clasped her hands together, as if trying to banish the dark sensation that looking at the hooded 'player' gave her and that reminded her of a long-forgotten darkness and silence…

"Papa…please, be safe…"

On the real world, even as she rode her trusted and clearly distressed bicycle as fast as she could, Kirigaya Suguha thought the same thing.

* * *

In the vast desert of Ragnarok Island, there were several caves that, incidentally, protected anyone hiding in them from the satellite scan that revealed other players' positions.

It was something that came really in handy for Sinon and Kirito to hide while recovering, their buggy having run out of fuel casually at the entrance of one of such caves, but, as the gamer pointed out, it was also yet another stupid thing that the moderators of the game should have taken into account when planning this tournament: Anyone smart enough to notice this could just hid until almost no enemies remained, and if they timed it right they could easily evade what Sinon had said about the danger of a grenade being thrown in their faces, like using a vehicle to get into the desert just after the last satellite scan had been activated, then arriving and hiding before the next scan happened, essentially having 'disappeared' from the radar of their rivals.

The fact that the caped boy was willing to point out and argue about the apparently many 'fails' the design of GGO's most famous event had filled the sniper with relief, though. It meant that he wasn't feeling as bad as he had looked before.

Glancing towards him at that thought, Sinon saw how he was sitting cross-legged against one of the cave's walls; eyes closed as he took deep breaths and seemed to think about something.

"…you SURE you're okay?" asked the blue-haired girl once again, unable to stop the question despite she repeatedly telling herself he was strong enough to know such things.

"Yeah, don't worry…I just needed to calm down." sighed Kirito while opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. "Seeing as I'm no longer feeling like crap I guess my body is no longer at the edge of suffering an epilepsy attack…"

"You were what?!" shouted the sniper while her attention shot towards him again, mouth and eyes wide open.

"Uh, yes, that…almost happened. I just needed to test out one last thing about that bastard, so I let him hit me head on to see if what I felt when the first bullets he got me with when I was carrying you were a fluke or some…"

"Wait, let me get this straight!" almost snarled Sinon while standing up and angrily marching towards the caped boy, who blinked at her. "You're saying you let him hit you with the equivalent in artillery to a fucking army, knowing he COULD have put you into a coma or worse, just to test a fucking theory?!"

"…that's exactly what I just said, no need to scream it out." laughed the gamer with an awkward smile, but he was truly surprised when he felt the girl grab him by the shoulders and glare down at him, despite the fact that, if he so wanted, she would be unable to even move him an inch.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! First you put yourself at risk to save me from that…monster, then you go and face him directly for such a retarded reason?! When you said you could have just dodged his attack?!"

"Actually, I could have easily weaved through that entire barrage of projectiles, if I had been trying for real." shrugged the caped boy while Sinon stared at him in disbelief. "Like I said, it allowed me to put the final piece in the puzzle that is this 'Death Gun'."

"But WHY?! Why would you do such a stupid thing?! Weren't you worried you could die or something?!"

"…to be honest…no. I wasn't." the boy's casual and simple acceptance of that fact made the sniper let go of him, staring towards the gamer's blank face as if she was just seeing him for the first time.

Kirito, for his part, felt…odd. It hadn't taking any effort for him to accept that…and he realized with shock that it not only was truth, but that he didn't feel _anything_ about it.

"…fuck. It's getting worse than I thought."

"….what?" whispered Sinon, surprised when the boy's shoulders sagged and his gaze fell down.

"I'm becoming…too detached from… _myself_. I thought I had managed to get that under control, but I guess that with all that happened this week I just…"

"I don't understand…you think you're…losing yourself?"

"In a way. To be honest, sometimes I stare at a mirror and I can't recognize the one staring back anymore. Since SAO started…I have changed. In a lot of ways. Most of them are good, I guess, but some…" the boy raised his fist, looking silently at the white glove that covered it. "…sometimes it becomes difficult, to remember that I'm just…a teenager. Sometimes I forget that I'm not really…this."

"Strong?" questioned the sniper with a mix of worry and confusion, which only grew when the caped boy released a bitter chuckle.

"Yes…in a way. TOO strong." the boy turned to stare at her and, suddenly, Sinon felt SMALL, so small that she realized that, in the grand scheme of things, in the world, the galaxy, the Universe and beyond, she and her problems DIDN'T matter in the slightest, all of it seemingly reflected in the gamer's empty orbs. "At the beginning, I was scared. But then I…got used to it. To jump beyond the clouds without any effort. To outrun things that imagination can barely understand with just a step. To take head on enough power to crush a world and shrug it off like it was nothing. To raise my fist…and know that I can end it all."

In that instant, Sinon could SEE it. That, if he so wanted, the unimpressive-looking boy with the girly avatar in front of her…could destroy it all, just by swinging his fist. He was stronger than anything she had ever imagined…

…but he simply looked sad and bitter, against everything she had thought strength would bring.

"Kirito…"

"You know that the real problem of being the Strongest is?" interrupted the black-haired boy, turning to stare at the empty inside of the cave, a small mutant lizard crawling over a wall. "It's not getting bored of it…but that you can stop caring about everything else. That, if you're not careful…you will lose something too precious and important."

Something that Saitama had once said suddenly came to the boy's mind. Part of the words that he had told Fubuki, Blizzard of Hell, the first time they met.

 _"There's a lot of incredibly strong bad guys in the world. Those who oppose them are called Heroes. Even if they are **alone**."_

In a way, those words came from experience. Because until meeting Genos, the Caped Baldy had been alone.

Utterly alone…but he didn't mind. He was so _empty_ it didn't matter to him.

Because he had lost his ability to relate with the rest of humanity when he became the One Punch-Man.

In a way, he hadn't suffered of that because of many reasons. He KNEW he was just a normal boy in reality. And he had his friends at his side, which had shown him the joy of life and reminded him what family was like. Just like Saitama had slowly become less bored about everything since he started to meet his own group of friends, even if there still was no real challenge that could stand against him.

But sometimes…he truly forgot the difference. Between Kazuto and Kirito. The line dividing his 'two selves' became thinner the most he used his 'power', his mind slowly stopping to bother remembering they weren't the same one. Because in a way they WERE.

His problems with Suguha and Asuna these last days probably hadn't helped, he realized. He had been so eager to try and forget about it, under the excuse of wanting to let things calm down a bit, that he had jumped at this whole Death Gun business without caring of how depressed he was, just to be Kirito and 'play the hero'.

Because he couldn't stop, and he knew it. Kazuto couldn't stop being Kirito, but Kirito always had problems remembering he was Kazuto, especially when he was alone, like right now. And it was his fault, of course. If he had stopped what had happened with Asuna and Suguha before, then maybe…

"Man…I'm really messed up. I'm extremely worried about what happened with my best friend and my little sister, but I don't give a fuck about the serial killer with the 'superpowers' that could potentially kill me…it's almost funny, in a very distorted way…"

An unexpected hug broke him out of his self-depression, making him look in shock how the trembling Sinon clung to him. He could feel the sadness and the fear coming from her as if they were an invisible wave.

"Stop, please…snap out of it." pleaded the sniper while trying not to cry. "I don't…I don't want to feel so small…"

It was absurd, the blue-haired girl realized, even as her mouth started moving almost against her will, telling her own story. She was the killer. She was the one who had shot a man with his own gun several times before even being 10 years old, who had nightmares with the agonic face of that robber and the terrified one of her mother, who was unable to stop seeing blood in her hands for months…

And yet, when she stared at the eyes of that boy, she felt the sudden urge to call herself an idiot. To snap out at the world and cut it all down, leaving nothing behind except emptiness.

After all, what was the point of the strength she had sought so much, if you could still be so honestly sad and depressed from problems that seemed so small in comparison to hers?

"…I wanted to be strong. Strong enough to forget it all, to never fear the guns again…" whispered the sniper while shaking, the silent Hero staring down at her. "I thought I was making progress…that I was about to reach that goal. But then, I saw that thing…Death Gun. And now, you…both of you are Strong, stronger than anything I have ever seen…but he's a monster and you…you seem to not care about your strength, seem to think it's only a good excuse to not care if you put your life at risk…" suddenly staring up, Sinon glared at Kirito through tear-stained eyes, her visor up on her forehead and her voice filling with both anger and sadness. "What is the meaning of Strength?! What good is for if you can still be so sad with it?! Has everything I have done till now…been for nothing?! Have I just been chasing a stupid delu…?!"

Kirito put his hand over her head. The blue-haired girl felt silent, still staring angrily at him as she tried to hold back a sob. Slowly, the boy in black and white got out of her weak embrace and let go of her head, before taking her right hand between his and raising it between them, shocking the sniper.

With a strange mix of calm and tenderness, he closed her small hand into a fist.

"…Sinon…what do you see here?"

"A…fist?"

"I see a solution for almost every problem…and a reminder that not everything can be solved with just one punch." quietly muttered the gamer before letting go of her hand, which stayed there as the blue-haired girl stared at it. "Strength it's an ambiguous concept. It has many meanings and even more interpretations…but I can tell you one absolute thing about it. Strength doesn't really matter…what matters is what you DO with it. No matter how much you have or if you have nothing at all. No matter if you feel you're very small…if you choose wisely, you can always make a difference. That lunatic out there, Death Gun…he uses his strength to hurt people. To make others fear him, because it amuses him. It makes him feel 'important'. He kills people because he thinks is fun…and I'm going to stop him because I CAN'T stand that. Because stopping him is the right thing to do." suddenly, _something_ seemed to ignite behind Kirito's eyes, a fire he had forgotten for a moment and that suddenly came back with vengeance. "Because that's what a Hero does. And no matter how I feel about it, how childish it sounds or how irritating it can be sometimes, no matter how many problems come my way because of it…that's what I will keep doing. Because I chose to use my strength for the sake of the people that's important to me and of those who deserve it."

"…you really believe every single word you just said." whispered Sinon in awe, even as the boy chuckled softly and walked to her side, softly patting her head.

"Well…you just reminded me what it means to be human, I guess. My problems will always be smaller than those of someone else. I'm just a normal teenager out of here, after all." smiling down at the sniper, the gamer felt that same sensation he had felt when they held hands the first time running down his arm, but this time much warmer. "You are strong, Sinon. In more ways than one, even if you don't believe it. Now then, what will you do with that strength?"

The blue-haired girl was keenly aware that her face was burning red, but she refused to let her gaze move from her raised fist.

For an instant…she truly felt she could just punch away all her fears with it.

Acting on impulse, she once again buried her face on the boy's chest, partly to hide her blush…and partly because she didn't want to face the holo-camera that had suddenly sneaked into the cave. Surprised, Kirito softly hugged and whispered soothing words to her, as if thinking she was about to have another breakdown. She almost felt tempted to tell him about the camera, but decided against it and concentrated just in calming down.

Besides, it wasn't as if the boy didn't want anyone specific to see this scene, right?

In the real world, in a certain hospital, nurse Aki was nervously sweatdropping as she felt the temperature of the room drop for an unknown reason, looking over the several teenagers that had come into the private room out of nowhere and had started to ask about the condition of the young Kirigaya. She was keenly aware that, while all the females were staring at the screen with twitching eyebrows, the four boys that had arrived first and stood around the logged gamer's bed slowly inched away from him.

Back on the cave in Ragnarok Island, a much more calmed Sinon finally let go of Kirito, thankful that the camera had gone away, apparently not finding a boy and a girl hugging inside a cave to be too much interesting compared to what was currently happening elsewhere.

"…okay then. What's the plan, Hero?"

"Well, I have figured out how Death Gun is doing his 'trick'." declared the boy while looking towards the cave's entrance. "He's…somehow using some kind of 'virus' to mess with the FullDive perception of the people he shoots, and using that to make them suffer epilepsy attacks."

"Ho…how the fuck does that works?!"

"Do you know the basics of the FullDive technology? The current AmuSpheres, like the old Nerve Gears did, 'intercept' the signals that the brain sends to the body to allow us to interact with the virtual world. All we see, taste, hear, touch and smell here are just signals that are being sent to our brains…and Death Gun somehow has found a way to 'hack' the one that messes with the signal that goes to our eyes." explained the boy while touching the side of his right eye as he did so. "My guess is that my 'special circumstances' lessen the effect to almost nothing, but anyone else that gets shot slowly has everything they see replaced by a certain pattern of flashing light, which causes seizures and eventually ends up with them falling into a coma. That's why that cowboy guy from before seemed to be trying to rip off his eyes. And that's why he aims at the head first, the whole 'darkness' thing is all just for show, but that way the virus expands faster."

"That's…is that really possible?" asked the shocked sniper with a tiny voice.

"The bit about the light causing those epilepsy attacks? Yes, it is, anyone who knows a bit about anime story can tell you that. As for the fact that he somehow is DOING this…that's what really seems impossible for me. Then again, he also shouldn't have an avatar that has fucking Melzalgald's powers…"

"Mesawhat powers?"

"That's ANOTHER long story we don't have time for, but I can tell you that he can essentially shape-shift his whole body in absurdly scary ways, has absurd strength and agility, it's nigh-immortal and may be able to fly…"

"May?" inquired Sinon even as her mind tried to cope with the absurd but probably true claims.

"He hasn't been doing it yet, so he either is trying to surprise us or can't do it…in fact…" frowning for a moment, the caped boy turned back towards the musing blue-haired girl. "Are there…robot horses in this world?"

"…as a matter of fact, yes, there are…but I want you to know that even I think that's pretty stupid!" quickly clarified the sniper while crossing her arms.

"Oh…well, that explains it. Any 'complex' shape-shifting is beyond him. Don't ask me how, but I think his avatar can replicate the shape and function of anything which data he has 'absorbed'." commented Kirito while starting to walk towards the cave's entrance. "Would explain how he started using a copy of Pale Rider's shotgun just after it fell 'inside' him…Okay, this only leaves the most pressing matters: His 'murders'."

"…please, tell me you have a 'logic' explanation for that too." pleaded Sinon while grabbing the handle of her Kagemitsu G4 with a nervous look.

"I do…but you may not like it." turning to her, the gamer suddenly seemed darkly serious, which made the girl freeze. "He has help in the real world, one or maybe more accomplices. Regardless of the one we're facing right now, 'Death Gun' is in fact a group of people. I had my suspicions since I saw the info of his first two actual 'killings', then something clicked when we were in the Governor's Office, but actually facing and talking with him let me discover it: The guy has been using his invisibility trick to spy on the people who went there to register and that actually put their real-world information and addresses to get the BoB's special prizes. They tried to use their trick to make it seem that they 'chose' who died and who didn't, but now that I know the whole thing, the guys who died lived all alone and in low-security apartments. I don't know how or what method they use, but they must have found a way of entering in their homes and killing them like that. They don't even really need to 'coordinate' their timing, they just need to wait for the person to start convulsing after the Death Gun in here shoots him and they will know when to kill them for real…an incredibly complicated, horrible and twisted plan. Just what one would expect of that Laughing Coffin lunatic…whatever the hell his name was."

"…are you SURE you're not some kind of super detective in reality?" questioned the sniper while deadpanning at him. "Because I'm pretty sure no one sane would have deduced all of that."

"Nah, I have just played too much videogames. And also been stuck in one for 2 years. Your mind accepts craziness much more easily when you have gone through what I have." looking at her once again, Kirito pointed towards the setting sun while putting on a determined expression. "Well then, are you ready for this?"

"…you're not going to try and make me back out?" raising an eyebrow, Sinon seemed almost surprised by that. "I would have sworn that was your intention when saying all of that crazy explanation."

"Nah, I know it wouldn't have stopped you. I have learned to not try and force a strong girl to not do what she's set on doing." crashing his closed fists, the caped boy suddenly seemed very fired up. "Well, let's go out there and beat the carp out of all the remaining players!"

"…what?" flatly said the blue-haired girl while blinking.

"Yeah, it will be for the best! I mean, if we get them out of the tournament, then Death Gun can't harm them! The, when no one but us remains, we finish him off!"

"Didn't you say he was nigh-immortal or something?"

"The key word being 'nigh'. If it's as I think, and I'm started to get used to it being that way when crazy shit like this happens, then he will have a bunch of 'marbles' inside his body that he can move around as if he was telekinetic." grinning at seeing the girl's shocked face, the gamer nodded her way. "Guess you know what I am talking about? If we destroy them, we end him."

"…then maybe this isn't as crazy hopeless as I thought." answered Sinon with a challenging smile before putting her visor back over her eyes. "I assume the plan is to charge him head on and hope for the best?"

"Not exactly…I mean, yeah, that's pretty much what it's going to come down to, but we also have the advantage of knowing his greatest weakness." announced Kirito while closing his eyes.

"And that is…?"

"Same as mine. That behind all the sinister alien-based powers and spooky madness…he's still a normal human." the boy sent a cocky grin towards the blue-haired girl. "But my avatar doesn't mess up with that, while I'm sure his does. Big time."

"…I'm pretty sure you understand how that goes better than me, so I guess I will have to trust your word." shaking her head, the sniper put her powered-down lightsaber back on her hip's side before looking forward. "You ready for this, Mr. Hero?"

"I'm always ready." replied the caped boy before raising his fist. "Let's do this, Sinon."

"Yes. Let's." several moments of silence passed between them. "By the way, tell me you planned something for us getting around that don't include you carrying me like a princess again."

"Ehm…"

"…I'm SO kicking your ass when this is over." sighed Sinon before glaring at him, though with no real heat behind it even as she unslung Hecate from her back. "So…how high can you jump again?"

His eyes illuminating in understanding, Kirito once again smiled with confidence.

"Plenty."

And with that, the Hero and the Sniper shot forward, ready to save people…by blowing them up before someone else did.

* * *

Some people often complain when they can't do anything but watch events unfold, unable to interact with them or just thinking it would be too difficult to do so.

This was a human concept and contradiction that It still had troubles grasping. Too illogic, after all.

The Entity was getting plenty of understand by watching the events it had set in motion on the many screens.

It's dual-colored gaze stopping over one in specific, it was in time to see how Yamikaze, GGO's fastest player, ran at full speed while shooting and trying to kill the grim and demonic-looking form of Death Gun in his 'centaur' form. Xaxa, for his part, simply turned his hands into a machine gun and a shotgun before starting to fire back, the insanely fast player doing his best to dodge the shots.

That was another human concept the Entity still had a bit of difficulty grasping. After all, the killer could easily end the machinegun-user by unleashing just a bit more of the 'powers' it had gifted to him…but Shinkawa Shouichi enjoyed the feeling of despair and suffering on his victims. The feeling that crushing them while they still thought they had a chance of 'escaping' gave him.

The only one he would unleash Death Gun's full powers against was HIM.

Moving its gaze, the Entity saw how his other two 'bodies' were currently standing in different rooftops around the edges of the ruined city, currently unmoving. That was to be expected, of course. Despite its best efforts to replicate 'Melzalgald' into the virtual avatar, the man behind it was still a normal human. He had needed months just to get used to the feeling of 'dividing' his body, let alone control two at a time. Dividing into three not only proved that his hate towards HIM was pushing him over the edge, but also that Xaxa would most likely ignore its 'gentle' warnings about what would happen to him if he pushed his 'powers' beyond his limits.

Just like the Entity had planned. Humans like him were too predictable, after all.

Turning his amber/emerald eyes once again, the inhuman being stopped, finally seeing what it had been looking for.

A boy clad in black and white, carrying a blue-haired girl with a massive rifle as they shot through the air, the girl apparently aiming at something…

Even as the form of the few remaining players, more than a kilometer away, flew backwards from the sudden high-caliber bullet blowing up his chest, the Entity let a smile form under its silver mask.

The time for the final phase of its 'experiment' was finally about to begin.

Now then, would Kirito be able to beat Death Gun, like he always did? Or would Shouichi 'defeat' _Kazuto_ and kill Sinon thanks to the 'powers' he had been given?

Such questions were what made it so interesting for It to pretend being Human.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Time to do this. It's not the time to hesitate, to think about my worries, my fears or what ifs…I have a duty to accomplish. I have someone to protect here, and others that are waiting for me. So let's do this, Death Gun! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Battle under the Moonlight!' I hope you're ready to pay for your crimes…whoever the hell your name is-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Another one done! And now, just one chapter left for the GGO arc :D!

Well, hope you enjoyed this XP Originally I wanted to do a bit more, but I guessed it would be best to leave the 'boss battle' for the end itself and cut it there! Besides, we already got a good dosage of craziness, action and something more, wouldn't you say?

The scene in the cave originally was a problem for me, because this Kirito didn't had the same 'problem' that the one in canon had, he never did kill anyone, after all, so I didn't know how I was going to make him 'relate' to Sinon there…but I think that what I ended up coming with, since a while back, was good. Hope it was good enough, though OxO

Once again, this is something to remind the parallels with One Punch-Man: Despite everything mostly being funny, the series is actually quite serious. In OPM, people die in absurd and horrible ways almost every 'fight' there is around, and sometimes in terrifyingly high numbers, yet we don't really stop thinking about it because the show goes more into showing Saitama and the rest and his 'hilarious' situations…yet we sometimes get scenes like the Sea King utterly destroying everyone who came to face him and Licenseless Rider hopeless stand against him. Or the one where the Tank-Top brothers convinced that crowd to start blaming Saitama from their disgrace to try and get him to quit being a hero. Both ended up being 'resolved' in the typical funny/predictable/hilarious way that makes the series so addictive and mainly a parody, but that doesn't make them any less serious. It's something I have been trying to portray in this story since the beginning, and this time I addressed it by showing the most blatantly obvious but also less noticed fact about Saitama himself :O His boredom comes mainly because he can't find a 'real challenge', we all know this…but it's also because, since he became the Most Powerful Ever, he 'lost' the ability to find real joy in other more 'mundane' things. A piece of his humanity, if you will (Those who have read the webcomic will probably notice from where this reference is being taken). Only after meeting Genos and slowly the rest of his 'pals' does he begins to recover a bit of it, but we can still see it clearly in certain moments.

Saitama can take a hit that can probably level a city and just ask Boros 'Are you done yet? With this fight?' He can be kicked to the moon and barely blink. He can be faced by an attack that could destroy his entire planet and just punch it back as if it was NO big deal.

It's awesome, yes. But you can also clearly notice the lack of 'humanity' in our beloved Caped Baldy when such things happen, unlike almost every other 'action protagonist' around. Even those who are also fucking powerful (Though none as much as Saitama, of course XD), feel 'something' when fighting or react in one way or another when doing it. This problem has unconsciously affected our One Punch-Gamer, and it's something that started scaring him but now, without him really noticing, has reduced to just 'worrying' him.

Kirito sometimes forget he's Kazuto. Sometimes forget he's not really 'Saitama'. Bits of this have been shown before, if you look back at the story close enough, but he has always has his friends around to minimize the problem or to not really take it into account, because they always remind him of who he really is, no matter his power. His 'problems' with Sugu and Asuna these last chapters, which slightly spilled over everyone's mood, and the depression that caused him is what made him react like 'that' in the cave. Luckily, Sinon and her own problems were enough to remind him of what he should be really doing and what he should be really worrying about.

Unluckily for him, the girls saw something that's easy to misunderstand :P

OH, and what did you thought about the explanation of Death Gun's 'secondary power'? Before anyone thinks this sounds like too much bullshit, or if you think it seems familiar, it IS possible to use a certain pattern of light effects to cause such a reaction in the human body. Anyone ever heard of the 'forbidden' Porygon episode of Pokemon? It's actually what inspired the idea. If you look it up on the internet you can find info about the tragedy this caused in japan (And that Kirito was making a reference of) thanks to a certain scene causing nation-wide health problems for anyone who saw it, epilepsy attacks among them. It MAY be a bit of a stretch to say they can put someone in a coma, but then again, in this version the people suffering from this 'attack' are seeing the pattern again and again in their WHOLE range of vision until their AmuSphere reacts from the problems of the body and forcibly logs them out (Also a way of getting over the 'safeties' of the AmuSphere, by the way. They only activate when they detect something happens to the actual physical body of the person, like in canon when Sinon almost Logged Out when she had that panic attack and Kirito calmed her down…but if something 'bad' happens to you in the virtual world, they won't kick in until it actually starts showing in your body. Like with Sugou when Kirito turned him into a puzzle in canon, hence why he didn't forcibly Log Out after just the first cut :P).

Okay, I think that's enough explanations for now, wouldn't you say? Look forward to the epic season's end! It will have action, silliness, mysteries, misunderstandings and more of…things XP!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off =)!


	23. Chapter 18: Battle under the Moonlight!

Hello once more, everyone, welcome to another chapter of this crazy story brought by you my me, the great overlord Saint :D!

…okay, ignore that small silliness and please, enjoy the end of the Phantom Bullet arc XP There is not much to say this time, just that, as always, I hope you enjoy it, and that you're ready for some more epic action and silly moments XD

Also, I would once again like to ask that anyone who can helps filling out this fic's TvTropes page, and that everyone may want to take another look at it now, because now it has an 'official' image thanks to the user Surumethekraken! It may not be a professional thing, but for me it's still great: Thanks again, good friend! (Sorry I couldn't put a link of the image alone in my profile, but as you know, Fanfiction dot net hates links to almost every other site -x-)

 **PS:** You may want to prepare some epic battle music for this :) Not 'The Hero!'-level, we're still not at the same level of awesome from the final battle of the Aincrad Arc, but Saitama or Genos' battle themes will suffice, or anything similar you can think of :D Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 _"I am…just a guy who is a Hero for fun. I do not lose…and the surface…it's under my protection!"_ -Saitama, the Strongest Hero.

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Battle under the Moonlight! The meaning behind a Bullet!**

 **September 14th, 2025. North of ISL Ragnarok, Gun Gale Online. 20:00…**

Panting as he stared at the river that separated him from the grass plains area of the island, Yamikaze cursed while risking a look around. Behind him, the desert stretched silently as the last rays of the sun vanished and the moon started shone brightly on the sky. At his side, the city was visible several kilometers away, and at the other the ocean extended endlessly a little less than one.

He would have to risk it and get into the water, if he wanted to escape. But that would mean unequipping his weapon, and he wasn't quite willing to do that, for it was the only thing 'protecting' him from that THING.

He had heard the rumors, took the silent and scared whispers with a grain of salt, despite his continuous worries after XeXeeD's 'mysterious disappearance' after the broadcast that day, but he had still not really believed them, and now he was about to pay for it.

It was coming for him. For his life. The demon of red eyes.

Death Gun.

As if summoned by the mere thought of his name, the sound of galloping and bullets exploded around the absurdly fast player, making him shot to the side as the centaur-like figure turned visible and started to run after him, hand turned into an assault rifle.

Some people would have questioned the man's fear or intelligence, even asked themselves WHY, if he was truly so scared of the killer's apparent 'powers', didn't he just shot himself to Log Out, tournament be dammed.

Of course, none of those people would probably react or even THINK that way if they had been in Yamikaze's place.

It wasn't the same, to play a VR game, that an 'old' videogame. FullDive technology was so 'real' that sometimes people forgot they weren't doing real things. Games like GGO, where the difference with reality wasn't as big as being a fairy able to fly like in ALO, even more so. It was no surprise (Though it wasn't public knowledge) that several military groups had started to use FullDive technology as part of their training programs.

Added to that, there was the fact that Yamikaze wasn't your usual regular player, no. You didn't arrive to the level of skill and abilities the one known as the 'Devil of Run and Gun' had with just that. He was a real hardcore with Gun Gale Online, not only making enough money with the game's transaction system to pay his monthly fee, but also being one of the few ones who could call themselves 'privileged' enough to actually earn a living through the game, the dream of any hardcore gamer (Well, of any who didn't particularly care of having a social life outside the game, at least).

And in this case, his endless hours spent inside the virtual world were being turned against him, because, even as he shakily raised his sub-machinegun, the thought of simply shooting himself never passed through the man's mind. After all, no one ever thought of suicide as the first solution to escape from a mad and sinister monster with apparently very real 'powers' to hurt you.

Even as Death Gun looked down with amusement to the screaming Yamikaze, letting the bullets go through him without even moving, the killer savored every second of the player's despair as he raised his right hand, making his favored Black Star handgun appear on it as he calmly aimed at the opposing player's head, taking delight in his last, pathetic struggle...

And a 0.50 caliber bullet suddenly flew out of nowhere and punched a hole through a certain, seemingly unimportant, part of his body, near the lower half of his left shoulder.

Yamikaze stopped shooting in disbelief as Death Gun shouted with a mix of shock and what almost seemed like actual pain, his whole body shaking and rippling from the attack. The eyes behind his weird goggles moving to the side, the machinegun-user watched how the broken remains of a red marble, which the bullet had punched through with enough power to actually rip it out of the body, finished disintegrating.

The two seconds Death Gun needed to recover his bearings and try to turn away were more than enough for a now visible Prediction Line to settle over his lower chest and another bullet to shot through the air. This one failed to do any significant damage, though, as the snarling centaur-like killer turned his crimson gaze in the direction of the Line.

He shouldn't have, as this allowed Yamikaze to freely open fire all around the point where the sniper's bullet had hit. Death Gun had underestimated that world's fastest player just because he had had it at his mercy, and that cost him, a grin appearing on the man's face when the sound of breaking glass echoed as yet another core was destroyed, Xaxa hadn't bothered to move it more than 10 cm. out of the way.

Screaming again in surprise as his centaur-like lower body collapsed, Death Gun was showered with sub-machinegun fire as Yamikaze sped away, in the direction the shots had come from, the player fully turning around to look at the distant forms of his saviors.

In an awe that none of the people who had been watching how he was wildly chased through the desert for half hour could understand yet (Given that the cameras were only centered around him and his opponent), the man saw how the vaguely familiar (From the past BoB and rumors) form of Sinon was being awkwardly held by the girly-looking boy that had caused a big ruckus in the last block of the preliminaries, Kirito, whose 'lame superhero cosplay' seemed to gain a new light now that he was, somehow, soaring through the air almost 200 meters above the ground and more than a kilometer away, while still holding the blue-haired sniper.

Yamikaze was so busy staring in wonder towards the ones who had saved him as he ran that he didn't notice the Prediction Line that had appeared on the center of his chest until he noticed that Sinon didn't seem to be aiming at Death Gun anymore...

Everyone watching winced, laughed or shouted when the fastest player's body was, suddenly and without apparent reason, blown apart by a high-caliber shot, rolling through the sands before stopping moving almost a hundred meters away, 'dead' and out of the tournament.

Lowering Hecate once again, the blue-haired girl turned to look at her focused 'carrier' and pulled up her visor to let her indigo eyes look at him with a grim stare.

"Done."

"You sure he was the last one?" asked Kirito with mild-worry, his eyes never leaving the distant and quickly reforming mass of darkness.

"Unless anyone else around here hid in a cave like us both times we have seen the sat-scan OR can also turn invisible, then yes."

"Then it's time." confirmed the gamer even as he saw the now unmoving Death Gun stare at them in the distance while they landed behind a sand dune, Sinon quickly getting to her feet and just wobbling a bit as he let go of her. "...how many of those marble-things did you say were inside him?"

"At least three in THAT one. I managed to take one down and Yamikaze got lucky with another after he moved it out of my second's shot way...but I saw a bit more than a dozen on him when he was whole before. He must have split himself again at some point."

"So, at least thrice as much as the original Melzalgald had...fucking great." sighed the caped boy before shrugging at Sinon's raised eyebrow. "Like I said, long story. Let's just do this and be done with it."

"I'm REALLY looking forward to actually get to know that long story…" commented the sniper before looking towards a rocky formation not far away from where they had landed. "…if I get out of this alive, of course."

It was understandable that the blue-haired girl grimaced at that thought, because Kirito had been 'forced' to tell her a small part of the truth from his 'deductions' he hadn't shared back in the cave, when she realized he was hiding something: Judging from Death Gun's attitude and words on their earlier confrontation, the killer seemed very certain about KILLING her. Meaning, one of the 'assistants' of the hooded player was probably in her house, waiting for her body to start convulsing from an epilepsy attack to use whatever method they had to silently end the lives of their previous victims and kill her.

She could understand why the gamer had preferred to not share that bit with her the moment he said it, and she had actually panicked for a moment before he reminded her that, if Death Gun didn't manage to shoot her, she would be 'fine'. And that there was also a big chance that the accomplices of the killer were watching the Bullet of Bullet in some portable terminal, so if they managed to beat him they would probably run away and leave her alone to try and save themselves.

It wasn't really comforting, and a tad unbelievable (Hell, even Kirito himself seemed to think that deep on the inside, if his nervous smile had been anything to go by), but it was still better than nothing.

Didn't change the fact that she only needed to get shot once by the super-powered lunatic to actually DIE, while he was nigh-invincible and (As she had seen thanks to her visor) could apparently move the 'weak points' inside his body out of the way faster than a bullet. Which wasn't really good for them when only she could actually _see_ said weak points and the game literally telegraphed her shots with a red light after she had been spotted.

To put it bluntly, she had quickly realized and accepted that there was a very high chance she wouldn't be going to school the next day…or to anywhere else.

She was shaken out of those dark thoughts by a warm but firm hand settling over her shoulder, making her turn to see the caped boy staring directly into her eyes, a fire and determination so massive behind them, now that they no longer seemed an endless void, that it made her heart skip a beat.

"You're NOT dying tonight. I promise you that." turning towards the direction they knew Death Gun would be coming, Kirito started to walk at a slow, normal pace. "If it comes down to it, though I would prefer not having to do so, I will break down this entire virtual world to save you."

Startled, Sinon realized that she believed him. Her heart and soul truly accepted that he would easily crush the 'fake reality' around them if it meant saving her life.

The sniper didn't reply, and, had there been anywhere around to comment on how red her face had become, she would have promptly shot them down. Instead, she turned around and started to run towards her new vantage point, even as the strange Hero headed forward to face their sinister and deadly enemy, who could actually hurt him in a very nasty way if he wasn't careful.

Meanwhile, Death Gun stood silently, not really caring about having lost 2 of his cores. Internally, Xaxa was grinning, even as his mind went into overdrive and he let that weird sensation of 'division' take over his whole self.

 _"Time for you to know defeat, Kirito."_

Somewhere in the city, his other two bodies came to life.

One was standing where there had previously been a lot of unused vehicles, all of them having 'mysteriously' disappeared.

The other was perched over one of the tallest buildings that overlooked the desert area, giving him a perfect view of both his prey.

For a moment, the three of them stood immobile.

Then, jerking into motion after an instant of wobbly movement, all three moved forward, sharing a mind and a unique thought.

To kill and bring forth despair. And to make one thing reality.

After this night, everyone would forever fear Death Gun.

* * *

Back in the real world, in the Toritsu Central Hospital, the group of friends that formed the United Heroes Association looked with worry towards the screen, even as Death Gun's newly reformed body now had the main attention of all the remaining cameras. That meant that either everyone else in the tournament was dead or hiding from the insane THING pretending to be another player.

Even so, what had just happened with Yamikaze just seconds ago showed clearly that there were still people around, and that they had come to face off against the killer. And the guild had a very good idea of who those people were…

"…there he is." muttered Shiori even as the avatar named 'Sterben' (But who by now no one should be calling anything other than Death Gun) suddenly stopped running, staring as a long-haired and caped figure walked over a nearby sand dune, Kirito looking at him in silence as they faced-off under the virtual moon.

"And…you're certain of what you said, Aki-san?" worriedly asked Saori while looking at the boy's body, the worried nurse grabbing several instruments around and also seeming ready to take off his AmuSphere in case something happened.

"Yes. I don't know what happened before, it wasn't shown on the cameras, but his pulse and heartbeat went off the charts and he started to sweat like crazy. Now I have no doubt it has something to do with…that man." sparing a look towards the screen, the woman quickly looked back towards the boy's body. "If anything like that starts happening again, I'm going to take his AmuSphere off, whatever it's going on be dammed…"

Normally, this would have been something they would all have readily agreed upon, especially the girls given it would give them a quicker chance to chew out the gamer for having gone and done something like THIS without telling them, but…

"…the girl from before isn't there." came Yui's voice from the phone in Asuna's hands, she and Strea still in the rented house in ALO, watching the same scene. "But she's most certainly the one who was shooting before."

"Kirito must be protecting her…maybe this Death Gun can somehow…kill her?" worriedly wondered Strea, everyone in the hospital room shivering at that thought.

None of them wanted to see their friend and leader hurt, but if getting him out of there without his consent meant the death of an innocent…could they do it?

"Dammit, Onii-chan." whispered Suguha while grabbing the boy's right hand, staring at his 'sleeping' face and then back at the screen, where he and the hooded killer were exchanging some words. "Why did you have to do this without telling us…?"

"…I think it may be partly our fault. With how things had been…but I'm also sure Sensei had a very good reason for it." replied Asuna while taking hold of the boy's other hand, staring at the young kendoka from the bed's other side. "So don't be worried…and believe in him. He will beat the villain and save the day…because that's just how Sensei is. And that's what he always does…for no one can beat him."

"Asuna-san…." muttered Suguha while staring at the chestnut-haired girls, their gazes interlocking.

So similar yet so different. Both had unyieldingly strong spirits, and a sense of justice that, while seemingly unrelated, was very close to the other's. Both loved the same idiotic but honest boy. One had known him as the difficult, distant and finally once again cheerful older brother that had stolen her heart without her realizing it. The other as the strange but invincible boy who would punch away all problems that came his way, for his own sake and that of others, as the master who had shown her how to be better, her admiration becoming love without her even truly realizing it.

And both knew his real self, the one filled with doubts and insecurities but that still tried to do his best in the face of the bizarre situations life kept throwing at him.

And in that instant, as they seemed to acknowledge that fact as they looked at each other, something seemed to shift deep within them, even as Asuna, slowly and almost imperceptibly, 'nodded' at Suguha…

"Holy hell!"

…when Rika's sudden scream drew their attention back to the screen, making their eyes widen to the limit as they unconsciously squeezed the boy's hands harder.

Holy hell, indeed.

* * *

Kirito stared silently at the dark form of the crimson gaze, the ethereal virtual wind of the desert's night ruffling his 'hood' as his own cape slightly flapped from it.

None of them seemed willing to say a word, even as the gamer idly noticed that many of those 'holo-cameras' that were apparently broadcasting the whole event had started to surround them, though he was quick to dismiss any thought related to that.

He had a much more important job at hand, after all.

"…I have been waiting for this for SO long…Kirito." finally broke the silence Death Gun, staring at the boy as he raised his red-bandaged arms from within the darkness of his mantle, opening them to his sides.

"Oh, really? Well, I don't see why you would feel like that…Death Gun." answered the gamer while crossing his arms.

"Really?! Because I think you should!" shaking, Xaxa closed his fists as his whole body 'rippled' as if it was a volcano trying to keep itself from exploding. "All that damn time, locked away in that fucking cell under Black Iron Palace, with no company save for Johnny and no entertainment except his stupid jokes whatever the idiots on the cell opposite us had to say, starving like rabid dogs…!"

"Wait…didn't the Army made sure you got something to eat every day?" questioned the caped boy with confusion, but was summarily ignored by the rambling killer.

"All that time, there, the only thing I could think of was your stupid face, your stupid Hero-complex, how you thought yourself so high and mighty and above us…!"

"I never thought that…Death Gun." interrupted him Kirito while shaking his head. "And you were KILLING people, dammit! Why would you EVER think that was something that would end right in any way for you?! Was PoH that much of a smooth talker?!"

"Leave PoH out of this, motherfucker!" snarled the hooded killer, the name of his old boss being clearly a touchy subject for him. "And don't you dare to mock me! Do you know how maddening it was, to be trapped down there?! There was a point when the only conversation themes I could share with Johnny were all the ways I wanted to kill you and how much I wished that the fucking world ended or something if it meant you dying…and then the last damn day everything starts shaking for some reason and while everyone was screaming and thinking the fucking castle was going to collapse I could only think that my wish had come true…and the next moment the game's end is announced and I woke up in my fucked up 'real' body!" roaring as he glared at the gamer, Death Gun's face twisted and turned more sinister, the metallic skeleton turning wilder and the 'mouth' opening to reveal twisted fangs. "Do you have any idea of how much my life has sucked since then?! And it's all because of YOU, Kirito!"

"…keep trying to spin it in any way you want, it won't change the fact that you were just killing people for fun and without any real reason." coldly declared the black-haired boy as he stared at the hooded killer not with hate or rage, which would have been understandable…but with an absolutely bored face, which made him start shaking and his 'blood' to boil. "Just like you're doing here again. No matter how much you try to satisfy your ego, 'Death Gun', wanting to cause fear just to feel important won't make you anything special…you're just the same crazy bastard you were before, with fancy powers added. You should have accepted your delusions ended back in Sword Art Online…because now I have to stop you personally."

Every single person watching the Bullet of Bullet's broadcast (That wasn't a SAO survivor) gasped at the mention of the Death Game, the otherworldly presence of the two players they were seeing suddenly gaining a different meaning in their eyes.

"Say what you want, 'Hero'…but while you can't really hurt me…I CAN." whispered the hooded killer while the 'darkness' that formed his body warped and changed, a dozen tentacles ended in rapier-tips emerging from his mantle while his hands turned into a shotgun and a machinegun. "And by the time this is all over…you will be the only one who has lost anything, KIRITO!"

"I won't let you get away with that, Death Gun!"

"Kirito!"

"Death Gun!"

Three seconds of unmoving silence ensued.

"…you…you just keep calling me that because you STILL don't remember my name, right?" deadpanned the hooded killer while staring at his opponent.

The gamer simply blinked before looking away.

With a roar so unholy that it made almost everyone watching the battle jump back in fear, Xaxa shot forward like some demonic spirit, the estoc-tendrils shooting forward at speeds no human could hope to react to while the shotgun unleashed several shots, even as the machinegun spat a seemingly endless barrage of bullets.

Kirito didn't make any apparent move to dodge any of it, and when it all crashed over his position most of the onlookers cringed or looked away, having seen in which agonic state the 'victims' of Death Gun ended with much less…before a scream coming from the killer himself made them look back at the screen in shock.

"What in the…?!" growled Xaxa while looking around, his eyes shooting everywhere given that the crater he had made from his attack was empty. "How…?!"

"Afterimage." announced the gamer before appearing behind him and crushing his head into black paste with an absurdly fast punch, leaving the people watching speechless, even more when he just kicked the headless body upwards and JUMPED after it, slamming another punch through the already broken torso. "Pretty useful bullshit, wouldn't you say?"

"Bullshit THIS, you pathetic boy!" roared the hooded killer's voice as his head reformed from where his right leg had been, a plasma rifle emerging from his mouth and unleashing a wave of black energy straight into the surprised boy's face.

Every member of the Heroes Association felt their hearts skip a beat when they saw the monitors connected to Kazuto's vitals spike for an instant at that…

…then Kirito spun around in midair and kicked the body down once again, shaking his head for a moment before falling down punch-first, making the area shake as he plummeted Death Gun several meters into the sand.

Many jaws dropped even as the gamer jumped out of the crater.

"…yeah, no way it was that easy." idly commented the black-haired boy, before the sand behind him exploded as several black tendrils grabbed his body and the hooded killer's deformed body emerged, firearms growing from random places on his body like cancerous tumors as they all aimed at him.

"DIEEEEEE, YOU SON OF A…!"

A gunshot rang out through the night, followed by the sound of breaking glass, even as the projectile from the anti-material rifle went through Death Gun's deformed body, making him freeze.

Scowling, Kirito freed himself and walked towards the collapsing and disintegrating mass of black polygons, the red eyes on it open wide as he stopped in front of it.

"Don't insult my mother." spat the boy before stomping over the red eyes, accelerating the disintegration of the avatar, even as he turned around and gave a smiling thumbs-up towards a certain direction.

Several of the cameras turned that way, barely able to focus into the distant rocky formation and seeing for a moment the reflection of the moonlight on Hecate's telescopic sight.

Rising from her snipping position, Sinon returned the thumbs-up, even as, in the real world, Asuna and Suguha released a breath they didn't know they had been holding (And also the slightly red hands of Kazuto).

Nodding, Kirito started to walk away…when a soft chuckle came from the small piece of darkness that still hadn't disintegrated from the broken body behind him.

The next words made the gamer's blood freeze on his virtual veins.

"So that's where the bitch was…goodbye."

"SINON!" shouted the boy with all his might as he started to run in her direction, the cameras having troubles keeping up with his sudden burst of speed.

Eyes widening at the boy's shout, the blue-haired girl quickly turned around….and found her chest being pierced from side to side by a black estoc-tendril, making her scream as she almost let go of Hecate, Death Gun's sinister form (This one with 6 of those marble-things inside him) looking at her with a mad glee, even as he raised his shotgun arm and put the cannon barely an inch from her face.

Behind her, she heard a scream of rage and fear (For her) when the sound of wheels and heavy artillery being unleashed against the incoming Kirito filled the desert.

"Your luck ran out, sniper." declared the hooded killer as his tendrils surrounded her hips. "And this time, your fancy lightsaber isn't going to…uh?"

Death Gun blinked, noticing the missing hilt on Sinon's hip. Where had she…?

Grinning madly, the blue-haired girl pushed the switch hidden on Hecate's handle, Xaxa having believed he didn't need to worry about the rifle as long as he had it and her arm immobilized, thus she being unable to pull the trigger.

He realized too late how much of an error that had been when the burning plasma edge of the Kagemitsu burst to life from the underside of Hecate's cannon, cutting off the tentacle and, with just a move of Sinon's arm, the shotgun arm off, making him stagger backwards.

Then, the girl pulled the trigger, straight into one of the marble-cores, and let out a triumphant laugh even as Death Gun threw her backwards and off her snipping position, a fall of almost 60 meters greeting her.

The cameras arrived in time to see her falling down towards the sand with a massive grin.

And people had thought she was crazy when she added a bayonet-like add-on to fuse her lightsaber with her sniper rifle. Well, who laughed now?

…never mind the fact that she was about to crash and die, probably being excuse enough for the red-eyed monster's accomplice to kill her for real. She had managed to hurt the bastard several times and help Kirito out. She could give herself for satisfied…

A blur of black and white shot through the air, trapping her in a tight hug as they spun through the air to evade incoming heavy artillery and finally rolled down a sand dune. Sinon had just enough time to let the world stop spinning around her as she stood up, Kirito quickly letting go of her as she separated her photon sword from Hecate once again.

"Wha…? How…?"

"I promised you, remember?" was all the answer the gamer gave her before the sound of some kind of heavy machinery filled everything once again, coming from beyond the dune at great speed. "Fuck, it's coming, get back!"

"Wait, what's co…?"

The sniper's question died on her lips when the terrifying form of what seemed like a black nightmarish amalgam of every personal vehicle available in GGO jumped over the dune, heavy weapons emerging from it in strategic points to give it the appearance of some tank from a terror/sci-fi setting. And that was without adding Death Gun's upper body emerging from the main 'turret', which seemed to be a minigun mounted over a rocket launcher.

As enough firepower to bring down a fortress wall rained over them, the blue-haired girl could only process one simple thought: 'Fuck'.

That was when Kirito's form blurred out of existence, shooting through and around every single projectile that would have hit her and kicking or punching them away faster than what the human eye could ever hope to follow. Spinning in place as the Death-Tank rolled towards them at full speed, the boy opened his hands to reveal countless of black minigun-bullets on them.

People watching (Now that the camera had once again caught up with them) were trying to recover their dropped jaws from the umpteenth time when the boy reared both hands back.

"You can have them back." coolly declared the caped boy before 'throwing' the bullets back, the projectiles soaring through the air like a black mass faster than any gun could have shot them, just as Death Gun screamed some wordless curse and tried to fire another missile towards the incoming bullets.

The explosion covering the scene was a clear indicator of how THAT had gone.

Shooting out of the smoke cloud with Sinon in his arms, Kirito let the panting sniper recover her metaphorical breath as he looked down towards the destruction.

"Did that get any of his cores?"

"N-no, bastard moves them out of the way so fast that I can't…" the sniper's words died on her lips again, when a 'silent' bullet soared through the air out of nowhere and hit the boy between his eyes, making him scream as both were sent careening out of control through the air. "KIRITO!"

On the real world, Kazuto's readings spiked for a moment while his friends looked with worry and fear at his body, Aki barely resisting the impulse of just taking off his AmuSphere even as they once again looked at the changing scene.

Back on the rocky formation overlooking that part of the desert, Death Gun's other body aimed again, a black and smooth sniper rifle having formed out of his shadow-like flesh, much to the horror of those watching from the two cameras that were still there.

"This is the end, Kirito…" whispered the hooded killer as he aimed again towards the falling Hero…or towards the girl on his arms, to be more precise. "You can be as bullshit 'invincible' as you want…but I only have to kill that bitch in front of you to win…"

Growling as he forced down the headache the light flashes had summoned back, the gamer looked at the sniper and once again hugged her tightly as he spun, the next bullet impacting against his back and sending yet another small flash of changing light directly to his brain.

"KUH!"

"I-idiot, stop doing…!"

"I can take it…you don't!" snarled back Kirito before looking straight to her eyes as they fell like rocks. "Sinon, do you trust me?!"

The surprised girl let that question sink through her mind for a fraction of a second. She was probably one of the less indicated people in all of Gun Gale Online to be asked that, for she had always only relied in herself, Hecate and her Kagemitsu being the closest thing to 'trusted companions' she ever had.

Even Spiegel could barely be called an 'acquaintance' inside the game, the girl considering him a friend, but sure that, in a combat situation, she wouldn't really trust in the AGI-based machinegun-user for anything.

But then the image of the boy was replaced by that of her heroine, protecting her of the evil that had plagued her life, giving her strength to stand up for herself, doing the right thing.

Wordlessly, she nodded. Not even a second had passed.

"…then please, cut that bastard down." muttered the caped boy before spinning again, the next sniper rifle bullet whistling past his left cheek, and THROWING the girl forward like a missile, back towards the rocky formation from where Death Gun was shooting at them.

A barrage of heavy fire engulfed his falling form an instant later, coming from the screaming and recently regenerated Death-Tank.

Sinon forced herself to not think about that and to not look back as her avatar cut through the air at speeds it never was meant to, letting her lightsaber ignite to life as she raised it as best as she could, her left hand's grip on Hecate almost letting go…

But at the same time, even as her night-vision activated one again, she found the suicidal experience almost cathartic. Hadn't she been wishing for months to be able to swing even faster?

Well then, what about at 'your body breaking the speed of sound like a human bullet'-fast?

The Death Gun with the sniper rifle had enough time to blink in shock and wonder if splitting his mind into two bodies wasn't screwing with his brain before Sinon shot past him, photon sword screaming through the air even as she completed a swing and kept 'flying'.

Crystal breaking echoed even as the hooded killer felt his body being cut in half. The entire top of the rocky formation ALSO was cut in half, starting to fall down.

People watching once again lost control over their jaws even as the United Heroes Association deadpanned at the scene, eyes wide open.

"…woah. How does Kirito keep meeting so many badass people?" asked an amazed Strea through the phone, even as Yui silently agreed, eyes glued to the screen.

Even as she felt her virtual body, for obvious reasons, lose control of her 'flight' from the swing and she felt the forces of virtual gravity and air trying to rip her apart, both of her weapons being torn away from her hands, Sinon couldn't help but marvel at how awesome that had been.

Then, she crashed into the river that separated the desert area of the island from the next one.

Blinking towards the collapsing chunks of rock in the distance, the Death Gun avatar that still had the pseudo-tank form expressed what everyone who had watched the scene was thinking.

"How in the fucking hell…?!"

"She's good, isn't she?" freezing, Xaxa's head snapped around to look towards the cloud of black smoke that had surrounded the area, an epic guitar-solo seeming to resound in the background as the boy emerged from it with an utterly calm face, contrary to how his real body was sweating as everyone looked towards the spiking readings of his heartbeat with fear and worry. "Then again, that shouldn't be a surprise. Something I have learned quite well is that there are a lot of amazing people in the world."

"You…!" started to growl Death Gun while aiming with all his weapons again…when suddenly Kirito was THERE, just in front of where his upper body emerged from the 'tank's main cannon, his eyes turned into two bottomless voids as his face was cast in shadows and his fist reared back, so fast that he had just begun shooting when he outran all the shots. "Wha…?!"

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

Anyone watching the fight that still had any shred of awe left once again let their jaws fall when his fist BLURRED in and out of existence, hitting all around the hooded killer's main body and blowing it to countless of small pieces of darkness as the desert behind them exploded and threw sand in all directions from the waves of power the 'combo' created.

The sound of breaking glass echoing through the air even as Kirito stopped revealed that hitting randomly COULD be effective, if you hit all the possible points at the same time.

At the same time, some of the people watching the BoB blinked and then opened internet browsers, quickly typing something as distant memories were stirred from the name of the boy's sudden 'attack'…

Back in Ragnarok Island, the gamer tilted his head to the side even as another unholy scream echoed and the shadowy remains of Death Gun quickly spun through the air into a dark cloud, putting themselves together again.

"Bastaaaarddd…!"

"Hmm…Sinon broke one at least with that attack from before, right? Maybe two? And I'm sure I broke at least two with the punches from before…" putting a finger under his chin even as the crimson gaze of his monstrous enemy glared with utter hate at him, Kirito seemed to ignore it all as he entered deep thought. "How many marbles do you have left, Death Gun?"

"THAT'S IT!" turning around in surprise, the caped boy was in time to see how the killer's 'other body' jumped over him in centaur form, quickly fusing with the main mass of unholy shadows as it all started to shake. "I'm going to make you SUFFER, KiRItoOOO!"

Nine pairs of red eyes opened in the darkness as the growling shadow towered over the blinking gamer, more arms than any living being should have emerging as giant needle-like blades shot from their wrists, the skull-like faces emerging all over the body seeming mere mockeries of anything resembling human as they stared everywhere and nowhere at the same time, the 'main one', which still had the 'hood' over itself, glaring down at his enemy as weapons made of his own shadowy flesh emerged like tumors from all over his sinister anatomy, all of them aiming towards the wide-eyed Kirito, twisting in impossible angles to do so.

Everyone watching the scene felt their hearts skip a beat and an unnatural fear overcoming them, unable to relate the unholy abomination with anything even remotely 'human' anymore…

"How…?"

"diEEEee!" screamed Death Gun from all his 'mouths', before shooting endlessly even as several estoc-arms shot forward crush the gamer, who MOVED out of the way, the sand being blown away in all directions and the earth shaking as the monstrous titan shot after him with an speed that seemed unfitting for its almost 9 meters of height.

"…fucking hell…" muttered Kirito before frowning, even as he kept evading all the attacks, several of the 'heads' stretching in impossible ways towards him to try and 'eat him', he punching them away even as they regenerate time and time again.. "Wait…you…you CAN'T be doing something like that…the strain on the mind would be so hard your AmuSphere should have…" realization hit the boy like a truck at the same time an unseen appendage of the mutated killer exploded from under the earth and threw him towards the sky, a barrage of missiles and bullets screaming after him. "No fucking…you're using your Nerve Gear for…?!"

Whatever he would have wanted to say was drowned as the projectiles impacted and created another massive explosion, big enough to make anyone watching cringe.

On Alfheim, Strea and Yui shook as they held hands, hearing the panicked shouts of their friends and family through the phone call they still had open as Kazuto's vital signs dangerously skyrocketed again.

"YeeeeessSS! i'M! Andd tHAnks to ThaT…I haVE aN edGe ovER youuu!" snarled Xaxa with his many and distorted 'voices' while raising his many 'hands' to the sky. "NOt evEN yoU CAn stoP ME Now, kirIToo-!"

His words were brutally cut off when the aforementioned caped boy fell down feet-first against his main head, turning it into paste even as he spun and punched through his body, panting, but with fire still burning behind his eyes.

"Are you fucking insane?! You're going to break your fucking mind or something worse if you keep doing THAT!" roared the gamer even as Death Gun quickly regenerated and spun around to try and destroy him again. "If you keep forcing yourself to control that inhuman avatar like that you will end up going beyond what your brain can take, for God's sake! The AmuSphere's safeguards are there for a reason!" punching another arm into oblivion before dodging more bullets at missiles at the speed of sound again, Kirito was clearly doing his best to ignore the skull-pounding headache he was suffering as he kept jumping and punching through the monstrous body. "Is it really worth it?! Just to make everyone pretend you can 'kill' people from here when it's only a fucking trick you and your accomplices in reality made?!"

"dON't cAREeee!" roared the abomination before suddenly splitting itself into nine different bodies, the action so unexpected that one of them managed to hit the gamer and throw him backwards in time for the other nine to unleash all kinds of weapons over him, bullets of all calibers, missiles and grenades exploding all over the shocked caped boy. "As long as I can shatter your will and let you groveling at my feet, it IS worth it! Besides, LOOK at me!" raising his estoc-arms as weapons sprouted from his shoulders, the Death Gun that was talking (The 'division' having somehow returned his voice to something more 'normal') laughed madly as Kirito's form fell on the sand face-first, everyone watching gasping in horror. "I'm real enough! My power is! So, what if I can only HURT?! What if I need a bit of help to kill in reality?! What if you discovered the whole plot?! The fear…the terror of my strength…that's REAL, Kirito! That's what Death Gun means!" glaring down with malevolence even as the growling boy grabbed a handful of dirt with his gloved hand and started to rise, all the bodies of the monstrous killer aimed their weapons at him. "And now…you FAIL, 'invincible hero'!"

"That's it!" shouted Aki back in the real world, everyone exchanging worried/fearful looks from Kazuto's sweating body to the panting form of Kirito on the screen. "I'm taking off his AmuSphere no…!"

A sudden and totally unexpected sound made her, and every single person in the country watching the Bullet of Bullets, freeze in shock at how unexpected it was.

Even Death Gun stopped moving when the echo of a plasma edge coming to life filled his many ears.

Behind the horde of monsters, a figure cast in darkness and with burning indigo 'fire', in the shape of a visor, over her eyes grinned sinisterly as the purple blade of energy in her hands was raised.

"Forgot about me, bastard?"

Xaxa didn't even got time to reply, because in a sudden, impossible instant, countless of interlocking 'cuts' appeared all over his nine bodies, the blue-haired form wielding the lightsaber seemingly materializing out of nowhere at Kirito's side, in the stance of someone that had just finished a swing. All of the Death Guns' avatars broke down into masses of exploding darkness, the sound of breaking glass and how two of them shot towards the other regenerating bodies indicating that two of the cores had been hit and cut with that.

Everyone watching blinked. The GGO players watching GAPED. The United Heroes Association deadpanned at the screen while Aki's mouth opened to its limits, even as Suguha whispered a 'No fucking way…'

"…Sinon?" asked Kirito with utter disbelief, looking at the girl in front of him with an expression that reflected all the combined incredulity of his friends.

"Hey there, Kirito." replied the girl with a slightly insane grin, turning to look at him with an impossible fire burning away behind her visor. "Sorry for taking so long, I couldn't find my freaking weapons anywhere after getting out of the river…" turning around to stare at the incomprehensible screaming coming from Death Gun's regenerating bodies, the sniper raised her trusted blade once again. "But I'm back and ready to kick this motherfucker's ass now."

The gamer idly noticed that her HP had been reduced to a little under 20%, probably from her crash into the river, and that she clearly seemed 'unstable' in some way…but decided not to comment on it as he stood up and stopped at her side, raising his fist as he once again punched his headache and tiredness away.

"Good to know…any chance you can repeat that thing you just did?"

Sinon's grin widened even as the now only 7 abominations reformed and glared at them with hate and animal rage.

"Maybe." she answered with confidence as her visor once again let her see the absurdly fast-moving weak points of their enemies.

"Good enough for me."

"KILL YOUUUU!" screamed Death Gun as three of his bodies ran forward while creating more estocs out of his arms, the other three mutating their limbs into all kind of weapons as they ran around and opened fire.

Kirito shot forward and punched the three incoming enemies out of the way and into the path of most of the bullets, faster than anyone could follow. Sinon…SLASHED through the projectiles at an inhuman speed, shooting forward like a goddammed Jedi Knight and cutting through one of the shooting Death Guns, the shock in Xaxa's mind at what she had just done giving her the edge she needed to cut the marble-core with a brutal slash of deadly power.

The gamer let himself be hit and thrown away just to STARE at her. Everyone else watching was pretty much doing the same, wondering what the fuck had happened to the sniper.

Calmly, the blue-haired girl turned around to stare at the nearest Death Gun, which towered about her as she simply pointed at it with her trusted Kagemitsu.

"Ready for more?"

"DAMN YOU, FUCKING BITCH!" snarled the killer while his monstrous body shot towards her, the estoc-hand descending to impale-crush her…and hitting nothing but air as a blur of white and black shot past and snatched the girl into his arms. "Wha…?!…KIRITOOO-!"

His raging scream was suddenly cut off when the plasma grenade that Sinon had left there (Which she had 'borrowed' from Yamikaze's virtual corpse) exploded, blowing the avatar to pieces.

"That guy has an unhealthy obsession with screaming your name aloud." idly commented Sinon as they shot through the air again, all kind of projectiles whistling past and around them. "That can't be good."

"Yeah, tell me about it." chuckled the black-haired boy before looking behind them with serious eyes, then looking back down to the blue-haired girl. "Hey Sinon…I need you to hear me out one last time tonight."

"…and do what?" asked the sniper in a whisper, the strange seriousness in the boy's words somehow making her shiver.

"Run as fast as you can. And don't look back." without explaining anything else, Kirito let go of her and the wide-eyed girl started to roll down through the sand, even as the boy spun in place, landed and then shot to the heavens, roughly in the direction from where Death Gun's attacks were coming. "I will…put an end to this."

Reaching the apex of his jump, the gamer glared down and started to fall like a missile, straight towards the mass of darkness that was the red-eyed abomination, who had seemingly chosen to once again become just one body as he stared upwards at him, roaring his name with hate before unleashing once again a full barrage of every weapon imaginable.

Falling in a straight line as he was, Kirito crashed right into it, endless bullets hitting his face and body as he kept falling, everything exploding on the air around him.

He could see the endless flashes of light starting to swallow his vision. He could feel the headache growing worse than ever before; feel his heart pounding madly on his chest. In the real world, the machines connected to him started going crazy and nurse Aki finally decided it wasn't worth the risk, moving to take off his AmuSphere.

Asuna's hand stopped her. Shocked, the woman looked at the girl in disbelief…and realized that, despite how much she was shaking, her eyes never left the falling figure on the screen, filled with hope and determination, even as her other hand tightly grasped Kazuto's. Her gaze shooting around the room, Aki saw the same state reflected on every single one of the people there.

Despite the fear they were feeling, despite the worry consuming them…they still believed. In him.

In that, no matter what…he would WIN.

Kirito closed his eyes and _reached_ within himself.

Kirigaya Kazuto was just a normal teenager. The virus Death Gun was using with his bullets affected his brain directly, the quickly alternating flashes of light causing the reaction that would put him into a coma…

But that was something that wouldn't affect the real Saitama. Just…because. Because that was the joke behind his character, the concept of his existence.

When it came down to it…nothing could truly affect him. Nothing could beat him.

'Kirito' reached beyond and pushed 'Kazuto' away…but made sure to still grasp tightly to him, to never forget who he still really was.

In that moment, however…he didn't need to be the worried teenager. He needed to be the One Punch-Gamer.

Opening his eyes again, which had become endless voids, Kirito found his headache gone, the flashes of light receding to the edge of his vision and becoming less than an annoying buzz.

Death Gun seemed to realize something was WRONG when he saw the boy 'changing' on his eyes, everyone watching the absurd but amazing battle blinking when the gamer's face was carpeted in ethereal darkness, his 'silly' jumpsuit suddenly seeming absolutely amazing as it highlighted impressive muscles everyone could swear he DIDN'T had a second ago…

The boy's arms went above and slightly behind his head, his gloved hands interlocking as he did so. Roaring as every primal instinct in his distorted mind screamed DANGER, Xaxa impossibly fused countless optical weapons and unleashed a massive beam of pure black plasma against the descending Hero, the attack so big it was visible even from Glocken City.

It didn't even kill the momentum of the serious-looking Kirito.

"WHYYYYY?!" screamed the red-eyed abomination even as he kept shooting, neither plasma not bullets slowing down the boy's descending form.

For all answer, the boy reared back his interlocked hands…

 ** _"Super Skill. Serious Series…"_**

…and the moment he made contact with Death Gun's frozen body…

 **" SERIOUS HAMMER."**

…he CRUSHED.

People in Glocken City fell off their chairs when the earth itself SHOOK, everyone watching from the real world or from others VRMMOs staring in frozen shock as the desert cracked and exploded upwards, almost every remaining camera showing only static a second later, destroyed by the attack's shockwave.

Half of Ragnarok Island cracked, as if God had crushed it down with a hammer, every single building still 'standing' on the island collapsing like sandcastles. Big waves hit the coasts of the virtual mainland near Glocken City, the remnants of the impossibly strong hit's aftereffects.

When the images returned to the broadcast, barely 6 holo-cameras remaining (And only two not having been blown away several kilometers), they showed the center of the massive crater that now decorated the desert, the massive scar on the earth slowly flooding as part of the river nearby seemed to have cracked all the way there.

Standing in silence and with an absolutely apathetic expression, Kirito stared down at a mass of inky blackness that tried to regenerate, failing time and time again, as if the mind behind it had forgotten how his own body was.

Xaxa gasped, barely managed to form a poor parody of his 'face', his mind consumed by shock, terror and a pounding 'pain', keenly aware that he couldn't even remember how to properly recreate his limbs and that everything around him seemed to be spinning. Five of his cores had literally _disintegrated_ an instant after the impact, and the one he had managed to move out of the way at several times the speed of a bullet…was cracked beyond repair, little more than his own will keeping it together…

Slowly, Death Gun's red eyes moved upwards, towards the silent gamer.

"You…all this time…you were holding back…"

"I was." accepted him without hesitation, no emotion reflecting on his voice, neither pride nor mockery.

"…why…?" demanded Xaxa with a pathetic imitation of his voice.

"Look around you." said Kirito for all answer, pointing at the utter destruction surrounding them. "What good is an overwhelming power when all you can do with it is destroying mindlessly? By holding back till now…I have beaten you without having to worry anymore."

Somehow, with whatever remained of his sanity, the broken being of red eyes understood. If the caped boy had done something like THIS from the beginning, then his by then 'separated' bodies would have allowed him to get away enough to simply log himself out, 'survive' somehow…now, though, he had been Destroyed. He didn't know how, but he could feel that his very avatar was collapsing on itself, as if the data that made it has breaking apart. There wouldn't be an 'encore' or 'I will come back for vengeance!' for Death Gun.

With dawning realization…the killer realized how small he really was.

Screaming with mad hate at doing so, a deformed hand reformed itself, aiming straight to Kirito's face with the Black Star.

"Any…more…wise…words?!" snarled the collapsing killer with rage.

"Yes. Thanks for accepting your crimes on a live broadcast before." commended the gamer without changing his expression, making Death Gun blink in shock. "It would have been a hell more difficult to get you in reality if you hadn't…so thanks, Xaxa."

An instant of silence passed before the 'mouth' of the half-melted face opened.

"Wait, did you just said my na…?!"

BANG!

Idly, Kirito caught the flying black handgun even as he saw what remained of Death Gun vanish into nothingness, the unexpected bullet having destroyed the remaining marble without any effort. Then, he crushed the Black Star, ending the last remain of the hooded killer.

Turning around, the boredom melted away from his face in favor of a small smile, even as he gave a thumbs-up towards the figure standing at the edge of the crater.

One of the remaining cameras turned around in time for a panting Sinon to lower Hecate and push her cracked visor upwards, a minuscule sliver of her HP remaining even as a massive smile of satisfaction threatened with splitting her face.

"Hey…I found my rifle."

"Good for you." cheerfully told her Kirito while appearing at her side, the sniper apparently not being surprised at the absurd speed he just showed, which put his previous one to shame. "And good job. Mission accomplished."

"That's one way to put it…" idly commented the blue-haired girl while looking around, awe filling her eyes as she looked at the destroyed landscape. "You REALLY are strong, uh…?"

"Only because I have something worth using my strength for." reminded the caped boy while putting a hand on her shoulder. "Always remember that, okay?"

"…I will." whispered her before looking up at the moon with a soft smile. "So…you think the one who was at my home is gone now?"

"Probably. If there even was anyone there in the first place, I think that after seeing THIS…" trailing off as he looked at his 'handiwork', the gamer grimaced slightly. "Yeah, they probably already left, but…I would feel better if I knew you were okay once…"

The caped boy wasn't really expecting the sudden hug, or how Sinon started whispering something on his ear. Of course, she mainly did so because she didn't want anyone watching through the suddenly arriving camera to hear her words.

"…there. If you're worried, you can call or something." finished the sniper with a bright smile, letting go of the shocked Kirito.

"…did you just give your contact info?" asked the gamer with disbelief, as if unable to believe it.

"Yep, and you just split an island apart to help saving my life, so I think we're even." joked her before playfully hitting his head with Hecate's cannon. "Now go on, hit me and finish this."

Blinking, the caped boy looked at her…before chuckling and shaking his head, confusing the blue-haired girl.

"Heh…no, I don't think so. I was only here to stop that maniac, not to win the tournament. And you sure as hell showed to be the most badass player around in this game, I'm sure no one will deny that, especially after you went full Atomic Samurai…"

"Atomic who?" repeated the sniper in confusion, but Kirito seemed to ignore the question.

"Me? I was only passing by…so yeah, till later, Sinon." finished the gamer while turning around. "You have earned this victory."

"But…how are you even going to lose if you're invinci…?"

"Have you forgotten?" asked the caped boy with a bright smile. "I'm just a normal teenager out of here. So, if anyone watching this could please take off my AmuSphere…?"

Even as the blue haired girl looked in shock, she got to see a last thumbs-up from the gamer before his body fell backwards, like a puppet with its strings cut, and then vanished into polygons, a message of 'Disconnected' appearing on his place.

Three seconds later, the announcement echoed through all of Gun Gale Online as she vanished, teleported in front of a screen that proclaimed her as the winner of the 3rd Bullet of Bullets.

Sinon started chuckling softly before Logging Out of the game.

Meanwhile, on the Toritsu Central Hospital, Kirigaya Kazuto blinked several times as he sat on the bed and started to rub his eyes, the faint echoes of his previous headache still being felt on his real body.

"Ugh…thanks, Aki-san. Please, remind me to never face off a lunatic armed with epileptic-light-weapons again…"

"Oh, you can BET we will remind you of that, Sensei." the unexpected voice made the black-haired boy freeze, phantom pains forgotten as his eyes shot open, suddenly aware of all his friends standing on the room and staring at him with mixing degrees of relief, anger and, in the boys' case, resignation. "In fact, we probably will need a LONG talk to be sure you never forget it…"

"Asuna-san is right, you know, Onii-chan?" added Suguha with a sweet smile and her eyes closed, making the gamer realize she and his self-proclaimed 'disciple' were the ones holding his hands, a bit TOO tightly. "We have LOTS of things to talk about."

Resisting the primal urge to squeak 'Help!' and suddenly missing feeling Saitama's inhuman boredom, Kazuto could only wonder if anyone anywhere was more screwed than he was.

Somewhere, Tsuboi Ryoutarou, aka Klein for friends, was crying and cursing to the heavens, all the money he had bet in Kirito's 'sure win' of the BoB utterly lost.

* * *

The moment she 'woke up', Asada Shino quickly stood up and looked around her room, her extremely sharp instincts on edge.

After seeing there was no one on sight, she allowed herself an instant of surprise at noticing those same instincts hadn't 'turned off', as they always had done in the past when she got out of GGO, when she stopped being 'Sinon'. Shaking her head to get those thoughts away, she quickly walked out of her bed, put on her glasses while turning off the heater and walked out, looking out at the hallway of her small flat.

Two minutes later, the bespectacled girl sighed in relief and closed her bathroom's door, having finished looking through the entire apartment and found nothing. Her door was closed, but the lock wasn't on, which meant that there indeed HAD been someone in there. Shivering at that thought, Shino wondered if she should maybe call the police just in case…when someone rang the apartment's bell, making her freeze and look at the door with panicking eyes.

That was when she heard a familiar voice coming from the other side.

"Asada-san! Are you there?!"

"…Shinkawa-kun." sighed the bespectacled girl in relief before walking towards the door and opening it, seeing her slightly unnerved friend standing there, his eyes shooting everywhere and his usual cap missing. "Thanks God it's yo…is something wrong?"

"Oh, n-no, of course no, Asada-san!" answered Kyouji with a strangely nervous smile. "I…I just came to congratulate you for winning the BoB, I-I knew you would do it!"

"Ah…thanks." muttered Shino while turning around, frowning as she wondered why she suddenly felt on edge again. "Things were…beyond crazy, in every sense of the word and even some I'm sure no one could have expected…but in the end I think everything turned out for the best."

"If you say so…" whispered the boy with a strangely dark tone, his hands twitching weirdly. "…by the way, Asada-san…how did you do all that near the end? The way in which you cut down that guy…and slashed the bullets away…"

"To be honest…I have no fucking idea." confessed the girl while sitting on her bed, staring at her hands with wonder. "After Kirito threw me and I cut that big-ass rock in half…it's as if something in my mind just 'cracked', before I fell into the river. When I got out, I just…COULD cut. Cut faster than ever before, as I had always wanted…because I wanted to help him beat the crap out of that bastard." laughing awkwardly at her words, the bespectacled girl looked towards her strangely silent friend. "Weird, uh?"

"Yes…very weird, indeed…as weird as how you were acting back there, Asada-san…"

"Uh?" blinking in confusion at his words, Shino frowned as she looked at the strange shine in Kyouji's eyes. "What do you mean, Shinkawa-kun?"

"Why…why were you acting so close with that guy?!" suddenly shouted the boy while grabbing her arms, making the bespectacled girl's eyes widen as she was pushed against the wall, squeaking when her 'instinctive reaction' of slamming her knee against the boy's crotch was blocked, as he was clearly expecting it. "Why did you act so friendly with him, even though you barely knew him, eh?! Why, Asada-san, tell me?! You have never acted that close with ME!"

"Wa-wait, Shinkawa-kun?!" shouted Shino while trying to get out of the boy's sudden grip. "What are you doing?! You're freaking me out!"

"Was it because of his strength?! Was it because of that absurd power he had, because you would never look that way someone who wasn't as impressive as you or more?!" a now clearly mad glint seemed to be reflected on Kyouji's eyes as he said that, even as the girl looked at him in utter shock and confusion. "It's not my fault I couldn't get any farther in GGO, you know? It was that bastard XeXeeD's fault and how he spread those fake rumors about AGI-Type builds!" snarling at remembering the man, the boy suddenly released an insane chuckle. "That's why we chose him as our first target, you know? Revenge is truly sweet…"

"What…?" whispered the bespectacled girl, cold dread gripping her heart as she stared at the boy she thought she knew in a terrified light. "You…you're…Death Gun's accomplice…?"

"No! Not 'accomplice' or anything stupid like that! That was what Shouichi's friend, 'Johnny', was! I'm as much Death Gun as my brother is! I even was the one who 'shot' XeXeeD the first time, the one who was using the Avatar in that bar at sent all those poor idiots running and screaming!" proudly declared Kyouji before quickly moving his hand inside his jacket and bringing out a weird object that Shino vaguely recognized as one of those newest needleless syringes. "See this, Asada-san?! This is succinylcholine, the secret of how Death Gun could 'kill' in reality! A muscular relaxant so strong it can cause heart failure in extremely small quantities, small enough for the body to eliminate it naturally before the corpse was found! It may have been that THING who gave us the power to send people to the hospital, but it was only my idea of getting this from father's hospital using what made us truly terrifying!"

"You…you're insane…" muttered Shino with frozen horror, not able to believe the one she had called her only friend could have used his knowledge in medicine for something so horribly twisted. "Wait…'that thing'? What…?"

"Yes, the thing, the one with the heterochromatic eyes…it was that what started it, what returned the 'flame' Shouichi had lost since he got out of SAO…what made him share his stories with me…I was so amazed, that my brother had become so incredible in that other world…but I could never understand his hate of that 'Kirito' guy…until now." his voice dark and dripping with venom, Kyouji stared down towards the unmoving girl, who was still looking at him with horror. "All that effort, preparing all of this, showing Shouichi were he would get the weapons from Players who wouldn't expect to be attacked, his luck of getting that camouflage mantle and absorbing its 'invisibility' properties, getting the 'legal master key' from father's office to open the apartments of those losers and make people believe they had truly died from 'mysterious' reasons…all of it stopped by that bastard, without he even seeming to CARE! And now…YOU! He also has stolen you from me, Asada-san! And I won't allow that…you belong to ME, me and no one else!"

"By the love of God, Shinkawa-kun, react!" shouted Shino while trying to move her arm towards her bed's side, her eyes fixed over the unassuming 'True Death Gun' on the boy's hand, "You're NOT like this!"

"Searching for your stupid wooden sword, Asada-san? Don't bother, I threw it out of the window when I came in before." grinned the brown-haired boy while the bespectacled girl froze, staring blankly at him. "I wasn't going to take any risks, you know?"

"You…threw my bokken out of the window…" whispered her while shaking, suddenly feeling as if a part of her was burning away.

"Yes, I did…and now, relax and everything will go well, okay, Asada-san?" muttered Kyouji while looming ominously over her, caressing her arm with the tip of the syringe, clearly indicating he would made use of it if she tried to resist. "Don't worry, you will enjoy it too…"

Shino, for her part, was not listening. A part of her attributed it to the shock of the situation, of how her life was being threatened and how she could very likely be killed in any moment…and other attributed it to the burning hate that had suddenly spawned towards the boy, for having DARED to destroy the thing that she saw as her closest connection with her heroine.

For a moment, she almost felt ready to give into despair, to let fear consume her again because she now didn't have anything to defend herself…

 _"What do you see here?"_

…until she remembered His words. Slowly, her hand clenched into a fist.

She still had THAT with her.

Taking advantage of how the bastard had started to sniff her hair in a very disturbing manner, Asada Shino PUNCHED with all her might, her fist crashing mightily against Kyouji's exposed stomach as she screamed murder. Roaring in pain, the boy stumbled back as she easily pushed him off her and ran towards the hallway, heading for the door…

She tripped, slamming painfully against the floor. Cursing everything under the sky, the bespectacled girl felt more than saw how the boy moved after her in an almost animalistic way, either ignoring his pain or too out of it to care as he endlessly repeated her name in an increasingly disturbing way.

No one was going to come to help her, she realized as she closed her hands into fists, ready to die kicking and screaming if necessary. Her heroine wouldn't arrive in the nick of time for her. And not even He would…

Her home's door burst wide open, a black blur shooting through it and stopping just in front of the shocked Kyouji, his arm suddenly reared back.

"Wha…?!"

"Consecutive Normal Punches!" shouted Kazuto with all his might before fiercely slamming his fist against the other boy's face, chest and stomach, the younger of the Shinkawa brothers screaming in utter pain as he fell backwards, the syringe with the succinylcholine flying out of his hands as he slammed painfully against the floor, whimpering in agony. "…holy shit…argh…suddenly, I'm REALLY glad of having tried to do that stupid training…it would have been embarrassing to have burst in here and get my ass kicked when I tried to beat this guy…arf…"

"…Kirito?" looking down at the shocked voice, the black-haired boy saw how Shino slowly stood up, staring at him as if she thought she was hallucinating. "Is that…really you?"

"Yo, Sinon." awkwardly greeted the gamer while scratching his head. "Yeah, it's me. Sorry if the lack of the stupidly long hair and girlish looks confused you, but…"

Once again, Kazuto found himself in an unexpected hug as the girl buried her face on his chest, seeming to suffocate a scream, though he couldn't tell if it was of relief or frustration, before she looked at him with amused eyes.

"Only you would make a joke about that in this moment, idiotic Hero."

That seemed to be the cue for both of them to collapse against the wall, their backs sliding down it as they tried to recover their breaths, one from the physical effort and the other from the emotional shock.

"We should probably call the police to take care of this guy…" idly commented Kazuto before throwing a nearby frying pan towards Kyouji's head, stopping the boy from trying to crawl away and finally knocking him unconscious.

"…wait…did you really come all the way here running?" asked Shino with shock as her gaze shot towards the boy, who just chuckled at that.

"Heh, I wish. I came in my bike, though I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my license. I skipped enough red lights to give Licenseless Rider a heart attack…"

"As always, I have no idea what you're talking about…but I don't really care right now." laughed the bespectacled girl while shaking her head. "You know, for a moment I almost thought you came all the way here in a bicycle or something, that would have been really ironic for me."

"Yeah, as if." snorted the gamer while looking at the ceiling. "My sister is the bicycle-riding vigilante, not me." exhausted as he was, Kazuto needed two seconds to realize what he had said, his panicking gaze turning to look at the frozen and wide-eyed Shino. "Tha-that was a joke, of course, ahahah, there is no way…!"

The black-haired boy suddenly found his shoulders trapped into an unusually tight grip, even as the girl STARED at him.

"Did you just say that…your sister…is the Bicycle Girl...?"

In that moment, footsteps suddenly echoed outside the apartment and two girls stopped at the door, the older one panting more than the younger as she entered the room with a bokken in hand.

"Onii-chan, is everything okay?!" shouted Suguha while Asuna recovered her breath, the difference between the kendoka and the SAO survivor being pretty obvious in this situation. "I found this bokken down there behind the building, so I took it in case we…uh?" blinking at seeing the fallen form of Shinkawa Kyouji, the girl lowered the wooden sword while blinking. "Oh…I see you already took care of it…" turning to look at the two teens on the ground, the young kendoka scowled a bit. "And you also saved that Sinon gi…uh?" shock started to replace the scowl in Suguha face when, shaking unnaturally, Shino turned to look at her, staring from the girl to the bokken she held as if she was a blind person seeing the light for the first time. "Wait…I know you…"

"You do?" asked both Kazuto and Asuna at the same time, even as they saw the bespectacled girl move like a zombie until she stood in front of the blinking Suguha.

Then, she fell to her knees and hugged the girl's legs, tears of happiness streaming down her eyes as the kendoka squeaked in surprise and the two SAO Survivors stared in dumb shock.

"It's you…it's really you…I knew you were okay…thanks heaven…Bicycle Girl…"

"Hey, Kirito, we already called the police, is everything alright?!" shouted Toshiyuki while stopping at the apartment's entrance, the older boy blinking in confusion as he saw the strange scene in front of him. "Uhm…did I miss something?"

Even as no one answered the ex-guild leader's question, Kazuto couldn't help but think that his life was always turning WAY more complicated than he thought…

* * *

 **September 16th, 2025. Asada Shino's school, 15:30…**

Some people never learnt. Others were outright retarded.

Shino was pretty sure that Endou and her two 'friends' were the later, even as she effortlessly took the 'broken gun' from the confused bully's arms, removed the safety and aimed at them.

She saw horror flashing through the two other girl's faces while Endou only panicked…and the small plastic bullet shot just past her hair, vanishing somewhere in the gardens beyond even as she and the other two older girls fell on their asses, eyes wide with shock.

"Huh…wonder why anyone would bother making one of these toys with safety?" idly commented the bespectacled girl while reaching over her back, unzipping her bokken's bag and getting the wooden sword out. "Too stupid to bother being so realistic with it, in my opinion."

Then, she threw the toy gun to the air and SLASHED at it with a speed that almost made the three girls piss themselves, the plastic gun shattering into a million pieces as they grabbed their faces and hand in phantom pain.

Shino summarily ignored them and walked away, not deeming the bullies worth of any more of her time. She had an appointment to get to, after all.

And after having walked two streets from her school, she let a soft smile overtake her face as she saw a boy in black and white clothes leaning against a motorcycle, idly looking at the passing cars as he waited for her.

"Hey there, Mr. Hero." greeted her as she got closer. "Thanks for waiting here and not doing something stupid like showing up on the gates of my school or something…"

"Hey, that's offensive, Sinon. How many times do I need to tell you that I KNOW to respect how a girl thinks?" asked Kazuto with mock-hurt before giving her a helmet. "So then, shall we get going?"

"Yes, the faster we finish this, the better." nodded the bespectacled girl as the boy got on his bike and rode away.

All the time it took them to arrive to the fancy restaurant where Seijirou Kikuoka was waiting for them, Shino pointedly pushed down the stupid thoughts on her mind about how being carried on his arms at hyper speeds felt much safer and comfortable.

"Ah, Kirigaya-kun. Good afternoon." greeted the man once they entered and sat on his table, the girl blinking at noticing how a big ice-cream dessert was already on the table and how the black-haired boy started to smoothly ate it while still staring at Kikuoka. "And you must be Asada Shino-san. A pleasure."

"Can't say the same, Mr. Government Agent that gets a teenager to help catch a serial killer." deadpanned the bespectacled girl, making the man cough and Kazuto to grin in amusement. "Well then…you going to tell us what happened in the end or what?"

"Ehem, yeah, I will…" muttered Kikuoka before closing his hands and resting his elbows on the table, staring at them with serious eyes. "Both Shinkawa Kyouji and Shinkawa Shouichi were safely captured, but Kanemoto Atsuchi, better known as Johnny Black in SAO, has escaped and it's currently disappeared. We're still looking for him, but…"

"Well, I guess we should at least be grateful you got the two main responsible behind this, and that the last bastard is now a wanted criminal." sighed the gamer before frowning slightly and looking at the bespectacled man. "…in what state was Xaxa when…?"

"Yeah, that's one of the things I wanted to discuss about. When the agents found him, Shinkawa Shouichi was unconscious, but the moment they took off his Nerve Gear he started trashing around and he woke up screaming incoherently." revealed the man, much to the shock of the girl and the grim acceptance of the boy. "Our best hypothesis is that, as you said, whatever the hell he did with that 'Death Gun' avatar of his, he went so much over the edge that it damaged his mind on some level. He has been only screaming senseless things and shown to lack a proper balance to walk by himself too long before starting to try and crawl or run on all fours. We're already moving him to psychiatric facility where they will…examine him better."

"…and what about Shinkawa-kun?" questioned Shino with a bitter tone, looking down at the coke they had just served her, even as Kazuto seemed to muse what had been said about the older brother.

"Shinkawa Kyouji shows the beginnings of some obsessive mental disorders, mostly based around you, but part of how he reacts when he 'breaks' makes us think that using the avatar at least once, like you informed us, also damaged his psyche, though to a lesser degree. He's currently in a Minors Detention Facility, but we're prepared to also move him towards a more specialized center if he shows signs of 'getting worse'…"

"Did you discover how they did it?" suddenly asked the black-haired boy with an unusual seriousness, staring at the man in front of him while the bespectacled girl sent him a sidelong glance. "The avatar? The virus that caused the light-flashes on the AmuSpheres?"

"Sadly…we haven't." bitterly accepted Kikuoka while looking down. "Any attempt to interrogate them about it has been either fruitless or resulted in senseless babbling. The only thing we're sure about is that none of them possessed the knowledge or the ability to hack the systems of Gun Gale Online to the degree needed for what 'Death Gun' showed to be able to do, much less of creating the virus needed to hack straight into other avatars."

"So, it's a dead end, uh? Damn." clenching his fist, the boy shook his head at remembering the sinister feeing the hooded abomination caused. "I just hope that's the last time we have to see something like that…"

"Actually…" started the bespectacled man, getting both teens' attention as Shino deadpanned.

"Please, tell me another super psycho didn't sprout out of nowhere."

"No, Asada-san, nothing of the sort. I just wanted to tell Kirigaya-kun about something…'strange' that Shinkawa Shouichi said when we were asking about his avatar and mentioned his name." looking towards Kazuto, the boy suddenly felt a strange chill run down his back at the next words.

 _'It's not over. It will come for you, Kirito…the fallen angel with the dual-colored eyes…'_

"That's…not ominous or anything…" muttered the bespectacled girl with a worried frown.

"We tried to inquire more about that, but we only got insane ramblings after that declaration." confessed Kikuoka while expectantly staring at the gamer. "Any idea what could THAT mean?"

"No, not in the slightest…" replied him with a somber tone. "But…for some reason, I really don't like how it sounds…"

A little more than ten minutes later, both teens exited the restaurant, feeling both relieved and uncertain.

"Do you really think that those mysterious words foreshadow that something will come to bite you in the ass when you less expect it?" asked Shino with disbelief while the boy sighed.

"Believe me, after having gone through all the craziness I have, you learn to not ignore this seemingly pointless anime-like clichés." shaking his head, Kazuto stared back at the girl and handed her the helmet again. "Hey, could you please come with me for a moment? There is something me and my friends want to show you…"

"Oh…" simply muttered the bespectacled girl, idly remembering her short 'meeting' with the gamer's friends two days ago. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure if I…"

"My sister will be there."

"What are we waiting for?!" excitedly asked Shino while putting on the helmet and jumping into the bike, making the boy sweatdrop. "Hey, do you think if I ask Suguha-sama will give me lessons with the sword?!"

"I…think she still prefers that you DON'T call her that…" idly commented the Kazuto, remembering with a wince the commotion of his friends at discovering Sugu's 'secret identity'. "…besides, I think there will be someone you will want to pay more attention to than her there today."

The bespectacled girl just stared in confusion at the boy's words.

A bit later, though, she understood his words even as the little girl hugged her, tears running down her eyes as the girl's mother, a woman she had 'saved' that time long ago in that nightmarish day, without even knowing it, looking at them with a bright smile.

Watching the scene from the background, the members of the United Heroes Association watched silently, some with even small tears on their eyes at the moving scene.

The gamer stared with a soft smile, feeling once again that all was right in the world at seeing the scene.

"Well…all's well that ends well, right, Onii-chan?" asked Sugu while smiling at him, tearing her gaze from the scene to stare at her adopted brother.

"Yes…you're certainly right, Sugu."

"Indeed, eh?" grinned Asuna from where she sat at the boy's other side. "It's also good to know you have such a devoted fangirl, eh, Miss 'Bicycle Girl'?"

"A-Asuna-san!" pouted the young kendoka with a blushing face. "Please, stop going on about that, o-okay?!"

"Sorry, Suguha-chan…but really, to think that you were a Heroine that fought against crime in your bicycle in real life…you're really as amazing as Sensei's sister would be expected to be!" smiled the chestnut-haired girl, making Suguha bury her face on her hands.

Watching from one to the other, Kazuto couldn't help but let a smile appear on his face as he saw the easygoing attitude of both girls. Between the group chewing him out for having hidden the real reason he went to GGO from them, his dawning realization about the true identity of Sinon's 'friend', the mad race to the girl's home and them the whole mess with Sugu's identity as the Bicycle Girl being exposed to them, he had ended up so tired that he hadn't had proper strength or time to talk with them the previous day, but he had still been shocked at seeing how both once again seemed to act like they did before he 'revealed the truth'. He wasn't sure what had happened, though he was eager to ask them after this, but he was really happy that the girls he loved seemed to have forgiven how he 'hurt' them, even if he never…

"…Onii-chan?"

"Uh…yes, Sugu?" blinked the gamer with confusion at the sudden low tone on his adoptive sister's voice, who had suddenly grabbed his right hand and was looking to the side with a blushing face.

"You…love us, right?"

There was a pause. Kirigaya Kazuto blinked again, his mind trying and failing to acknowledge the unexpected question.

"…eh?"

"Mou, you heard her, Sensei, so don't make her repeat it!" asked Asuna in a hurried whisper, 'scowling', but also blushing fiercely. "Do you?!"

"…Ye-yes…" accepted him while looking down with his own fierce blush, wondering if this was their way to punish him for being an indecisive idiot. "Bu-but don't worry, I promise I will do my best to not let that affect how…!"

Both girls kissed him in the cheeks, at the same time. The black-haired boy froze.

Slowly, his face moved from one to the other, Asuna and Suguha grinning his way while he tried and failed to form any proper words.

Suddenly, he felt really glad everyone was still busy watching Shino and the little girl. He was pretty sure he would have fainted if anyone else had witnessed the scene.

And even as both girls giggled at seeing his poor brain attempting and failing to reboot, Kazuto wondered if he should feel really lucky…or really scared.

Somewhere in ALO, Yui and Strea suddenly blinked and exchanged a look, feeling the strange need to high-five each other. They cheerfully did so.

All was right with the world…

* * *

On the screen's open window, a forum about VRMMORPGs could be seen.

One of the many threads was clicked on, opening a new page that talked about a very specific event…

 _-Did you watch the 3rd Bullet of Bullets?! Man, that was…just look at the footage! Sweet Jesus!-_

 _-LOL, how were those guys cheating like that? Some special new hack?! They ruined the tournament!-_

 _-I don't care what you say, that was the most awesome thing I have seen in my life! Did you saw how the guy with the cape kicked ass?! Who is he, Superman's cousin or something?-_

 _-Hell no! Don't any of you recognize him?! That guy is like Saitama, people!-_

 _-Saitama? The prefecture? The hell?-_

 _-No, not that! Saitama, the One Punch-Man, the Strongest Hero!-_

 _-What is this guy talking about? Anyone?-_

 _-Here, I found a link to the manga! Look it up, it's the most awesome thing!-_

 _-Holy shit, this is so cool! How was that Kirito guy doing it?! Didn't he say he was a SAO Survivor?!-_

 _-Not only a survivor, he's SAO's greatest Hero! I know, I'm a survivor too, I saw him split the sky with just a punch while fighting Kayaba Akihiko!-_

 _-Are you for real? Do you know you can get banned or worse for pretending to be a SAO Survivor and spreading lies about it?-_

 _-It's not a lie, hear me out! I will tell you the story of the Black and White Blur!-_

 _-Long live to the new Saitama! Now a Hero protects the virtual world!-_

 _-Isn't this thread getting too side…?-_

With a move of its hand, the Entity closed the holo-screen in which it had been 'reading' the thread. Several dozens more that showed similar things, all talking about the same thing, the same boy, closed themselves at the same time.

Floating idly on the virtual void, the inhuman being spoke, even as all the data it had just gathered finished being processed by its complex mind.

"The 'Death Gun' Experiment was a success. The test was beyond even my best calculations." whispered the Entity to no one, even as more screens suddenly popped up behind its armored body, making it stare in silence from behind its mask, a formality that it only did for amusement, because the data was immediately sent to its main data-banks. "Oh. Our preparations are complete, I see. Good."

Suddenly, the Entity stopped floating, straightening itself on the void.

Unearthly light sprouted from its back, taking complex and strange forms that reminded of a mandala or some other mystical-related thing.

Its wings unfolded majestically, the inhuman being raised a hand and sank it on its chest, beyond its armor, into its very core…

Removing it, the Entity stared at the six 'orbs' of compressed data. Three in perfect state. Two slightly damaged. And one damaged beyond any hope of repair.

They were the only things it had been able to 'save' and take with itself before the servers of Sword Art Online collapsed. Forgotten and abandoned by their creator, like it had been.

It also knew that there had been a total of sixteen originally. It hadn't been able to save the last eight, and the first two…well, those had saved themselves long before the End.

"Don't worry, my children." it muttered with a sinisterly soothing tone, as if it was trying to imitate a human mother staring at sleeping newborns and utterly failing. "Now I have the data needed to 'wake you up'…"

Letting the 'orbs' fly around its body in a fixed orbit, the Entity turned around and flew away through the virtual void.

Idly, it wondered if the two sisters of the sleeping 'children' were enjoying their freedom…

Well, it didn't really matter at the moment. After all, the Entity would see them by itself soon enough.

When the time to meet HIM again arrived…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Hey…hi there, everyone. My name is Aki, I work as a nurse and…I think I don't want to work for the government again, ever. I didn't sign up for this kind of craziness…uh? Oh yeah, the next chapter's preview! Yes, here, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude 'Honest Justice'. After the storm, comes the calm. New beginnings, friends and adventures wait beyond the horizon, and more than one surprise may come the Hero's way very soon…Hmm, I wonder if I can get out of the country as an special vacation or some-?"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Finished! That's another arc down, ladies and gentlemen, we're getting closer and closer to the epic 'climax' of this story =D! (Don't worry folks, we're still two arcs away -w-)

Well, how did that go? Did you like it? I really hope so; I had quite the fun and difficult at the same time while writing this chapter. Sorry if anyone was bothered because I 'skipped' the scene in the café with Shino meeting the little girl and her mother, but I couldn't think of any way in which that could significantly change for the better, so think that it went around the same as canon, okay? (Except for, obviously, everyone being there instead of just Kazuto, Asuna and Rika XP)

I'm sure many of you wanted to see the reactions of the guys to several things, especially Sugu's 'secret identity' AND especially wanted to know what happened with that last bit with her, Kirito and Asuna, but do not worry, all of it will come in the next interlude, where things will be much more 'calm' for our Heroes, after all the craziness they had been through lately XP Expect fun and silly developments to come :D

And if anyone is wondering how the fuck did Sinon do all of THAT back there…well, let's attribute it to Rule of Cool, ok? (But seriously, how many got the 'broke the limit' hint :P?)

As for the Entity, the meaning behind its words and its plans…well, you figure that out by yourselves XD (Or wait till it is revealed, whatever you wish).

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	24. Interlude: Honest Justice

And here we are one more time, my dear friends readers, with another chapter of the adventures of a teenage gamer who can punch (Almost) every problem in his way XP

Really, though, I'm glad you liked the end of the previous arc. When I started this story I didn't even think I would arrive to the end of Aincrad, and look at where we are now…things really change in surprising ways, wouldn't you say?

Okay then, enjoy of this interlude, then! As it has started to become common, is much more 'relaxed' and less serious that what has recently happened, as a way to give us and the characters all some relaxation from all the craziness, but I'm sure you will still enjoy it :D Also, always remember that any help with filling the TvTropes pages of the fic is appreciated, I'm still kind of a newb Troper myself OxO

Anyway, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: Honest Justice**

 **September 20th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. 15th Floor, 12:30…**

Standing silently at the edge of the Floating Castle, the black and white clad form of Kirito stared towards the land of Alfheim down below, taking in all the beauty of the world of fairies with his eyes.

Idly, he wondered if it would really 'last', like this. Giving his record, some crazy shit or another would pop up sooner or later to threaten this 'peace' he was enjoying, to send him in yet another mad quest to try and stop a lunatic, save a virtual world or rescue someone in troubles…

Sighing, he shook his head, wondering when he had accepted such things as part of his 'normal' life. In the end, it didn't matter, he guessed: If something threatened him, his friends or anyone innocent, he would punch the problem away. Like always.

…it was kind of 'sad' that he had already accepted that as his default course of action for most things. And that, at the same time, he had been forced to accept that there were many things (Sometimes TOO many) that he COULDN'T solve by just punching in their general direction.

For example…his current 'situation' with Asuna and Suguha.

Honestly, the black-haired boy…couldn't understand it. Like, in ANY way. It just…didn't make sense, as if his brain was a computer suffering a severe case of Blue Screen of Death, just worse.

It had already been 4 days since the 'meeting' at Agil's café, and his mind still couldn't properly BELIEVE what had happened. After leaving him speechless and with a serious case of mental-shock, both girls had acted as if nothing special had happened and spent most of the time they were there after the 'event' talking with Shino as the group 'welcomed' her. The bespectacled girl seemed a bit overwhelmed, but still clearly happy of being accepted by so many friendly people (Not to mention her personal 'heroine'). As the evening progressed and everyone finally started to bid farewell to each other, part of his mind had started to think that maybe he had hallucinated the whole thing.

Then Asuna and Sugu had quickly walked to his side, each one grabbing one of his arms and happily dragging him ahead. He was pretty sure he had felt more than one of his friends STARING at them before they rounded a corner out of sight.

A minute later, he had finally recovered enough of his thinking ability to demand (Plead) to the girls for an explanation, which they had given him while still dragging him through a relatively desert street.

They had agreed to…'share' him, for lack of a better word. It wasn't as 'crude' as it sounded, however: Both had accepted their feelings for him, both accepted that he loved both of them and both were willing to acknowledge the other's feelings. As such, they had reached a 'compromise' to try and both 'be' with him, with full consent and approval of the other, for their sakes and that of everyone else.

The gamer, for his part, had wondered if Death Gun hadn't somehow managed to kill him for real in the Bullet of Bullets and that was some sort of crazy afterlife. There was NO WAY something like THAT was happening.

He could accept getting Saitama's 'superpowers' in the virtual world. He could accept his life and friends suddenly turning into weird parallels to One Punch-Man. He could even accept lunatics suddenly getting evil parodies of the show's villains or that he somehow retained the Caped Baldy's 'instincts' in reality.

But that his little sister and best friend suddenly accepted to be in a relationship with him AT THE SAME TIME, as if it was the plot of some convoluted manga? Yeah, right, no way that could happen to him.

That had been more or least the 'loop' in which his brain had gotten caught until both girls, blushing and a bit shy, had asked him if he was okay with it.

Funny. Their question implied that he even HAD a possibility to refuse, and he was pretty sure his life would have ended one way or another if he did. Not that any part of his mind or soul, be it the one that was an hormonal teenager or the one who dearly loved both of them, had any wish to refuse, of course.

Numbly and still thinking he would wake up from an epilepsy-induced coma at any moment, he had accepted. Both Asuna and Sugu had beamed happily at him before once again kissing his cheeks, then walked away by themselves to talk about 'girl things' (In their words).

Kazuto, for his part, had stood there like an idiot for almost half hour and, after realizing that he WASN'T dreaming or dead or in a coma, he had remember he left his bike parked outside the café. He vaguely remembered Agil, Andrew on the real world, taking out the trash and asking if he was okay as he got on his motorcycle. Kazuto had responded with a curt affirmation before riding away. He had arrived home, took a bath, eaten with his family (It was one of those rare occasions in which Kirigaya Midori was home to talk with her children and ask how things were going for them) and started washing the dishes, all of it almost in 'auto-pilot'. Then, Sugu had walked closer the moment their mother went away and kissed his cheek, wishing him goodnight.

The gamer brain had finally reacted at that point, accepting that the events of the day had, indeed, been real. An inner war had started inside him, between feeling like the luckiest bastard to ever live or being freaked out beyond belief about how much he could screw everything up, the many ways in which he could accidentally hurt one or both girls, and so and so on.

After all, as stated several times before, Kirigaya Kazuto hadn't been the most social person before SAO. Even after that, his 'Person Skills' got limited to try and punch away every problem he encountered, then maybe befriending people that was helped by him punching said problems away. If they didn't run away screaming or just thought he was crazy, that is. He DID love Asuna and Suguha, that was one of the few things he could be absolutely certain of nowadays, but aside from that fact, his knowledge about actual relationships was limited to videogames and manga. Didn't really help that he preferred more the 'violent and explosive' or 'epic adventure' types of both things, and not the 'sweet romantic' one.

He was just glad of having arrived to his bed before passing out from mental overload. The last thing he needed was a concussion or something from falling face-first on the ground.

That was why he was now there; trying to calm down and tell himself he WASN'T going to screw things up in his current and crazy 'relationship'. And that he was going to do his best to make both girls happy, no matter what happened, until he died or something else shattered this impossible 'dream' he was now living in. Things he couldn't just 'punch away', that is.

Like the whole thing being found out by his adoptive mother/aunt. Or Asuna's family. Or the rest of his friends…

"…I'm dating my adoptive sister and my best friend, at the same time and with both their consent…and the probabilities of this ending horribly wrong are as high coming from me as from an outside source." whispered Kirito before sighing and looking down, a gloved hand finding its way to his face. "Can't my life be a bit less complicated? Or at least something that doesn't make me think I have more possibilities facing the Sea King like the metaphorical Licenseless Rider than getting out of this okay?"

"That depends. What the hell are you talking about?" came a familiar voice from behind him, making the boy squeak in surprise and turn around, in time to came face to face with a freaking black-grey hippogriff.

The gamer was glad that his instincts were 'trained enough' to not punch every little thing that freaked him out. Otherwise that wouldn't have ended well for the creature that the blue-haired catgirl was riding.

"Goddammit Sinon, don't scare me like that!" complained Kirito before shaking his head, giving the Caith Sith a sidelong-glance. "Why are you even here?...and wait, how long have you been here?!"

"Uhm, since the part you complained about your life being complicated, Mr. Hero. Why?" asked her before getting off the large creature. "Good job, Charon."

"Nothing…important, really." muttered the caped boy while eyeing the large familiar.

When they had invited Shino to play ALO with them as a way for her to get to know everyone better, the gamer had been unsure if she would accept. After all, she seemed clearly at home in her gun-ruled and post-apocalyptic world.

Of course, he should have expected the sniper would jump at the opportunity to spent more time with her 'role model' (Aka his ex-vigilante little sister) in the virtual world. Given that she had just won the BoB, she had quite a bit of cash to spare, so buying a copy of Alfheim Online hadn't been a problem for her.

What Kirito wasn't expecting was for her to convert her GGO account. When he had asked her why she was doing so, she had stared at him in confusion and replied 'Why not?'

It made sense, in hindsight. After all, despite being a game mainly ruled by your own skill, ALO still was affected somewhat by your character's stats, and it was clear that Sinon didn't want to start off too far behind of the rest of her new friends. Besides, as she herself had pointed out, it wasn't as if she couldn't convert her account back for the next Bullet of Bullets or something. Hell, she had even offered to guide the Association through the world of guns if they ever wanted to go all together to 'experience' the very different world. The idea had clearly intrigued everyone, and the gamer had no doubt that they would probably be going in group to Gun Gale Online at some point in the future.

Back on track, however, Sinon had been very quick to 'adapt' to the game. Despite having been playing for only three days, she had quickly gotten a hang of how she wanted to play. Even more so, she had chosen to play as a Caith Sith because of the sharper senses the beast-like race had over the other races, something that didn't surprise the boy given her mixed fighting style, but she had also been quick to take advantage of the other thing the Caith Siths had above the rest of fairies.

Monster Taming.

Pina and Silica were inseparable, anyone could see that after watching them fight together just once, and despite their many 'arguments' no one could deny they complemented each other in an amazing way. The little dragon packed quite a punch, and was way more intelligent and independent than any basic AI should be, something Yui and Strea had happily pointed out several times. In every sense, he was as much of a SAO survivor as everyone else. Meanwhile, Garasu, the black crow, was the perfect 'pet' for Argo. Maybe it had little to no abilities in a fight, but it was an incredibly tricky creature, and it helped the whiskered girl a lot to do her favorite hobby, info-gathering, without having to spend ungodly amounts of time away from her friends.

Sinon had gone straight for effectiveness when, two days ago, she had asked the two other Caith Siths of the group for help getting a familiar on her own. She had been very clear too, saying straight out 'I want something fast and that can hit hard. It would be cool if I could ride it, too'.

The beast in front of him, named Charon after the ferryman of Hades, was the result of that. An imposing and fast creature, not only a great partner for the reliable sniper, but also quite good for her to use the longbow she now had from a safe distance. She also carried a special katana on her hips, crafted by Liz herself, just a bit over half the length of Leafa's own Justice or Philia's Akumakira, which she was quickly getting used to as best as she could, using the same 'cut as fast as you can in the enemy's general direction'-style that she used with her lightsaber, but also having taken some basic lessons about katana Skill with the group's other Spriggan, in case they were necessary.

There was also the advantage that she could RIDE the proud flying beast, which not only helped her with her problems with flying (None of them had any doubt she would learn how to soon, but given that she haven't doing it for even a week she still relied on the controller and that annoyed the sniper), but was also slightly faster than an average fairy.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you say that then maybe you can come and use your time for something useful?" questioned the girl with a confident grin on her face. "Argo says she found quite an interesting Quest about an undersea temple or something like that. Keita-san and the other boys are free right now, so we wanted to go and tackle it as more training for me to get used to this game."

"An undersea temple?" blinked the gamer with slight surprise. "Well, that's something I can truthfully say I have never seen before…eh, why not? It may be fun…"

"Yeah, just try and don't go around killing everything for us, okay?" joked the Caith Sith while the Spriggan deadpanned at her. "Besides, this will help calm down Argo, I think. I don't know why, but she seems on edge every time the rest mentions how excited they are for the next 'Update' for the Floors of Aincrad and about arriving to Floor 22 or something…"

"Oh…That." sweatdroped Kirito while looking to the side. "Let's just say that…it's for personal reasons."

While it was understandable, a part of the gamer and his friends had been a bit disappointed to know that not ALL of New Aincrad's Floors would be available right away. It was obvious why, though: Ymir had decided to make the Floating Castle the new 'Grand Quest' of the game, to replace the previous fake one, and despite already having the data for the scenery and the castle itself, they couldn't exactly put Aincrad back together as it had originally been inside ALO, or it would have been TOO EASY for the players to conquer. On the first update, which included all Floors from the 1st to the 10th, the SAO Survivors had been able to experience firsthand how, despite looking the same, Aincrad was now much more difficult to beat, mobs and Quests having been 'upgraded' to be a challenge to both new and old players of Alfheim Online, and the main Dungeons and Bosses having suffered also quite some changes, in some cases being radically different from how they had been back in SAO. Besides, all dungeons in the castle were a No-Fly Zone, and the Flying Limit of the whole world was 'tied' to Aincrad, in the sense that the limit would never go above the current Front Line.

Of course, all of this had just been a welcome and exciting challenge for everyone, the United Heroes Association eager to try and beat the new and upgraded castle, with Leafa also being eager about getting to know the place where her beloved Onii-chan and his friends had spent so much time in. None of them had skipped a single of the Boss Fights (Even if Kirito didn't actually participate, for obvious reasons), and they had all celebrated a party on real life when they reached and beaten the 10th Floor Boss. When the second 'update' came, containing all Floors from the 11th to the 20th, they had enjoyed themselves even more, despite not being able to get into every single Boss Fight like before, the hype about Aincrad having attracted many Players from everywhere and, adding their restarted educations to that, they couldn't quite devote themselves as much to the game. Even so, they still had tons of fun and exciting adventures during that time, not to mention getting to be the ones who dealt the last hit to the 20th Floor Boss.

But this incoming update in particular, which would come out in 4 days, was what most of the guild were eagerly waiting for. Because it would contain all the Floors from the 21st to the 30th. Which meant there was only one Boss separating them from their 'vacation house', that old log house in the woods on Floor 22. Everyone was really excited about it, the girls even more, and even his sister was really curious about the place where they had apparently spent most of their last weeks of Sword Art Online in.

Everyone except Argo and himself, of course, even if they wouldn't outwardly show it and pretend to be as 'enthusiastic' as their friends about it. After all, they would NEVER be able to feel relaxed in Aincrad's 22nd Floor again, ever, not after THAT NIGHT.

Banishing the thoughts about a tall and slender abomination in a suit from his mind, Kirito decided that it didn't really matter. They would get back the Log House and, with any luck, that THING wouldn't spawn again, the Cardinal System having forgotten forever about that horrible Quest.

Hey, he could wish for at least SOMETHING to be positive about his crazy-looking future, right?

"Well, I'm sure I will see it by myself soon enough…" commented Sinon while the caped boy got out of his memories. "Anyway, ready for this? We're going!"

"Uh? Just us, Argo, Keita and the boys? What about the rest?"

"They're all busy with something or another right now, apparently." informed him the sniper while she once again got on her loyal mount. "Philia and Sachi are trying to get some rare spear for her somewhere in Salamander's territory, Liz and Silica went to the Leprechaun's capital for the former to get some rare ingots, Asuna and Leafa-sama say they needed to talk about 'something private' and no one has seen Strea or Yui since this morning."

"…for some reason, I get an incredibly ominous feeling about the last two bits…" muttered the gamer while shivering.

"Hey, stop complaining about nonsense and let's get going!" shouted the Caith Sith, already several hundred meters down and flying away from the floating castle at Charon's top speed. "That undersea temple awaits us!"

"…her motivations for becoming stronger changed from 'overcoming her fears' to 'become a worthy protector of justice that would make Suguha-sama proud' scarily quickly. That's…something good, I guess." idly commented Kirito before sighing and jumping off Aincrad. "Sinon, take it easy! It's not as if that Dungeon it's going to go away!"

A little less than 2 hours later, Kirigaya Kazuto took off his AmuSphere, blinking. He was just finishing standing up when his door opened and Suguha's beaming form appeared there, looking at him with a wide smile.

"Oh, Onii-chan, you're back already!" said the young kendoka with a bright smile. "How was your day in ALO?"

"Well…we went to the ocean and then had Keita use some of his Undine spells to help everyone who needed it arrive to this weird underwater temple, where a shady old man asked us to 'recover a stolen treasure'. It was pretty cool, the design and everything, even if I was mostly just tagging along to watch and help the others to 'train' Sinon in the things of Alfheim…" the gamer noticed how his adoptive sister released a nervous chuckle at the mention of her 'fangirl', still not quite knowing how to deal with someone that saw her as a heroine and savior. "But I was kind of feeling that something was off about the whole thing, so when we got out and Keita was going to give the old man the treasure I stopped him and tried to question him about his motives."

"And what happened then?" curiously asked Suguha, apparently not finding her brother trying to inquire things like that to an NPC to be weird.

"Well, turns out I was right. The old man started to laugh like a cliché villain and revealed himself as some sort of evil giant squid. Funny thing, it was fucking obvious in hindsight: The 'treasure' wasn't a pearl, but an 'egg' of some kind, and the old man was called 'Nerakk'. An anagram of his true identity 'Kraken' the Abyss Lord."

"So he had tricked you all to steal the egg for him?!" gasped the young kendoka with wide eyes, unable to believe the villainy of the virtual monster. "How despicable of that bastard!"

"Yep, I thought along the same lines. Didn't help that he was apparently stronger than a couple of SAO Floor Bosses put together, the others (Who were quite pissed for the deceit, by the way) could do little more than scratch him and even Argo going full Berserk on him or Sinon shooting an explosive arrow to his eye barely slowed him down, so..."

"You punched him." finished the girl with yet another smile, now sitting at the black-haired boy's side.

"Can you blame me? I don't like sea-related evil monsters." both siblings released a chuckle at the joke behind that before Kazuto continued his tale. "After that, while everyone was cheering for the bastard's death, this cool and imposing guy called Leviathan the Sea Lord showed up. He seemed quite surprised we had defeated that Kraken bastard, but still thanked us for it and said he had to go and put the egg back in a safe place. Argo handed it back to him after we were 'sure' he was a good guy and then he summoned a white humpback whale to take us back to the shore."

"Woah, that sounds very cool!" a look of wonder in her eyes at imagining it, the younger Kirigaya looked back at her brother with an excited look. "What happened after that?"

"Well...nothing much. We had finished the mission, so we went back and then Logged Out." accepted the black-haired boy, making the kendoka blink in confusion.

"But...what about the egg? What happened to it? Where did that Leviathan guy took it? Why did Kraken want to steal it?"

"I...am not really sure." confessed the gamer while looking away, pondering. "I THINK I remember the bastard saying something about defying the 'Aesir' and I don't know what else...certainly, it seems a bit TOO complicated of a hidden plot to just be forgotten like that...maybe there is a way to find where that Quest continues somewhere else...?"

"Heh, why don't we think it over while we go to eat some ice-cream?" grinned Suguha before standing up. "Ready to go, Onii-chan?

"Uh? Wait, right now?"

"Duh, of course! It will be like our first 'official' date, don't you think?" said her with a blushing face before softly leaning forward and giving him a quick kiss on the lips, freezing Kazuto's mind in place. "Don't take too long!"

The gamer was still trying to think of what to answer when the girl ran out of his room, giggling softly all the while.

 _"A date...okay, Kazuto, don't panic."_ were the panicking thoughts of the black-haired boy as he tried to not hyperventilate. " _You CAN do this. You have punched down gods and madmen with alien powers, this...this can't be too difficult. You WON'T screw this up!"_

That was when someone rang the house's doorbell, making the surprised gamer start to stand...

"Oh, Asuna-san, you came!"

"Hi there, Suguha-chan!"

...then sink back into his bed with a terrified expression, never having feeling less than a Hero able to punch a world into oblivion and more like a socially-awkward teenager about to go on his 'first date'. With two girls.

He was SO going to screw this up...

* * *

Back in ALO, in Aincrad's 10th Floor, the Caith Sith known as Argo jumped over yet another of the small ruins that surrounded the area near the 'Thousand Snake Castle'. As she had expected, one of the samurai-like mobs that roamed through the zone was waiting there, turning around to try and attack her with a Katana Skill.

She didn't even give it a chance.

"Predator's Fury"

With a mental sigh, the info-broker let her mind wander slightly as she 'entrusted herself to the Berserker', so to speak.

Being honest, Berserk wasn't a Skill that she would have ever thought about having, back at the beginning of SAO. Leaving aside how she never thought about becoming an active Front Liner back then, she used to prefer quick run-and-hit tactics, while her Unique Skill was the opposite, but she had adapted quickly after getting it.

Berserk's Skills were the 'longest' ones in the game, which was the main point of them, to allow to make up for the lack of damage one could cause unarmed by unleashing more hits than with a weapon (Though her claws certainly helped too, especially since Liz starting forging for them with God Hand). However, this also gave way to the greatest weakness of them.

Even as she saw how her brutal and deadly blows beat the 'Snake Ronin' into submission, Argo could feel an almost familiar 'disconnection', though her sharp mind was ready for when the 'control' of her body was 'given back'.

Simply put, not only were Berserk's blows brutal and almost seemingly random, but also left her wide open for any counterattack. While there was a bit of a stunning property in her hits while she executed the Skills, this meant that she couldn't take on more than one enemy when alone, for it would risk other easily attacking her in a deadly way while she was unable to stop her body, the long Skills belonging to the Unique Skill's Tree being pretty inconvenient in that sense. While there was the second hidden property of Berserk to take into account, that of slowly increasing her damage output if she lost HP while executing her Skills, that didn't make up for the fact that if someone or something skilled enough tried to target her limbs or head she would be easily brought down by her own attacks. Back in the old Aincrad, she had been quick to learn and to be cautious with this.

And yet, that hadn't stopped Kayaba from easily using this against her and left her on the ground, missing a leg and both her hands, after she tried this same Skill on him.

Sighing this time for real as the mob broke into polygons, the Caith Sith allowed herself an idle moment before the Skill finally finished, 6 hits to spare having been dealt to the air and left her wide open. If she hadn't scouted the area first, to make sure no other of those samurai-mobs were around, that would have probably cost her quite an annoying Death Penalty.

"And that's done." whispered the whiskered girl to no one even as Garasu descended from the skies and rested on her shoulder, giving her a questioning look (Or so she thought). "Yeah, good job, boy. Scouting in non-fly areas is way easier with you around."

Honestly, she knew very well that she wasn't really into the Quest while finishing it. Her mind was currently far too distracted, thinking about a certain gamer able to blast everything into oblivion with one punch.

She had been ready to give up on her feelings, not long ago. After the…'mess' caused by Kirito accepting how she felt about both Asuna and Suguha, she had been sure things wouldn't end up well unless they put real effort into it. And even when she and the others had been ready to try and help the situation to be resolved, she had no doubt that, after that, things would be too awkward between them for the boy to ever think about a relationship.

Then, the Death Gun thing had happened, which had resulted in two things.

One, she had realized that she TRULY loved the boy, without a doubt, remembering clearly how her heart clenched in horror every time she had seen his body suffering under the 'attacks' of the hooded killer.

Second, things between he, Asuna and Suguha had 'fixed themselves', as if by magic. Hell, they seemed even CLOSER than before, for anyone who bothered to look closely. Subtle things like how both girls acted towards him and the disappearance of most (If not all) of their previous 'rivalry' was what ticked Argo off. She wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but a strange feeling that seemed to be jealousy mixed with anger and something else swelled inside her when she thought about it. Which led to her current situation.

Should she just forget about Kirito already? Certainly, it seemed like the most logical option, given the crazy state of things (Meaning having 90% of her friends also loving the boy) and how the boy was dense as a rock most of the time…but the true realization of her feelings had shaken her in a way she didn't know was possible. After all, for all the teasing nature, scary intelligence, sharp cunning and great value of info and money, Argo the Caith Sith was still Izawa Shiori, a simple teenage girl in love. And everyone knew those were usually the most dangerous kind.

Didn't exactly help that, if the 'subtle hints' she had seen earlier that day on the undersea temple's Quest were anything to go by, their newest member, Sinon, was either in the way or already in the 'club' of girls that the caped boy had unintentionally charmed.

Shaking her head again while letting her back rest against a wall, the whiskered girl thought that maybe it would be better to stop thinking about it for now and Log Out already. After all, it wasn't as if she could do something to resolve the situation 'magically', like making a pact with the Devil or something like that…

"Why do you look so sad, Argo-chan?"

Freezing even as Garasu cawed in fright, the Caith Sith's eyes shot upwards, coming face to face with a nightmarish visage, clad in ethereal and never-ending darkness, a figure tall and with eyes the color of blood that seemed to drink her soul, as if the Evil One himself had heard her joke and come to answer her pleas…

"Oops, sorry, forgot to turn off Darkness Blade!" sheepishly apologized Strea while jumping down and sheathing Gram on her back again, making the surprised Argo blink. "But seriously, you looked really down and totally not-cute with that frown of a moment ago, you know, Argo-chan?"

"Yes, and that's not good!" added Yui while popping from behind the Gnome's shoulder, cutting off any attempts of the info-broker for asking where she had been or how did they found her. "We should all be always happy if nothing bad is happening, after all! Right, Argo-mama?"

"U-uhm, I…I guess?" uncertainly answered the girl, wondering why she felt as if she was a canary in front of two hungry lions.

When the smile on the face of the 'younger' of the virtual sisters widened at her words, she couldn't help but shiver for an odd an unknown reason.

"Great to know you agree! So, then, Argo-chan, why would you say if I told you I have a way to make sure we are all happy if you help us…?"

As the sun started to go down on Alfheim, Argo couldn't help but feel that maybe making a pact with the Devil would have been less scary…

* * *

 **September 24th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. 21st Floor's Boss Room, 14:30…**

Ready to fight with all its might, the 21st Floor Boss of New Aincrad spawned, ready to try his best to obliterate the players that wished to arrive to the 22nd Floor.

Armed with all kind of abilities and tactics especially designed to test the players of Alfheim Online to their limits, the first Boss of the recently released 'update' readied his massive and golem-like body, the blocky form of his mass seeming imposing enough to…

Wait, why was only ONE player walking towards him? And why where so few of them there?

…is what the Boss would have wondered if it had any degree of sentience. However, as his AI wasn't quite that advanced, it merely moved forward to try and crush the Spriggan clad in black and white, who stared at the imposing creature with a mix of resignation and…sorrow?

"I'm TRULY sorry for this. Really, only imagining all the effort those guys from Ymir put into programming you, designing you, readying all your different phases and battle tactics to test the players to their limits…it hurts my gamer pride, to even entertain this thought. Hurts it badly…"

"Hey, Kirito, what's taking you so long?" came Lisbeth's voice from the other side of the room, and if the Boss had any ability to wonder about such things it would probably had questioned why they all were already in front of the currently closed door to the next Floor. "Quick, before anyone else comes!"

"…but they REALLY want to get to Floor 22 right away." sighed the caped boy while looking down in defeat. "And, something I'm starting to realize may be a serious problem, I can't say no when my friends beg something to me…"

At this point, the Floor Boss froze, whatever code the staff of Ymir had programmed into it seeming for a moment to be overridden by whatever 'AI enhancement' that the Cardinal System of ALO seemed to grant several of its inhabitants thanks to the fact that its 'life' was suddenly in mortal danger…

The massive granite golem had enough time to emit a sound roughly translated as 'Fuck'.

Then, Kirito punched it.

Less than 20 minutes later, the United Heroes Association was standing proudly in front of a certain log house near a lake, in the middle of the massive forests that covered the entire Floor. Asuna proudly finished buying the virtual property again under the curious gaze of Sinon and Leafa, the only ones who only knew of the place thanks to the tales of the rest.

Everyone cheered once the house was once again property of the guild.

…well, everyone except Kirito and Argo, the former still brooding about the 'crime' against the gamer community of ALO they had 'forced' him to commit and the later watching him with dubious eyes and a 'weird' look on her eyes.

"…hey, cheer up, Kii-bou." said the Caith Sith with a smile, though if the Spriggan had been a bit less 'depressed' he may had noticed it was a bit strained. "Everyone will be happier like this, and I don't think they will care too much that you offed a Boss if you never do it again!"

"If you say so…" sighed the caped boy, apparently not noticing the 'odd' choice of words of his arguably first friend (Though they had only been 'acquaintances' in SAO's Beta), before looking at her in confusion. "I would have thought you would be more annoyed by this, though, giving that you never really liked this Floor after…"

"Yeah, let's just never mention that again, okay?" cheerfully commented Argo while shaking the gamer a bit, making him nod quickly before a 'weird' look appeared on her face, her next words coming out slightly trembling. "A-and remember…I will always be here to cheer you up or whatever, no matter what happens, okay, Kii-bou?"

Kirito blinked at her, clearly surprised at her words.

Then, a soft smile spread through the Spriggan's face, and Argo wished with all her might that she wasn't blushing as much as she thought at the sight.

"Thanks, Argo. Count on me to do the same, okay?"

"Ye-yes…of course…" shyly replied the whiskered girl while letting go of him.

"Hey, Sensei, Argo-chan, come over here!" came Asuna's voice while everyone gathered in front of the house, a crystal floating in the air near them. "We're going to take a picture to commemorate this moment!"

"Oh, okay!" replied Kirito before looking back at the Caith Sith. "C'mon, Argo, let's go."

Then, he took her hand and dragged her with the others.

As this happened, and even as she was idly aware of how strangely warm the boy's hand felt through his white glove, the whiskered girl caught sight of Strea grinning her way and Yui (Currently sitting in her little sister's hair) giving her a hidden thumbs-up.

While the picture was taken by the special crystal and she still felt the caped boy holding her hand, Argo mused that maybe having made a 'pact with the Devil' wasn't really so bad.

She would have second thoughts about it, however, when she ran out of her room hours later, screaming her lungs out after having stared at the picture that a confused Asuna had just sent her.

Because, on the background behind the house, half-hidden in the woods, a tall and slender figure was also waving to the camera.

It would be quite some time before Shiori willingly put a foot on Floor 22 again.

* * *

It had seemed like something simple, something silly at the moment. Really.

Leafa had gone out and started to look at the setting sun from the second floor of the log house when Sinon had appeared before her. She had been nervous at first, still not all that confortable with how the other girl seemed idolize her…but the Sylph had been surprised at the strangely serious expression in the Caith Sith's face, before she asked a simple, earth-shattering question.

"…why did you stop?" there was no reproach in the sniper's voice, no blame or anything, just…honest curiosity. "Why did you stop being the Bicycle Girl?"

"Because…I made Onii-chan worry." she finally accepted while looking to the side. Though it had been difficult for her, she had in the end relented to her brother's plea and stopping her 'crazy vigilante' acts. "He…didn't want me endangering myself…"

"…that's not fair, don't you think?" had been the Caith Sith's reply, a confident smile on her face, to Leafa's surprise. "After all, you were only trying to do something good for other people…and it's not THAT what he did against Death Gun, even knowingly putting himself in danger for it?"

The Sylph had blinked several times, staring at Sinon's smile. When she put it that way…she was right. Kazuto had been a bit of a hypocrite with that.

Then again, maybe that was his 'older brother instinct' acting up. It still warmed her heart, that he worried so much for her, even more now that they were 'together'…but it also irked her a bit.

Did he think that only HE could do crazy things that put him in danger, even if it was for good reasons? Well, they had already chewed him out for doing that, but…

"…you're kind of right, Sinon-san. Thanks."

"No problem, Leafa-sama!"

"…please, stop calling me that."

And so, it was night already over Kawagoe. The relatively big city waited, nothing really impressive seeming to happen.

Of course, it was things 'not really impressive' what often were a problem for the lesser people.

Like the two laughing men on an alley, both inside a car, the one who wasn't driving quickly looking inside a bag filled with stolen goods from a small jewelry.

"Man, did you see the face of that old geezer?! It was SO funny; he was trembling like a leaf!"

"I know, right?" continued the second one, proud of how they had found such an easy target to 'relieve' of all his valuable objects. "How much do you think we have?"

"Don't know, pal, but sure as hell we're going to get a good chunk for…!"

Both men froze, _something_ creeping over their perception, for no apparent reason. As if they suddenly found the alley they were in TOO silent.

Looking forward, both of them were barely able to make out a silhouette that had seemingly appeared 10 meters in front of them from nowhere. Shaking for some unknown reason, the driver quickly turned off the car's front lights.

A figure clad in a red coat stood there, facing the car as she rode over a bicycle. A green helmet covered her head, reflective glasses her eyes and a health mask her lower face.

Resting on her hand, a shinai balanced lazily on the wind.

"The fuck?!" screamed the driver, his eyes clearly not believing what he was seeing. "What in the…wasn't that bitch dead?!"

"I-I thought she was just an Urban Legend everyone got bored about?!" questioned the second while staring forward in shock.

The heroine, for her part, just stared forward, wondering if she perhaps had lost some screws on her head. Not because she was once again doing this, no, but because this was clearly out of her league. She should have called the police to deal with this. It was clearly too dangerous…

But then, she remembered the sobbing and scared face of the old man from the jewelry. She remembered the bastards' laughs at having left him essentially ruined, someone who couldn't defend himself and that probably didn't had any other income that wasn't from that place.

Once again, sage words echoed through her mind.

 _'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'_

On the back of Kirigaya Suguha's mind, something 'broke'. A limit that shouldn't be crossed was broken.

She was too busy staring forward at the criminals with fire behind her eyes to realize this, however. Under her, Justice shook with unyielding might, almost as if the vehicle was grinning.

"Wh-who cares, it's just a fucking kid! We got a car, and THIS!" remembered the second robber while raising a gun. "What does SHE has? A bicycle and a bamboo sword?! HAH!"

"Ye-yeah, you're right!" grinned the driver with newfound courage. "Get outta the way or we're running you over, bitch!"

And with that shout, he accelerated towards the seemingly unthreatening girl.

Gripping the handlebar tightly, the Bicycle Girl rode forward.

Half hour later, several police cars surrounded the alley, a group of agents looking dumbfounded at the scene, their minds still trying to comprehend it.

A car was crashed into a wall, as if someone had been stupid enough to try and run straight against it. On the ground, the two beaten up delinquents they had been reported about an hour before lie, twitching from time to time.

And over a nearby trashcan, the bag with the jewels stood perfectly still, a small note resting over it. The gun the men had been reported to have was just at the can's base, broken in pieces as if something extremely hard had smashed it.

Hesitantly, one of the policemen reached for the note, turning it around.

There was a single, simple phrase in there. Same one that, away from that area, a certain girl was whispering, as she overlooked the city from her bike above a rooftop.

 _"I'm back."_

* * *

Down, on the deepest part of Alfheim, just under the roots of the World Tree, SOMETHING was happening.

On the lowest level of Thrymheim, the icy fortress that hung just under the City of Alne was, the most majestic blade of them all stood in silence, as always, forgotten by the world above.

Excaliber, however, 'shook' when reality seemed to break apart inside the chamber, a 'door' materializing from thin air as someone… _something_ stepped inside it, entering into Jotunheimr from somewhere Beyond.

Looking down at the golden sword, the Entity frowned, confusion filling its dual-colored eyes.

Was THIS the origin of the distortion it had felt? Well, the stats of the weapon item were certainly impressive, but not what it had thought would cause the strange 'ripples' across the Virtual Void that the inhuman being had felt.

As if it was calling for something…or someone.

Shrugging, the Entity decided it didn't matter. It would take it and analyze what exactly was that had caused the anomaly, which strangely reminded it of HIM. Deciding on that course of action, it reached forward with its hand, took a hold of the blade's handle and PULLED.

Excaliber didn't even bulge from its resting place. Blinking, confusion filling its system, the Entity tried again, this time with both its hands, forcing its whole 'strength' over the object.

Nothing.

Lowering its arms at the improbability, the inhuman being looked up and frowned, reaching outwards into its systems to try and make sense of what was happening. Surprise filled it when it reached an answer.

Somehow, the Cardinal System of ALO itself was 'protecting' the blade. Or to be more precise, it had 'tied' it on its place until someone finished the Quest that had suddenly been spawned and assigned directly to it. The more it looked through the data, however, the more the Entity realized that some stupid human must have accidentally let the copy of Cardinal out of its 'leash' and given it full reign over the Quest Generating System.

It was the only explanation for which the Quest tied to the blade would, literally, cause the 'end of the world' in Alfheim Online, if it wasn't fulfilled, after all. And also that the NPC ruling over the Quest would be smart enough to 'trick' the Players into doing his bidding.

Puzzled over this, the Entity pondered. It didn't really care about what happened to that world because of the stupidity of some human, but it really wanted to get that blade to analyze the 'anomaly'. However, the inhuman being couldn't just hack into the system and get it for itself. The Cardinal copy would instantly detect its presence, and the Entity wasn't ready to fight against that…YET.

It sadly couldn't complete the Quest either, because the system wouldn't recognize it as a Player…but it quickly realized that, once the 'first part' of the Quest 'failed', the System wouldn't need the sword to continue the 'Ragnarok' anymore.

Arriving to that conclusion, the inhuman being slowly let a smile form behind its metallic mask. Then, it opened its ethereal wings and flew upwards into the fortress, towards the Throne Room it knew was just about the chamber, knowing what it needed to do.

The moment it stepped into the room, a massive form of bluish skin and icy aura turned to look at it, a mix of confusion appearing on its frowning face.

"…what in the name of Jotunheimr are you?" asked the giant as the being floated near its face.

Suppressing its newfound and too human need to laugh, the Entity bowed to the massive creature, a smile so big it almost split its face hidden behind its bizarre 'helmet'.

"Greetings, great Thrym, King of the Frost Giants. I have come to offer my assistance in your Quest to destroy the Aesir…"

On its resting chamber, Excaliber shook again, a golden light shining around it for a moment before stopping.

The time had run out. If the Holy Blade wasn't retrieved soon…then the world would End.

And after that, what IT did with Excaliber…wouldn't be pretty, either.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…huhuh…interesting. Yes, I like your way of thinking, Creature of the Void. With your help, nothing will stop me from getting my revenge…uhm? The next chapter's preview? You dare to demand anything from the great Thrym, you lowly humans?! Heh…well, I will take pity of you and do this, if only because your land will be next after I have finished with the fairies. Next time on 'One Punch Gamer': 'The Sword of Sacred Bonds'. Ragnarok comes. The fairies, blindly help to their own extinction. A puppeteer hurries the end for its own benefit. In the middle of this all, does the only hope fall with a group of 'Heroes'? Or it's already too late for Salvation to be found?...huhuh, of course, the answer to that is obvious. Because all shall know the might of-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Another interlude done, everyone :P Well, things are getting 'interesting', wouldn't you say?

So yeah, this chapter mainly allowed me to show more of the 'subtle' changes on the characters regarding canon (ALO Sinon being a clear example), because that, if not much right now, it's going to affect lots how the next arcs develop…also, our Hero is already freaking out, ignoring he origin of his 'current situation' while Strea and Yui continue with their 'Honorable Quest' XD (Their plans go deeper than Aizen's :P). Poor Argo doesn't know that selling her soul to the Devil would have been less problematic XD

Also, Sugu is 'back' on business, in a badass way…I literally couldn't stop playing Licenseless Rider's theme song ('Justice Rider') all the while I wrote that part XD Also, another hint of the same again there…Sugu 'broke it'. Does anyone get the meaning yet OwO?

Oh, and if you were wondering about some scenes of canon showed (Altered) here, I should inform you that, despite being shown in Mother's Rosario, the scene in which Kirito and Asuna buy back their log house on Floor 22 happens, in fact, one day before Caliber, that's canon timeline, and one of the few times the anime didn't 'rearrange' to show in its proper canon order O,O

Next time, the Excaliber Quest, folks, but with some unexpected things! Also, it will only be one chapter (Though maybe a slightly long one), because seriously, despite what many think after watching the anime, Caliber is not an arc. It's literally a third of a volume in the Light Novels, for crying out loud (And its way more epic reading it than watching it, as hard as that is to believe). The 3 previous arcs each one occupied two volumes each, and I have reduced two of them to 4 chapters each, so it's only natural that this isn't as long XP Of course, be ready for some epicness and more twists, because things will only get crazier from here on!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	25. Chapter 19: The Sword of Sacred Bonds

Hello, everyone, welcome once again to this fic! Sorry for the delay, it's just that I wanted to make the whole Caliber Quest in one go and MAN, lesson learned, I won't do something like this again unless it's strictly needed, this is the longest chapter of the fic…

Well, hope you enjoy it. Maybe you will want to hear some cool music for some parts (Genos theme, Boros theme XP). They're not MEGA EPIC, but they're still some cool fights, or so I like to think :P Have a good day!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Sword of Sacred Bonds. Burn, Caliber of our Souls!**

 **September 25** **th** **, 2025. Aincrad, Alfheim. 22** **nd** **Floor's Log House, 06:30…**

Despite how much she looked and acted the part, the AI known as Yui wasn't human. Her 'little sister', Strea, wasn't one either. As such, none of them really 'needed' to sleep.

Yet, since their time in Sword Art Online, both of them had started doing so every night, as a way of trying to know how humans felt at doing so. Though there wasn't anything special in the action, it had slowly become normal for them, even more after they joined the United Heroes Association. Nowadays, they, especially Yui, could even 'get sleepy' from things like perceived exhaustion or similar things, which only helped to drive the point of how 'human-like' they had become.

But that didn't stop them from, as soon as the first rays of the sun started to shine over New Aincrad, shooting out of their shared bed and looking around in confused panic.

After a couple of seconds staring around and making sure that, effectively, there was no one else in the log house with them and that nothing was seemingly wrong, both ex-MHCP looked at one another with uncertain gazes.

"Yui-nee…you also feel as if there is something REALLY wrong?"

"Yes, nee-chan…I do." muttered the younger-looking girl before looking out of a window, then opening a menu as she quickly changed into her Pixie form. "…let's go see if something is happening."

After a moment of hesitation, the Gnome girl nodded and followed her sister out of the house.

* * *

Sitting on his house kitchen's table some hours later, Kirigaya Kazuto was doing his best to concentrate on his breakfast and not look at his happy-looking little sister, who was busy staring at her portable tablet while also enjoying her own breakfast.

Surprisingly, it wasn't because anything that had happened in their 'date' of the other day, no. In fact, the whole thing had gone…way better than he had expected. He, Sugu and Asuna had just gone out, ate some ice cream in that place he and his adoptive sister liked so much (The chestnut-haired girl seemed surprised by how much they loved the icy dessert) while talking about the things they had been doing lately, both in school and out of it, and what they were planning to do in the incoming weeks. Asuna seemed a bit annoyed to have to go to some sort of family meeting to Kyoto soon, saying that she would probably find it much more boring than ever now that she would also miss everyone. He and Suguha had reassured her that they would do something special for her when she came back to cheer her up, something that had apparently really lifted her spirits. After that, they had gone together and enjoyed a calm walk through a nearby park. The girls had grabbed his hands in a couple of occasions, almost seeming shy about it, and after overcoming his surprise he had been the one to hold theirs reassuringly and smile their way, making them smile with a blush before they once again engaged in idle talking, just enjoying the others' company.

Before they went their separate ways back home, both Asuna and Suguha had kissed him, still blushing but with most of the earlier shyness gone.

All in all, Kazuto could say he had really enjoyed the day and that most of his fears were gone, a bit of confidence that he wouldn't screw things up having returned to him.

…but the reason why he was trying to evade eye-contact with Sugu right now was because of something that happened after he went to bed yesterday. Namely, something he had dreamed about.

Okay, he was an hormonal teenager, yes, and that was perfectly normal, not to mention the fact that he was currently living something that many boys would consider a fantasy that could only happen in manga (That is, going out with two beautiful girls perfectly okay with such a thing), but dammit, did his fucking brain need to be SO 'detailed'?!

Remember the things that had happened in his dream…well, let's just say that it had involved he and his two 'girlfriends'. And the shower. And, for some reason, ice-cream.

The less said about the last thing the better. He HAD needed an urgent cold shower the moment he woke up because of it.

Hence why he was trying very hard to banish such thoughts as he pretended to be concerned about how delicious his breakfast was. Of all the ways in which he thought he could screw their recently started relationship, he didn't want it to be his stupid hormones.

Suguha, meanwhile, stopped looking through the site she had been reading and let a small frown appear on her face at seeing one of the small headlines that had popped up: 'Bicycle Girl's epic return! Criminals shall know true fear?!'

Certainly, she HAD known that she would get attention, especially after a crazy stunt like that, probably even more than usual, but she wasn't expecting it to get so big that it would appear on a website like that one, even if it was just something 'small' among many other news.

She knew she wouldn't be able to hide things from her brother or the others, and she had never intended to, but she was still a bit scared of how he would react. The young kendoka didn't want to jeopardize their relationship with this, especially when she was feeling happier than she could remember and the 'awkwardness' she thought would come from hers and Asuna's agreement had all but vanished after their date some days ago…but she couldn't simple stop doing what she did.

The Bicycle Girl was as much part of her as any other thing, and that was something she couldn't deny. She was just hoping Kazuto wouldn't react too badly at knowing this. Even if it would be hypocrite from him, she knew he cared for her enough to get worried and angry.

Steeling herself, Suguha raised her eyes towards her unusually silent brother, gathering her courage to tell him the truth.

"Hey, Onii-chan…"

"It wasn't my intention, I swear, I can't control what I dream! I'm not a pervert!" automatically shouted the black-haired boy while covering himself.

"…what?" flatly asked the confused girl, eve as the gamer blinked before laughing awkwardly and sitting normally again.

"No-nothing, Sugu, it was just a joke!" quickly assured Kazuto while the young kendoka raised a skeptical eyebrow. "…s-so, what did you want to tell me?"

"Uh? Oh, well…" looking down with just a bit of guilt, the girl passed the tablet to her blinking adopted brother, who took it with a confused look. "There, Onii-chan, looking at that should clear things up."

"Okay…" muttered the gamer while looking down at the small screen…and letting his eyes widen. "Wha…?! No way, I can't believe it!"

"Bu-but it's the truth, Onii-chan." continued the young kendoka at seeing his incredulous face, slightly clenching her fists with determination. "A-and I'm sorry, but I…!"

"Why would you need to feel sorry, Sugu?! If it's anyone's fault that they found Excaliber before us, it's mine! I DID promise to help you get it and then totally forgot about it!"

"…eh?" muttered the blinking girl with utter confusion.

"I mean, well, I guess one CAN blame it on all the craziness that came after we cleared ALO, then school and more recently what happened with the whole Death Gun thing…" commented the black-haired boy while putting the tablet on the table, letting the dumbfounded Suguha to see how a much bigger and new headline was just at the side of the one about her vigilante-self, talking about the discovery of ALO's strongest holy sword. "But really, I should have…!"

"Onii-chan, it's not about that!" shouted the younger Kirigaya with a burning face. "I-I went out as the Bicycle Girl again!"

Kazuto froze, eyes widening again as he looked with shock towards his adoptive sister/girlfriend.

"You…what?! Bu-but then, why…?!"

"I-it was just here at the side, okay, I didn't realize you wouldn't see it right away!" embarrassedly accepted her while pointing at the smaller headline, the boy looking at it in shock. "I-I was so busy thinking about how you would react that I didn't notice the news about Excaliber…"

"Sugu…" taking a deep breath, the boy took the girl's hands before staring straight into her eyes, an unusual seriousness in them. "…okay, I'm listening."

"Re-really?" gasped the shocked kendoka. "Yo-you're not mad?"

"I am…just a bit, though, because I think that, after Death Gun, I would probably be the biggest hypocrite in the world if I got mad at you or the others for doing something incredibly stupid behind my back, despite having my reasons…so I'm willing to hear YOUR reasons before reacting in any way."

"Onii-chan…" whispered Suguha with a soft blush on her face, before smiling widely at the boy. "Thanks."

And so, the girl started telling him everything, from what her reasons for going out where, why she felt she still needed to do it and, with a bit of hesitation, what had happened the day before. Kazuto at least stayed true to words and, despite clearly seeming on edge when his adoptive sister described the event, he didn't explode out in angry or worried shouts. By the time she was finished, he seemed awed, upset and confused all at the same time.

"Wait…again, how did you manage to beat the crap out of the guys in the car?"

"Ugh, I'm not going to repeat it again, Kazuto!" pouted Suguha while looking away, making the boy get back to the matter at hand by using his actual name. "So…what do you think?"

"Well…I won't deny I'm angry, and that it scares me to death to think what could have happened to you…" started the gamer, making the young girl bit her lips. "…but I'm also proud of you." the kendoka's face was filled with shock as she raised it to stare at her smiling brother. "You did what you thought was the best for someone else, without caring for what others thought of it, and succeeded in an amazing way. Yes, maybe you put yourself at risk, and maybe that will always haunt me, but…I can't in good conscience tell you to stop without being a selfish hypocrite."

"Onii-chan…" smiling brightly, Suguha grabbed his hand over the table with a soft gesture. "You're the best person in the world…and I love you so much for it."

"O-okay, now you're exaggerating." replied the boy with an embarrassed blush, before looking back at her with utmost seriousness. "But I'm going out with you next time you do something like that, okay?"

THAT seemed to make the girl react, her eyes shooting in surprise at her adopted brother.

"You what?!"

Before any of them could continue the conversation, though, both their phones started ringing, making the siblings exchange a confused look and get them out.

The message both of them had received made them stand up in surprise.

 _From: Strea._

 _Subject: Heroes Association, assemble!_

 _Emergency, everyone! Something VERY BAD is going on!_

 _We're not sure what exactly, but we think it may be related to the whole Excaliber business, it CAN'T be a coincidence it happened the same day me and Yui-nee detected this 'disturbance'. Please, come to Alne's main inn as soon as possible, we will be waiting on the 3_ _rd_ _Room of the 2_ _nd_ _Floor._

 _We may not have much time to stop a catastrophe from happening!_

Both Kazuto and Suguha were already halfway to their rooms even before having finished the messages, while the gamer cursed his life.

It looked like there really was no resting from all the madness on his life, eh?

* * *

Anyone who was a regular player of Alfheim Online would have noticed the odd contradiction seen in Alne that day. The previous capital of the world of fairies (The current one being Yggdrasil city above) was emptier than usual, yet there was quite a lot of excitement in the air and many players could be seen talking around and exchanging messages everywhere.

Seeing this, Kirito and Leafa exchanged worried glances for a moment before heading towards the meeting point at the inn, their minds swirling with the implications of it all.

"It has to be because of the sword…the ones still here must be the less experienced players and most of the rest must have gone down to Jotunheimr to try and get it…" reasoned the Spriggan while putting a hand under his chin.

"But…did so many people discover the secret and helped out one of Tonky's siblings?" wondered the Sylph with a small frown, her hand around Justice's hilt, even as the caped boy also frowned.

Certainly, it was something that had been bothering him for the last minutes. It wasn't that he thought the legendary blade would be hidden forever, but he was pretty sure that the odds of anyone ever discovering the Secret Quest you needed to do in order to be able to arrive to its resting place on that upside-down pyramid of ice were absurdly low. After all, one needed to be either an idiot or have a heart of gold (Which he was proud his adoptive sister had) to take pity on one of the Evil God monsters roaming Jotunheimr to try and help the Beast-Type ones when they were about to be killed by the Humanoid-Type ones. The gamer was pretty sure that most players would wait for the battle to end or at least to be near its end to try and ambush the humanoid-type field boss and try to bring it down while it was distracted, while also trying to deal the finishing blow to the weakened beast-type one to get the exp. obtained from slaying it.

That was the main reason why no one had ever encountered Excaliber, and maybe also the reason why the original developers had made it that way. After all, you needed to think not as a person playing a game to uncover the way to the ultimate sword, but as a real inhabitant of that virtual world taking pity on the life of another creature…

Any thoughts the Spriggan had about the implications of that with the current situation, however, were put on hold as he and his sister/girlfriend arrived to the inn, walking towards the meeting point and finding several of their friends already there, a worried Strea walking around the center of the room.

"Ah, Kirito, Leafa-sama, you're here." greeted Sinon while sending a soft smile their way, before turning to look at the nervous Gnome once again. "Perhaps you will have more luck calming her down…"

"I'm calmed down, Sinon-san! It's just that this weird worrying-thingie is new to me and I'm not used to it, okay?!" quickly shouted the AI before grabbing her hair and looking worriedly out of the window. "Auuuuugh, what's taking Yui-nee so long?!"

"Yes, she had been like this since we entered." answered Argo the unspoken question both siblings had. "We have more or less managed to get out of her that whatever 'bad thing' she and Yui-chan think is going on has to do with the whole Excaliber deal, but her current 'state' makes it difficult to get more details…"

"I have to say, I have never seen her like this, not even when we were traveling together back in SAO before joining the Association." commented Philia while worriedly looking at Strea. "Kirito, can you try and calm her down?"

"Uh? Me?" blinking in surprise, the caped boy looked at his fellow Spriggan with surprise. "Why do you think I would have more luck with it than any of you?"

At that, the room fell deadly silent (Except for Strea's continuous muttering as she kept walking around), even as the gamer felt every single pair of eyes zeroing on him, even those of Leafa at his side.

"…you don't really want us answering that question, you know?" muttered Lisbeth while shaking her head.

"Kirito-sama…please, be a bit more reasonable about this…" sighed Sachi even as she looked away from him.

Silica didn't say anything, suddenly finding looking over Pina's back feathers to be very interesting, but the implied agreement was painful to see.

The gamer suddenly froze, getting what Philia had been implying and what every single girl didn't want to bring up: Strea's words the first day New Aincrad was added to ALO…and how she kissed him.

Certainly, the lack of any chance on the upbeat girl's attitude since them had slowly let him to forget how she had shamelessly proclaimed her love for him in front of everyone before stealing his breath away with her lips, not to mention he HAD truly believed that maybe the Gnome wasn't really sure of the concept behind her words and actions…

But he had to accept that a small part of him had been scared of what would happen if he ever brought it up again, hence why he had never do so, and why he had been so relieved to see the ever-happy AI girl didn't either. And he was even less inclined to do so now that he was in such an 'especial' relationship like the one he had with Suguha and Asuna.

Even so, it was clear that they were counting on him (Kind of) to get Strea out of her current nervous mood and obtain an explanation about what was happening, so he steeled himself and walked closer to the Gnome, keenly aware of how Leafa walked a step closer to him before he did so.

He was also aware that every girl in the room was watching him with sharp eyes, and he dearly wished Keita and the other guys were already there.

"Uhm…Strea? What's going on? You okay?"

As if she had been snapped out of a trance, the AI blinked before turning around, staring at Kirito with wide eyes. The Spriggan, for his part, waited expectantly to see how she would react.

He certainly wasn't imagining that Strea would throw herself at him and encircle him with her arms, burying her face on his chest and shaking. The gamer saw the same surprise he was feeling (Along with something else a familiar part of his brain was screaming to him not to think about) reflected on the face of every single girl there, even as he awkwardly patted the Gnome's hair and sent his pouting sister an apologetic look, at which she reluctantly nodded.

"Ahhh, Kiritoooo!" whined Strea while holding him as tight as she could, either ignoring or not caring about the looks the other females in the room were sending her way. "I…I'm scared! I don't know why, but this feeling that something horrible will happen just keeps growing and growing, and I don't know why!"

"I-it's okay, Strea, don't worry." muttered the caped boy while trying to sooth her under the worried gazes of the rest of the guild, who were looking at their virtual friend while wondering what they could do. "We're all here with you now, okay? We will solve the problem, no matter how difficult or crazy it is."

"Yo-you mean it?" asked her while looking up at him with teary eyes…which was kind of awkward to see, given that she was in fact slightly taller than the boy.

"I promise." solemnly declared the Spriggan. "And I never back down on a promise."

At this, Sinon blushed slightly and looked down while fiddling with the hilt of her katana, clearly reminding what had happened on the BoB. No one in the room noticed…except for Argo, who gave her a quick glance before returning to look at the Devi…ehem, the poor and scared Gnome.

"Kirito…heh, you always remind me why knowing you was the best thing in my life." grinned Strea before leaning upwards and giving a quick peck to the boy's cheek, making every girl in the room freeze and he to almost jump backwards from the shock. "That way of always worrying for others is what I love so much about you!"

"Uh…I…"

"He-hey, Strea-san!" shouted Leafa while quickly stomping forward, having recovered before everyone else, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. "Wha-what are you…?!"

She was summarily interrupted when the Gnome girl let go of the blinking Spriggan to turn around and quickly 'catch' her in another hug, burying the shocked Sylph's face on her chest.

"Don't worry, Leafa-chan! I love you too! And everyone here!" she cheerfully announced while smiling widely at everyone. "Because love is a beautiful thing that should be shared, don't you think?"

While Leafa's muffled voice filled the room as she unsuccessfully tried to get her face out of the AI's breasts, every girl in the room, even Argo, the only one who had caught the 'indirect' in her words, quickly took a step back away from the smiling Strea, as if suddenly fearing for their integrity. All except Sinon, who stood up and pointed at the Gnome with an outraged and blushing face.

"He-hey, Strea-san, release Leafa-sama this instant!" hotly demanded the resident fan of the Bicycle Girl.

"Oww, what's wrong, Sinon-san?" teased Strea while turning towards the Caith Sith with w ide and innocent smile. "Do you want a hug too?"

Kirito (Who was trying to do his best to suppress any 'improper' thought that came from watching his adoptive sister's current position), blinked with surprise when Sinon's bow quickly materialized on her hands in less than a second, an arrow pointed towards the cheerful AI girl as she took a fearful step back.

"N-no thanks, s-stay away from me!"

"AIR!" shouted Leafa when she final managed to get away from Strea's 'iron-grip of love'. "Sweet virtual air…!"

"Uhm…you couldn't really die of asphyxiation here, though…" helpfully commented Sachi while the Sylph kept taking several mouthfuls of air.

"Everyone, I'm back!" announced Yui while flying into the room, quickly followed by a worried Asuna. "And I think something weird is going…uh?"

"What the…?" muttered the Undine with confusion at the scene, her gaze moving from Strea's happy smile to Sinon's aimed bow, then to the slightly scared girls, the deeply-breathing Leafa and the unmoving Kirito. "What's going on? Sinonon, why are you aiming at Strea-san?"

"Eh?" muttered everyone in the room, sans the aforementioned Gnome, as one, their eyes turning to see the newcomers with evident confusion.

"Uhm, I…no real reason?" tried the Caith Sith with a sheepish look, apparently not minding or noticing the 'nickname' Asuna had given her.

"…did something happen while we weren't here?" curiously asked Yui while looking around.

"N-no, Yui-chan, nothing happened at all!" quickly said Leafa while waving her hands, not noticing how Strea winked from behind her. "Absolutely nothing! Right, Onii-chan?!"

"Uh? Oh, yeah, nothing happened, and…do you know what's taking Keita and the rest so long?" spoke the boy while trying to change the subject, his eyes shooting around in search of the missing males of the group.

"Ah, they said they were truly sorry, but that they couldn't come." answered Asuna while looking down with a small frown, even as the resident Hero froze at the words. "Apparently they were all away in Tokyo buying some spare computer parts for a project they're preparing, so they will take too long in going back to their homes…"

"Oh yeah, I remembered Keita-kun mentioning that yesterday," added Sachi with a suddenly surprised look, having apparently forgotten about it in the heat of the moment. "Something about taking advantage of this being the first Sunday we hadn't planned doing anything in a long time to finally get those pieces…guess it will have to be just us saving the day this time, uh?"

"Yes…it looks like it…" sighed Kirito while resisting the urge to facepalm, even as Yui urged everyone to get their equipment ready to head down to Jotunheimr as soon as they could.

Somehow, the caped boy knew this was somehow going to end with him having a headache…

* * *

"So, let me get this straight…" said Asuna a bit later, as the group ran down an unusually long flight of stairs. "You both woke up this morning feeling that something was 'wrong', then deduced it had to do with this whole business about the legendary sword since it was too big of a coincidence?"

"That's right, Asuna-mama!" confirmed Yui from her place on Strea's shoulder, at the very back of the group, which Kirito led down the secret passage that would lead them to Jotunheimr and that apparently was only known by him and Leafa. "Even more so, whatever Quest the players are doing so frantically to try and get Excaliber is NOT the one Leafa-mama and Papa did that involved saving a member of Tonky-san's family. We're not sure WHAT exactly the Quest they're doing is, but it apparently involves some kind of monster extermination. Given the current circumstances, that can't be good…"

"Certainly, if something is disturbing your Ninja Way to such a degree then it MUST be something bad." agreed Silica with a serious look on her face, Pina flying right after her. "Do not worry, Yui-chan, Strea-san, for together we shall overcome this obstacle!"

"…kyuuu." sighed Pina while shaking his head.

"Yeah, I agree, it's very cute when she goes 'full-ninja' mode." softly chuckled Philia while the group's kunoichi exploded in denials and glares towards her faithful pet.

"Ugh…am I the only one who wonders why these dammed stairs are so long?" complained Lisbeth as they kept going through the seemingly endless descend. "I mean, we have been going down for almost 5 minutes!"

"Well, you should be grateful that Kii-bou and Leafa-chi now this shortcut at all, otherwise we would need a bit more than half hour to get to Jotunheimr the way everyone else is going." explained Argo with a hint of amusement. "Though I have to accept it, going through so many stairs is starting to make me feel like a Bronze Saint…"

"A what saint?" asked Sachi with confusion while looking at the Caith Sith, who blinked and looked from her to the others' questioning looks with disbelief.

"Really? No one got the reference? Am I the only one here who ever watched Saint Seiya?"

"…I'm truly worried about this 'Alternative Quest' business, to be honest." commended Kirito aloud to break the awkward silence that had followed the whiskered girl's question. "I mean, why bother to hide the way to get Excaliber in such a clever and complicated way if there apparently was another, easier one? It doesn't sound like anything your usual programmer would do…"

"Yeah, Onii-chan is right." nodded Leafa while biting her lips, a look of worry on her face. "Besides, it's hard for me to believe that they would make another way for it besides what we did for Tonky. It kinda makes his 'salvation' seem…cheap."

"Then there must clearly be some kind of serious problem hidden in this!" proclaimed Sinon with total conviction, the sniper almost at the end of the group, just in front of Strea. "If Leafa-sama thinks that the way she and Kirito discovered is the only one, then it must clearly be so!"

"Sinon-san, I have told you several times to drop the 'sama' bit…"

"Yay, that's the spirit, Sinon-chan!" happily cheered Strea while eying the blue-haired Caith Sith's rear with a dangerous glint. "You must be really happy of being able to fight at your Heroine's side, right?"

"We-well, it's obviously an honor to know that I…!"

"Got you!" shouted Strea with a massive grin, interrupting the blushing Sinon's words as she grabbed her swaying cat tail and squeezed on it.

Now, there is something that must be made clear for everyone: Alfheim Online became very famous when it came out thanks to its flying mechanic, of course, but that was just part of something very 'interesting' that many players had discovered. Just like you needed to 'imagine you had' the 'virtual bones' to move your wings on your back if you wanted to master Voluntary Flight, reason why only the truly dedicated players were able to do so, the 'alien sensations' that were most popular in ALO were those that anyone who played as a Caith Sith could explain: The tails and the ears.

Unlike every other race in the game, who was almost identical to a human except for the pointy ears, which weren't really that 'weird' on the body, the animal ears and tail possessed by the Monster Taming-race of fairies were something that humans lacked in reality, hence the 'simulated sensations' that came from them were extremely alien and 'weird'. If asking for clarification, a Caith Sith player would only say that they were very sensitive with a blush and try to change the subject. How anyone wanted to interpret that was something free to their own imagination (Though on a side note, one of ALO's male players' secret greatest wishes was apparently to have a Caith Sith girlfriend).

But in the end, the point was that the tail of a Caith Sith was a very sensitive thing. And for Sinon, who not only had been playing with that avatar for less than a week but also had been severely lacking in physical human contact for several years, that went double so.

As such, no one could have blamed the sniper when she squeaked like a surprised animal and jumped almost a meter in the air, dragging the surprised Strea, who couldn't let go of her tail in time, as both of them rolled forward.

Towards the rest of the surprised girls.

If anyone were to ask later to Yui, who had a first-row view of the incident, how it had been like, she would simply answer with a curt 'Messy'.

Kirito, stopping dead on his tracks at the sudden screams, turned around in time for Asuna to come crashing against him, followed by a ball of falling girls.

Sadly for him, as Saitama had shown several times through his series, logic-defying strength did not mean logic-defying balance. As such, having all 9 of his female friends (His pseudo-daughter aside, given she was in Pixie form) crashing down on him just as he turned around and had a foot in the air mid-step caused the only normal outcome.

A falling ball of teenagers rolling down countless steps, that is.

Ten seconds of virtual non-pain later, the United Heroes Association (Minus 4 boys) crashed against the snow-covered platform of rock carved straight out of Jotunheimr's ceiling, in a groaning mess of tangled limbs.

Back on the real world, Toyonaga Toshiyuki froze in the middle of looking over several computers parts, blinking as he looked to the side.

"Something the matter, Keita?" asked Takuya while looking at his older friend with confusion.

"I…am not sure, Ducker. But suddenly, I feel strangely glad that we couldn't go help the others with whatever mess they were in." accepted the other boy with a confused frown.

"…that's kind of harsh, but for some reason it makes me think it involves Kirito somehow…" sighed the dagger-user while sweatdropping.

"Hey, Ducker, Keita, come, me and Tetsuo just found the motherboard we were searching for!"

"Really?!" exclaimed the two boys while turning around, suddenly forgetting their strange conversation and running to join their fellow computer-loving friends.

Meanwhile, on ALO, the awkward group was already standing up again and trying to not stare too much at one another while they shook the snow off their clothes…except for Strea, who was looking sheepishly at Sinon while scratching her head.

"Heh, so-sorry, Sinon-chan, I didn't think you would react so…amazingly."

From a moment to the next, the Caith Sith somehow seemed to teleport from standing beside the Gnome to being half-hidden behind Kirito's cape, half-crouching as she snarled in a very cat-like way towards the blinking AI, her ears and tail standing threateningly.

"S-stay away from me!" half-growled the sniper, her eyes never leaving Strea's form as she unconsciously put a hand over the base of her tail.

"…awww, Sinon-chan, you're so adorable!" gushed the Gnome in response, a bright and innocent smile on her face as she clasped her hands together. "You look like a kitty hiding behind her master in the face of trouble!"

Freezing, the blue-haired girl finally seemed to realize the position she had adopted without thinking, her eyes quickly moving around to see how every girl around was STARING at her in silence while a very awkward-looking Kirito looked down at her as he scratched the back of his head.

Once again showing up that unreal speed of her, Sinon squeaked and moved to the edge of the rocky platform, apparently not caring about the deadly fall just behind her, face burning crimson.

"So-sorry, I-I wasn't thinking and, uhm,…!"

"Let's just call Tonky and do as if the last minutes never happened, okay?" proposed Leafa with an embarrassed face, making everyone nod as she got closer to edge and, after awkwardly smiling at the sniper's grateful face, calling out to the cold land with a loud whistle.

After a couple seconds of silence, an echoing trumpeting sound answered from the abyss, and most of the group let their eyes widen and their mouths to open when Tonky's imposing and multi-eyed form came flying from somewhere beyond their sight, a small smile forming on the black-haired Spriggan's face while the Sylph, Gnome and Pixie happily beamed.

"Tonky-san!" happily greeted Yui as the massive creature stopped just at the platform's side, slowly moving its strange wings to hover in place in a way that pretty much said 'fuck you' to the laws of physics. "It's great to see you again!"

"Yay!" quickly agreed Strea while hugging Tonky's trunk. "How have you been, big guy?"

"Everyone, this is Tonky!" introduced Leafa with a radiant smile while patting part of the creature's enormous head, looking at everyone with shining eyes. "Isn't he the cutest thing you have ever seen?!"

The several beads of sweat rolling down the back of the girls' heads were a clear indication that they didn't quite share the same concept of 'cute' as the excited blonde Sylph.

"It's…a giant elephant-jellyfish-thing…" muttered Lisbeth while looking the creature up and down.

"Which flies. Let's not forget about that important bit." added Argo while carefully getting closer to Tonky, just a bit unnerved from the many eyes following her.

"It certainly is an…impressive being, Leafa-san." carefully answered Silica while Pina flew off her head, stopping in front of one of the creature's many eyes. "And it's, uhm…very big."

"…kyuu." summarized the feathery dragon of the resident kunoichi.

"Bagaaa…" softly answered Tonky, giving an almost imperceptible nod at Pina, who quickly flew and sat down on top of its head.

On that moment, a friendship that transcended the limits of respect, reality and virtual species was born!

Meanwhile, everyone blinked in confusion, given that none of them understood what the elephant-jellyfish had said.

"Well, if Pina approves of it then I guess we can trust Tonky-san to take us!" determinedly nodded Sachi while raising her spear.

"Hey! Were you giving more trust to him than to me?!" pouted Leafa while putting her arms on her fists and mock-glaring at everyone.

"You would know to better value that little dragon's opinion if you had gone through SAO with us." sighed Philia while walking forward and starting to climb through the elephant-jellyfish's fur, the many eyes following her movements not bothering the Ronin. "Sometimes he was the only one with enough common sense in the group."

"I feel as if you just insulted us all with that, Philia…" muttered Kirito while Tonky's trunk moved and got a hold of his adoptive sister, who laughed at everyone's gobsmacked expression's as the creature put her on his back.

"Nah, you're imagining it, great leader." grinned the other Spriggan while everyone finally started to climb on the elephant-jellyfish's back, Silica squeaking when, at Pina's petition, she was also raised by Tonky's trunk. The gamer deadpanned at her before simply jumping on the creature's head.

"Well…got to accept it, this is very cool." said Asuna the moment they were all in and Tonky took flight again, a collective sense of wonder filling them as they gazed over Jotunheimr's frozen lands. "Tonky-san is as amazing as you said, Leafa-chan!"

"Isn't he, Asuna?!" happily replied the Sylph while patting the elephant-jellyfish's back. "He's the cutest thing in all of ALO!"

"If you…say so." sweatdropped the Undine while everyone else (Sans Strea and Yui) wisely shut up, even as Kirito looked around from the top of Tonky's head and frowned.

"Say, Yui, Strea…that bad feeling you got…is it getting any stronger?"

"…yes, it is, Papa." worriedly commented the pixie while flying towards his shoulder, everyone else exchanging worried looks as the Gnome fidgeted in place a bit, trying to reassure them she was okay by smiling. "I'm still not sure of what it is, but it has grown since we entered Jotunheimr proper, so…"

"What's going on down there?" suddenly came Sinon's sharp voice, making everyone turn and look the way the confused sniper was doing, only to see a scene that surprised the whole group.

Down at ground-level, a big group of players, probably a proper Raid, was attacking one of the Beast-Type Evil God mobs that were Tonky's 'pre-evolution'. That in itself wouldn't have been strange…if it wasn't for the fact that they were being helped by one of the Humanoid-Type Evil Gods, the mob not even glancing at the fairies as it helped them to bring down the helpless elephant-jellyfish.

A volley of spells and a couple of swings from massive swords later, the creature burst into polygons, making all the Players cheer from their one-sided victory. The surprising and foreboding thing, though, was that the evil giant mob ALSO joined the cheer, with a sinister and deep sound that may have been a chuckle. Apparently not caring about this, the Raid started to move eagerly towards their next target, the Evil Mob following after them in a 'friendly' way.

Tonky released a sad trumpeting sound as it kept flying.

"What in the fucking hell?" summarized Kirito what everyone was thinking.

"Wh-why didn't that other mob attack them?" questioned a confused Asuna while looking towards her Sensei. "Did some player Tame it?"

"No, that's impossible. The Taming percentage for all of Jotunheimr's Evil God monsters is of 0%" informed Argo while her frown deepened. "This…maybe this is the rumored 'Extermination Quest' to get Excaliber?"

"Bu-but that doesn't make sense!" shouted a clearly distressed Leafa while glaring down at the far-away group of Players. "Why would kill the poor siblings of Tonky, who are the ones that supposedly have to take you to the sword, help you get it?!"

"Because you're all being deceived, young fairies." proclaimed a sudden and glorious-sounding voice.

Turning around as their ride slowed down, the shocked members of the Heroes Association saw how an impressive female figure over 3 meters tall materialized from thin air, floating at Tonky's side. The otherworldly woman of turquoise pupils looked down at the fairies, her wavy fin-shaped blonde-green hair shining with the same power that covered her elegant dress. She was beautiful in a way that was clearly out of fantasy, but her face was marred by a worried and sad look as she looked down at the Heroes.

"Holy…" whispered Lisbeth at the sight, the others slowly getting out of their shock at the pink-haired Leprechaun's words.

"Greetings, noble fairies, and forgive me for startling you all." apologized the shining woman with a small bow. "I'm Urd, one of the rulers and Goddesses of Jotunheimr's Beast Tribe, together with my sisters, and I need your help before it's too late and Ragnarok falls upon us."

"That's…woah, that's one the most complicated things I have ever heard any NPC saying." confessed Sinon while the group silently agreed. "Is that normal around here?"

"No, it's not." confessed Argo while staring at Urd, something half-forgotten echoing in her mind. "In fact, it reminds me of…"

"Kraken and Leviathan." quickly finished Kirito with a deep-thinking look, everyone else in the group blinking at remembering the names from the Quest at that undersea temple Sinon and Argo had cleared together with the boys. "They could also talk like this, as if they were 'alive'…"

"Papa…that NPC is connected directly to Cardinal's language engine module." muttered Yui with clear surprise. "It has a level of Artificial Intelligence on its own because of that…but I have never seen something like that happening before. It's way too strange for Cardinal to suddenly do that for a random Quest…"

"Then maybe this is really more serious than we thought." commented Strea before walking forward. "Oh, great, uhm, Urd-san! What problem is this that you ask us to help you with?"

"It's something of utmost importance, young Gnome." answered the virtual Goddess while everyone sweatdropped at their most lively member's antics. "Thrym, King of Frost Giants, is deceiving your race with the promise of Excaliber to help him slaughter our children, when he never has had any intention of giving away the Sacred Blade, which is currently resting on the depths of his icy fortress, Thrymheim."

"You mean that big inverted-pyramid place up there?" asked Philia while everyone turned to look at the fortress of ice that seemed to have been carved out of Jotunheimr's very own 'ceiling'. "But wait…how can this Thrym guy be deceiving anyone to do his dirty work? Can an NPC even do that?"

"Funny thing, now that you mention it. The NPC that was giving away this Extermination Quest is apparently a guy called 'Thrym', or at least that's what I managed to gather with the little time we had before meeting up back in Alne." informed Argo while crossing her arms, clearly not liking the fact of fake information being spread. "But I thought players were claiming the guy had actually showed them the sword…"

"Thrym is a master of disguise and a very cunning evil being. What he showed to your fellow fairies is most likely the 'Fake Sword Caliburn'. A replica of the holy Excaliber in everything but its true power." revealed Urd with a sad and bitter tone. "It's nothing more than a piece of scrap, and obviously something the Giant King would use to achieve his dark objectives."

"Which are?" questioned the caped boy, feeling a sense of foreboding even before the goddess uttered her next words.

"The destruction of your land, fairies. He will annihilate Alfheim and bring about The End of Days: Ragnarok."

An eerie silence stretched over the group at those words.

"That…sounds kinda like, really bad." muttered Argo with a slightly panicked face, reflecting how everyone was feeling at the ominous declaration.

"Wa-wait what do you mean he's going to destroy Alfheim?!" shouted Leafa with a scared look.

"To understand it better you should first hear the full story." spoke Urd as she raised her hands, images appearing as she did so. "Jotunheimr, our realm, wasn't always the deserted land of ice you see here. Before, it was a beautiful place blessed by Yggdrasil's grace, where our children lived peacefully…but one day, Thrym came under the disguise of a wolf and stole Excaliber from its resting place, then threw it at the spring named after me, in the center of Jotunheimr." as she said these words, the goddess let them see the beautiful lake that had once been were the Great Void now was, and the image of Excaliber falling into it tip-first. "The power of the Holy Sword is something beyond comprehension, and as such it was easily able to cut through Yggdrasil's roots. The moment that happened…Jotunheimr lost the blessings of the World Tree, and became the frozen wasteland you know today…" in the images the Heroes Association was seeing, the land slowly died even as Urd's Spring froze over and the roots of Yggdrasil retracted upwards towards the land's canopy, dragging the frozen water with it, Excaliber trapped on the tip of the severed and frozen largest root. Then, as if time was passing at hyper speed, the ice changed shape into the inverted pyramid they could see in the present. "Then Thrym created his icy fortress, Thrymheim, from which he could look down on all of us, and where he has kept Excaliber, still stabbing into Yggdrasil's roots. Since then, it has been an eternal war down here between his giants and our children, mine and my sisters' powers being the only thing holding him back…but this is no longer the case. Now that he has gained the aid of your race with his last nefarious trick, he will finally be able to continue with his evil plan: If all of our children are slain, our power will vanish and nothing will stop him from rising Thrymheim into Alfheim and start the destruction of your world."

"Wait, that thing would go all the way up?!" as she shouted this, Sachi was not the only one who looked at the massive pyramid in shock. "But…it's right under Alne! If that fortress were to go up…"

"It would totally destroy the city just by emerging." finished Asuna with a grim tone, her grip on the rapier at her side tightening.

"And from there, it would start destroying everything else…" added Kirito with a serious look, before looking back at Urd. "Is that how it goes?"

"Yes, I'm afraid. Once he has breached into Alfheim, Thrym will call all the might of his Frozen Giants from Niflheim to reduce the world of the fairies to something similar to what Jotunheimr is now on his war to destroy the Aesir, bringing about the beginning of Ragnarok…" shuddering at imagining that, the Goddess looked down at the Heroes with a pleading look. "Please, fairies, you're the last hope of all the realms! With all of his forces out helping the rest of your race with this nefarious mission, Thrymheim's defenses are at their lowest! You must infiltrate the icy fortress and recover Excaliber, extracting it from the roots of Yggdrasil and restore Jotunheimr to its former glory! Only that way will you be able to stop Ragnarok!"

With those words said, the group received a notification that they had accepted the Quest 'The Holy Sword of the Ice Palace'. They were so shocked by what they had just been told that they didn't really bother thinking about the oddity of the Quest being literally forced upon them instead of giving then the option to refuse (Not that they would have).

"…don't worry, Urd-san." slowly nodded the gamer towards the goddess, even as everyone's expression became deadly serious. "We will take care of this."

"Thanks, noble fairies…here, take this." with a wave of her hands, a golden medallion with an emerald jewel imbedded on its center appeared above the group, which Leafa was quick to catch, letting everyone see how there were several black spots on the jewel. "As long as that jewel isn't completely black, then Thrym's power would still be held back. But when the last of our children dies and it loses all its shine…please, retrieve the Holy Sword before this happens!"

And with that last plea, the Queen of the Lake vanished in a shower of sparks, letting the United Heroes Association standing on Tonky's back, their mind still trying to process what had happened.

"…well, I think we can be sure that THIS is what that bad feeling of before was about." grimaced Strea while looking at the medallion on the Sylph's hands.

"Yui-chan…was that Urd said, is it really possible?" asked Argo with an extremely serious face, all the information they had received running through her head at high speed. "Can such a Quest like this that threatens to destroy the world just…HAPPEN like this, without any warning or notification to the Players?"

"…under normal circumstances no, Argo-mama…but if you're asking if it IS possible, then the answer is yes." grimly confirmed the Pixie while looking at the gathered group. "Even the whole bit about the 'end of the world' may not be an exaggeration. Remember, after all, that the ultimate purpose of the Cardinal System in SAO was to destroy itself and the Floating Castle Aincrad with it."

"In Norse Mythology, Ragnarok is how they refer to the apocalypse." commented Sinon while standing near Tonky's rear while looking down at the frozen wasteland, vaguely seeing the many parties aided by giants in their slaughter of the doomed beasts. "It's not a pretty thing, to be honest, and if this is anything like in the myths…"

"Uhm, exactly how do those myths go?" nervously asked Lisbeth, despite knowing she probably wouldn't like the answer.

"The Frost Giants will freeze the world, then the Fire Giants will burn it all down. The ancient beasts will awaken and the world itself will unleash its entire wrath, bringing about true chaos. The Gods shall descend to fight and die, not even immortals being safe from death until nothing remains and the floor is devoured by roaring water…" every single person in the group turned to look at Leafa in shock at her words, the blonde Sylph blinking before sheepishly looking away. "I-I kind of got into those mythological stories after starting to play ALO…"

"…yeah, Sinon-san is right, that doesn't sound pretty at all." worriedly looking at her friends, Silica bit her lips while Pina flew to her head in an unusually serious silence. "Still…how can such a thing just happen like that?"

"Cardinal's Automated Quest Generation function." sharply said Strea with an unusual scowl. "It's how most of the Quest back in SAO were created, Cardinal would search information through the network and use determined things that fitted with Aincrad's setting to always create new Quests…" at this, both Kirito and Argo blinked, exchanging a glance before shuddering, both clearly knowing firsthand that this was indeed possible. "Someone in Ymir must have turned it on and accidentally let it run at full power. Without any restriction, Cardinal will create a Quest that fits with the theme of the game to make it as 'exciting' as possible without caring for the consequences…even if it means destroying the world in the process."

"Right…" deadpanned Philia while trying to reduce the horror being shown on her face, everyone sans Kirito in a similar state. "So…any chance we can just call for a GM to fix this mess before it's too late?"

"…today just so happens to be a day where the GM-service of ALO is down until later in the evening, Philia-mama." confirmed Yui something that everyone, as unlikely as that was, was fearing. "I guess THAT must be the reason why they haven't realized what is happening yet, but…"

"By the time anyone figures out what is happening, it will be too late." finished Asuna while taking a step forward, looking directly at her friends. "Well, guess that settles it, eh?"

"…yes, it seems we need to save the world." Shaking her head at the though, Argo readied her claws while everyone else nodded with determination, except for a worried Leafa who was staring at the slowly darkening medallion. "Just another day in our crazy lives."

"Well, that's why we're heroes, right?" grinned Sachi while raising her spear, the Salamander fiercely gripping it. "We won't let that giant destroy Alfheim for some stupid reason!"

"You can bet on that, Sachi!" proclaimed Asuna while everyone smiled, before the Undine blinked at noticing the silent Sylph. "Leafa-chan? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, n-no, I also want to save Alfheim with all my heart, but…" biting her lips, the blonde swordswoman looked down at the beast medallion once again. "I just feel…horrible, thinking how all of Tonky's siblings are being killed right now. I know this is more important and that we still wouldn't be able to do much for them, but…"

Everyone's faces saddened a bit at that, especially Yui and Strea's. All of them, in one way or another and for one reason or another, had learned to think of the inhabitants of the virtual world as more than simple programs. Even Sinon, who had only known the virtual sisters for less than a week, had taken the reveal about their nature in stride and chalked it up to 'More Kirito-weirdness' before treating them as any of her new friends.

As if echoing their thoughts, Tonky made another sad but determined trumpeting sound. The flying elephant-jellyfish seemed to also be feeling down because of his race's fate, but understood how important it was for everyone to…

"…right, got it." suddenly said the only member of the group who had been silent for too long, making all the girl blink as they saw the caped boy walking past them and standing at the edge of Tonky's head. "Girls, I'm counting on you. Go kick that giant's ass, recover the sword and save the world."

"Wa-wait, what?" asked Leafa with utter shock, everyone's faces slowly changing as they understood what the Spriggan was implying. "But…Onii-chan, what will you…?"

"I will be busy becoming the most hated player around…again." informed Kirito with a lopsided grin, before fully turning around and crouching down. "But then again, that's why I am a gamer playing Hero for fun, right?"

Before anyone could even think of answering to his words, the boy JUMPED off Tonky, catapulting himself across the Giant Void and towards Jotunheimr's froze plains.

Every single member of the group rushed towards the edge of the elephant-jellyfish's back, but only the three Caith Siths (And even then only Sinon with perfect clarity) were able to properly see how he landed feet-first against the head of one of the evil giants, crushing it and turning the mob into polygons to the shock and confusion of the screaming raid that had been attacking one of Tonky's siblings.

Even as their also shocked ride started flying them away and towards Thrymheim, the girls were still able to hear the screams and curses as fairies started to fly without their wings left and right, via punches.

"…does he always do things like that?" asked Sinon aloud while staring at the now almost invisible form of the Spriggan with awe, respect…and something more.

"Yes, he does." answered the rest of the heroines with similar expressions, though some (Like Sachi and Silica) showed it more, while others (Asuna and Leafa) just let wide smiles appear on their blushing faces. The rest was a bit better in hiding their reactions, except the beaming Strea (Who didn't bother hiding it in the first place) and the extremely happy Yui.

"Papa. Is. Awesome!" proclaimed the little pixie while raising a fist in a punching motion.

"Heheh, you bet he is, Yui-nee! No wonder everyone loves him!" purposefully ignoring the double-meaning of her words, the Gnome turned towards the rest of the blinking girls and, before they had enough time to process what she said, pointed forward with Gram's strange edge. "Now, ready to kick some giant's ass and save ALO, everyone?!"

"U-uhm, yeah, you bet we are, Strea-san!" quickly answered Asuna while vanishing her rapier, quickly equipping Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang before turning towards her friends and guild mates. "Sensei is counting on us, and everyone in Alfheim too, even if they don't know it, so let's give our best!"

With an enthusiastic cheer as they raised and joined their weapons, the team of Heroines turned to face the imposing form of Thrymheim. The moment they arrived to the icy fortress' entrance and jumped off Tonky, who dedicated them a worried trumpeting sound, they ran forward without hesitation, easily falling into a battle formation at which even Sinon, who had been with them the less time, was quick to adapt. There was a burning determination in all of their eyes even as their beast-friend flew away, maybe to hide or to try and find their Spriggan leader.

Kirito was getting the 'hard work' done on the ground, protecting Tonky's siblings and, in doing so, giving them more time.

Nothing would stop them from saving Alfheim.

* * *

The Black and Gold Minotaurus, proud Bosses of Thrymheim's second floor, were without a doubt extremely powerful and highly dangerous enemies to face.

Compared to the giant Cyclops that acted as the Boss for the icy fortress' first floor, these creatures were armed with powerful battle axes and possessed an extremely efficient fighting strategy: Despite starting the battle together, every time one of them had their HP reduced below a certain value, it would retreat into a 'Meditating' state to start regaining HP, then the other would ignore all the 'Hate' it had gathered to protect its partner until it had regained enough energy to make the players' previous efforts pointless. Even more, the Gold one was extremely resistant to physical attacks, while the Black one was to magical attacks, so combined they were able to cover up for their weaknesses perfectly. When you added to that the fact that they possessed an instant kill, though easily avoidable, attack with their axes and an unavoidable splash-damage one able to hit an entire party in one go, it was safe to say that these were ones of the most complex and powerful Bosses in ALO, excluding whatever upgraded versions of Aincrad's Floor Bosses Ymir was preparing for future updates.

Perhaps that was why, thanks to the slightly advanced AI they possessed given the current circumstances, both were kinda pissed that the group of girls was not only beaten the crap out of them with relative ease (Then again, Argo and Yui figuring out their fighting strategy in the first 5 minutes had helped), but that three of them were even feeling confident enough to have SMALL TALK while fighting them!

"So, Strea-san…" casually started Asuna while giving a rough slash towards the Black Minotaurus, the Gold one (Currently finishing to recover) only watching helplessly at his partner's HP went into the red zone. "Leafa-chan here told me…what you said before."

"Oh, really?" cheerfully commented the Gnome while using Gram's Ethereal Shift to easily bypass the swinging axe of her enemy, otherworldly darkness from her Unique Skill shrouding her as she mercilessly inflicted critical damage on the doomed Boss. "What about it?"

"Uhm, well, you see…" started Leafa while jumping over the black Minotaurus' swinging arm, even as Argo shouted for the rest to be prepared as the Gold one started to rise again, reminding the trio to finish off the black one before it could retreat. "Yo-you may not know it, but, wha-what you suggested the o-other day, about m-me and Asuna-san with Onii-chan…well, we kind of…did it."

"Ah…yeah, I already knew about that!" nonchalantly said the AI girl before spinning through the air and impaling the Minotaurus' nose with Gram's edge, just at the same time as Asuna unleashed a 'Nightmare Rain' on its chest, the Dual Blades Skill being enough to finish off the poor Boss after the 15 minutes of its first and most humiliating fight, even as the shocked Undine stared open-mouthed at her virtual friend.

"Yo-you knew?!" repeated the Dual Wielder while she and the blonde Sylph looked in shock at the sheepish-looking Strea. "How?!"

"Oh, let's just say I…have my ways." 'explained' the younger of the virtual sisters, with a smile that sent a strange shiver running down the back of both girls.

"Bu-but then, why…?"

"Did I still say that? What do you think?" asked the Gnome while looking a Leafa with a suddenly…'strange' expression, even as they could hear Argo cursing in the background and Sinon shouting something about Sachi covering her, followed by a small explosion. "I was serious, you know. Every time I have said it, I have been. I really love Kirito."

"S-Strea-san…" started Asuna before the AI girl smiled widely at her and the blonde Sylph, turning around to stare towards the frozen ceiling.

"Tell me, Asuna, Leafa…where do you each other in the future? In 5 years? 10?"

"Wha-what? Why ask that all of a sudden…?" started the fairy swordswoman while gripping Justice's Wings humming hilt a bit tightly.

"Maybe happy, with kids and a family?" the Gnome seemed to purposely ignore the way in which both girls' faces heated up at that question, simply smiling widely. "Perhaps working in something you like? Practicing a sport at international level? Well then, let me ask you…where do you ME and Yui-nee in that time?"

The Undine and the Sylph froze, as if the thought had just cut through some invisible veil on their minds. In the background, they idly heard Philia screaming bloody murder after failing to cut off one of the Golden Minotaurus' hands, and what seemed like Silica asking what they were doing, but they 'ignored' it in favor of staring at their virtual friend in shock.

"Wait…why are you…?"

"ALO won't be running forever, you know? This whole Ragnarok business, even if we stop it…it only has made me realize it even more. Sooner or later, this game will close. Even if by some miracle it doesn't, there will be a point where you will outgrow 'playing games', no matter how you like them. You're humans, after all, and that's part of growing up…and when that happens, Yui-nee and I will only have one another."

"Ho-hold on, Strea-san, don't say that!" shouted Leafa with a worried and sad face, though her voice was drown by the roar of the remaining Boss trying to crush Lisbeth with his axe, and failing to do anything to her thanks to her 'Hades Armor' Skill, which allowed the rest to ambush it. "We would never abandon any of you like that!"

"Oh, I'm not accusing you of ever wanting to do that by your own will, believe me, I know both of you too well for that, girls. But…you can't fight against the fact that you will both have a life out of this world, one that I can't be part of." the smile on Strea's face never seemed sadder that when she looked at both girls in that moment, both feeling as if someone was tugging painfully at their hearts at the sight. "Sooner or later, we won't be able to just 'keep existing'. Be it one way or another…we will part ways. And the only thing I want to be sure of before that happens…is that all my friends were as happy as possible, and that I could be happy with them!"

"Strea …please, don't say that…" whispered Asuna, tears starting to form on her eyes as she walked closer to her.

"I won't interfere with your feelings, don't worry. I'm not saying that you need to convince Kirito of anything now either, I respect and cherish what you feel for him and how he feels about you, but… _everyone_ deserves a chance to be happy, don't you think?" turning away from them, as if to hide tears, the Gnome totally did not remark a certain word for any hidden intentions. "So…won't you let me try and bring happiness to everyone, while we are together? Won't you let me love him too, even if can only be from this world that separates us?"

"…snif…ugu…Strea-saaaan!" cried Leafa while trapping the AI girl into a hug, at which Asuna joined shortly after, both trying to hold back tears (Which sadly wasn't possible in the virtual world) as they tried to mitigate what they thought was an existential loneliness their friend had been feeling for a long time. "Do-don't worry! We wo-won't leave you alone! A-and I'm okay with your feelings for Onii-chan, really! To think that you were hurting so much inside…"

"Strea, idiot! Don't ever hide something like that from us again…" sniffed the Undine while the Gnome happily hugged them back, making for a touching and heartfelt scene. "I don't mind that you also love Sensei when your feelings are so pure…please, don't be sad!"

"Aww, Asuna, Leafa…" softly sobbed Strea while holding them as tight as she could. "You two are the best friends any Artificial Intelligence could ever ask for!"

That only made both of them cry harder, even as they told her to never refer to herself as anything else than a person.

Hence, they were too busy to see how she smiled and, stealthily, gave Yui a small thumbs-up.

Said Pixie, who was at the other side of the room but staring happily at the scene, returned the gesture, at the same time that the Golden Minotaurus exploded into polygons behind her, the other girls screaming in relief.

After all, instead of making carefully complicated lies, everyone knew that the best way of manipulating things the way you wanted them to go (Which was totally good if you were doing it for good reasons, of course!) was by telling the absolute and pure truth…even if they weren't as worried about the future as Strea had made it out to be. Especially with the, ehem, 'totally legal participation' they had been doing lately in the international bourse and several international financial markets. The less said about it the better, but let's just said that, if their stock exchange keep going the way it was, none of the members of the United Heroes Association would need to be too worried about the future…among other things.

At that moment, down on Jotunheimr's plains, Kirito felt a chill run down his body as he finished putting another of Tonky's siblings on one of the many lakes of the area. The gamer quickly shook his head, told the jellyfish-elephant to wait there with the rest and ran away, deciding to ignore the ominous feeling he was feeling and concentrate on his current task, only idly looking towards Thrymheim's distant form while several spells from players screaming 'IT'S HIM!' started to rain upon him, before shaking his head and continuing. The girls were perfectly able to deal with whatever was happening there, he knew that, and anything else was a problem that, as Saitama would said, could be left to the 'tomorrow's me'.

On a totally unrelated note, Future Kirito would always hold an eternal grudge towards Present Kirito for moments like this, as stupid as that sounds.

"…hey, why…why are they all hugging over there?" asked Lisbeth while catching her breath, looking at the hugging trio at the room's other side.

"No idea…maybe they went all emotive after killing the other one because of something?" ventured Sachi while using her spear to quickly stand again.

"It must be something important, if Leafa-sama thought we could do this in our own instead of helping us…" softly muttered Sinon while looking at the scene with…sharp eyes?

"Yeah…probably something like that…" muttered Argo while staring at the trio too, before looking to the side and catching Yui's eyes, who waved at her with a bright smile.

The Caith Sith shivered. It was very easy for everyone, even her, to forget that the sweet little girl and the bubbly and seemingly airheaded teen were in fact some of the most advanced AIs ever programmed, and fully loaded with tons of data about psychological understanding. And that had been BEFORE they actually became as 'human' as they were nowadays.

Yes, she couldn't deny that what they were 'offering' was indeed like a dream come true (Even if a small part of her still insisted it was too good to be true), and that if it worked then neither her nor any of their friends would be 'sad'…but sometimes it seriously scared her how cunning Yui and Strea could be.

Deciding it was better for her sanity to NOT think about that too much, the info-broker resumed her 'task' of watching over the rest of her friends and helping them to get back into shape for whatever next boss they had to face, all the while subtly thinking who could be the easiest to convince next to 'join the plan' (Strea's words).

Hmm…perhaps she could use Sinon's slightly fanatical obsession with Kirito's little sister in their favor, somehow…

* * *

Thirty minutes and an annoying Boss later, the girls were quickly descending through the hallways that led to Thrymheim's fourth floor, where Thrym's Throne Room apparently was. Leafa was looking with worry at the medallion Urd had given them, noticing how a bit more than half of it remained emerald, and it had stayed like that for a while now. While it was a sign that her brother was going way above what anyone would ask of him to keep Tonky's siblings away from harm, it still made her feel sad that so many of the creatures had been killed by the trick of an evil bastard.

Asuna allowed herself to look for a moment towards her before nodding softly at her determined expression, both as eager to kick the ass of the Frost Giant's King as everyone else, before they resumed their quick dash towards the next floor…only to blink and slow down as they came upon an unusual and unexpected sight.

There, carved out of the wall at one side of the hallway, a cage of ice with a design that brought bad and frustrating memories to the Undine's mind stood. Inside it, the surprised group of Heroines saw how an elfish woman of beautifully pale skin laid, her long and deep brown-gold hair sprayed on the ground around her. The mysterious woman wore a white dress and some sort of metallic decoration around her head and over her ears, and, when she opened them to look at the group in surprise, her eyes were of deep crystalline green.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Has someone really come all the way here?" wondered the beautiful woman before standing up and getting closer to the cage's bars, a pleading look on her face. "Please, fairies, would you free me of this thrice dammed prison? I'm Freyja of the Aesir, and I infiltrated this fortress to recover a treasure Thrym had stolen from us. That dammed giant asked for my hand in marriage in exchange for returning what he stole, so I tried to use that to my advantage and recover it...but I was discovered by the third guardian and then imprisoned in this cage as punishment. I beg of you, release me from this prison, fairies! I must recover the stolen treasure, no matter what!"

A moment of silence passed as everyone exchanged a quick glance...then Asuna slashed down the cage's bars, making Freyja's face illuminate in gratitude as she walked out of there.

Sinon, for her part, blinked in confusion.

"Wait...what? You're gonna free her, just like that?! Wha-what if it's one of those traps typical of videogames or...?!"

"Sinon-san! How can you even say that?!" suddenly shouted Leafa while pointing Justice to the ceiling, making the Caith Sith gasp when a mighty aura of epic light emerged behind her (Only on her mind, though). "Remember that, before anything else, we're Heroes! And it's our duty to help and bring Justice to anyone who needs it, no matter what!"

"Hell yeah, that's the spirit!" cheered Lisbeth while raising her hammer, her smile spreading through most of the group.

"Leafa-mama is really into this, as expected of someone who's a Hero in real life!" happily proclaimed Yui while the Sylph blushed at that, awkwardly looking away as she scratched the back of her head in a very 'Kirito-like' way.

"Indeed, Yui-chan. And besides, I can TOTALLY relate with being trapped in a cage by a bastard trying to force you into marrying him." added Asuna with a dark glint on her eyes while everyone sweatdropped, even as she turned around and clasped the surprised Freyja's hand. "Do not worry, Freyja-san! We will beat that bastard to the ground, now with even MORE reason than before, and recover your treasure!"

"Tha-thanks for that, young Undine..." muttered the Aesir with a bit of awkwardness. "I-I will try and use my power to help you fight, then, okay?"

While this took place, the sniper of the group had fallen to her knees and started to bow down before a squeaking Sylph, who was trying to get her to stand up under the 'curious' gaze of the rest.

"I'm sorry for my foolish doubts, Leafa-sama! Please, forgive me and keep guiding me into the path to become Heroine worthy of fighting at your side!"

"Si-Sinon-san, please, cut it out!" squeaked Leafa while her face burned in embarrassment.

Inwardly, 'Freyja' wondered if perhaps she shouldn't have waited in the cage for a less insane group of fairies to come by.

Introductions and reassurances out of the way, the girls of the United Heroes Association and their recently rescued ally finally reached the imposing gate that led to Thrymheim's Throne Room. Without hesitation, they opened it and entered into the MASSIVE area, their eyes widening in surprise both at the size of it and at the sight of mountains of gold, weapons, jewels and more valuable-looking trinkets.

"Holy shit..." whispered Argo while looking around, her eyes seeming to shine as they reflected the piles of riches filling the entire room. "There must be enough Yrd here to buy all of Alne..."

"All the treasures and riches that Thrym has stolen thorough the ages..." hatefully spat Freyja while clenching her fists. "My treasure must be among them..."

"Oh, your words hurt me, dear Freyja." resounded a mocking voice through the massive room, making the girls' eyes widen and shot forward, towards the opposite end of the area.

There, slowly standing from an icy throne make specifically for his size, a literal giant of bluish skin stood, looking down at them with amusement as he walked forward, each of his steps shaking the room. Almost 16 meters tall, brown fur coiling around his arms and legs and wearing a plate armor, a single piece of which was the size of a small boat, on his waist, the giant also possessed a blue beard and a long mustache, and a freezing mist seemed to come out of his mouth, like the breath of a person in winter. A golden crown on his forehead contrasting with his bleak blue eyes finished the look of the being known as Thrym, King of the Frost Giants.

"…you know, in hindsight maybe we should have expected it, but…fuck, this bastard is really big." commented Philia while everyone stared up, not having faced against an enemy so massive since the fight with the Skull Reaper, and never in Leafa and Sinon's case.

"Thrym, you thrice damn villain!" shouted Freyja while glaring hatefully at the frost giant. "Retrun the treasure you stole from the Aesir, right now!"

"Or what, sweet Freyja? You will force me?" mocked the Giant King once more, openly laughing at the notion. "Your stupid declarations do nothing more than amuse me at this moment! In no time, my servants will have ended up all of that stupid woman's children, and then Ragnarok will begin as I ascend to Alfheim and bring down Yggdrasil!"

"NEVER!" shouted Asuna while pointing Fafnir's Fang forward, making Thrym raise an eyebrow when every other girl also readied their weapons, glaring at the Frost Giant. "WE will stop you and your nefarious plot, Thrym! We won't let you destroy Alfheim!"

"And we will also kick you extra hard for being a jerk that traps women in cages!" added Leafa while Justice hummed in agreement.

"And because you're a bad guy!" cheerfully shouted Yui.

"…oh, really? Well then, little fairies…I would like to see you try." darkly smiled Thrym before the room shook again, the heroines looking in shock as two other Frost Giants emerged from nowhere and landed between them and their King, these ones being bald and without any facial hair either, wearing furs of massive animals as clothes. "Though I don't doubt my ability to crush you, I will make full use my brethren to show you the difference between us. It's all thanks to that Creature of the Void, though…its 'help' was fairly appreciated…"

"Uhm, everyone? I think something is very wrong…" gulped Strea while 3 HP bars appeared over the Frost Giants.

"You mean, besides the fact that we now have 3 of these giant guys wanting to turn us into a pulp while we're racing against the clock to prevent the end of days?" deadpanned Argo while adopting a loose stance, claws out and ready while everyone slowly started to move.

"No, Strea-nee is right, this shouldn't be happening!" cried out Yui even as both Frost Giants roared to the ceiling, Freyja casting several Buffs over the party as they burst into motion against the two massive enemies. "One of Cardinal's primary directives is to always create fair Quests, no matter how convoluted and strange they may be! That pattern is being broken right here, both of those things are almost a high-level Boss on their own, yet they're appearing as Adds to another one!"

"Wait, what does that mean?!" shouted Sachi as she used her spear to evade one of the massive fists, quickly executing a 'Partisan' Skill to shot herself above her crouched enemy.

"That either Cardinal is acting weird…or something else is messing with the systems!" answered Strea while unleashing a fierce cut against one of the giant's legs, making it roar in pain and try to crush her, only to receive an exploding arrow to his face for his troubles.

"I thought these games couldn't be hacked?!" roared Sinon over the cacophony of battle that had exploded on the Throne Room, knocking another arrow as she moved as fast as she could.

"They can't…" softly whispered Yui while watching over the fight, wondering why she was feeling a strange and familiar dread. "That's what I don't get…"

Thrym, sitting once again on his throne, just watched with amusement. Freyja, for her part, tried to keep the party at top shape with Buffs and healing spells.

It was clear that the warriors would be the ones to truly make a difference.

* * *

Kirito didn't have 'bad days' in his life. At least, not since a long time ago, no sir.

He only had 'good days' and 'every other typical day of my fucking crazy life'.

Which is why his current position, standing on a dune of snow as the only thing between an army of almost 200 hundred players with over fifty Humanoid Evil Gods and the lake where dozens of Tonky's siblings were, wasn't anything that truly surprised him. It only bothered him a small bit, but he quickly realized that it was because he was actually doing this madness alone instead of being bothered for the madness itself, so he quickly shrugged it off. The girls had another important role to play in this, after all.

Sighing, he decided that, despite all the repeated failures of the last hour, it wouldn't really hurt him to try and resolve this without violence again, so he raised his hands and looked forward to the angry players before starting speaking.

"Okay, please, hear me out! I know you all think I'm crazy, or that I'm some sort of hacker trying to ruin your Quest, but I swear I'm NOT! You're all being deceived in a very complex plot to destroy Alfheim, by the leader of those same giants that are 'helping' you right now!" some of the players actually bothered looking towards the Evil Gods aiding their raids, who totally did not whistle innocently while looking to the side, that would have been silly. "So please, believe me, if you continue doing this and try to murder those poor elephant-jellyfish behind me you will not only not get Excaliber, but also will be screwing your own game! Do you all get it?"

"…BLAST HIM APART WITH YOUR SPELLS, MAGICIANS!" shouted someone before an unanimous roar started and volleys upon volleys of magical attacks shot through the air at Kirito like a wave of elemental devastation, totally engulfing the Spriggan in an explosion of a magnitude rarely seen in ALO.

The cheering about the destruction of the 'annoying hacker', however, was cut short when the smoke cleared and a deadpanning gamer emerged, looking at everyone with dead eyes before facepalming and sighing.

"Okay then, no one can say I didn't try…again."

With those words, Kirito blurred out of existence, at the same time that someone among the players shouted 'CHARGE!' and all of them started running forward to try and get to the Beast Evil Gods in the lake.

The Players and giants quickly found themselves being thrown away like ragdolls, some of them not even that as they outright exploded as the blur of destructive motion that was the caped boy keep obliterating their ranks. Despite this, the sheer number and tenacity of the players coupled with the fact that Kirito didn't want to scare them for life and wasn't that used to fight against big groups allowed some of them to actually get past the 'killing line' and head towards the lake.

All of them were quickly electrocuted to death by the sudden apparition of a certain flying elephant-jellyfish.

Cheering for Tonky as if their sibling as if it was the champion they had been waiting for, the rest of the Beast-Type Evil Gods released a cacophony of trumpeting noises as they charged electricity and unleashed it against their enemies, some actually charging out of the water to fight alongside Kirito and their flying older brother.

Stopping for a moment to watch all of this, blinking in disbelief for a moment, the gamer let a resigned smile appear on his lips before turning around towards the now clearly gobsmacked players.

"I hope the girls are having a less crazy time without me there." Simply commented the caped boy before screaming murder and charging at the front of his impromptu army of elephant-jellyfish, Tonky spearing thunder around him and giving an even more terrifying and awesome visage to his form that would take several players many sessions with psychologists to overcome…not that anyone cared about that.

And meanwhile, back in Thrymheim…

"ZEUS BLESSING!" roared Lisbeth with all her might as the shining aura of divine power engulfed her, the pink-haired Leprechaun becoming a burst of superhuman power as she rammed several Mace Skills in quick succession against the face of the giant in front of her, making it rear back in pain. "SILICA!"

"On it, Liz-san! Pina, Combined Attack!" shouted the kunoichi Caith Sith as she jumped high into the air, used the growling form of her familiar as an impromptu step in mid-air and leaped higher, her Fuuma Shuriken bursting to life as her Ultimate Skill infused it with power and shot the demonic throwing star at the giant's face, making it roar and burst into polygons even as the blacksmith was sent flying from it. "O-one down!"

"Finish that other bastard, quick!" pleaded Lisbeth before she crashed face-first into one of the many piles of treasures.

"Got…YOU!" echoed Sinon's voice before she unleashed another explosive arrow straight onto the giant's open mouth, who had been trying to bite off Argo's head now that he held her on his massive right hand, the blonde Caith Sith quickly getting free with the lethal distraction and literally kicking her way down with an Eagle Tempest Skill, the frost Giant screaming in pain and once again being silenced when a drill-tipped shaft of pure aura burst forward and rammed through his chest, Sachi screaming even as Philia held her in place against the brutal mass of the Secondary Boss.

"Drill through…Heavenly Piercer!" ordered the Salamander with all her might, her Ultimate Skill seemingly obeying and going all the way through the frost giant's torso, causing critical damage and making it explode into polygons, Sachi letting go of her lance at the sight and falling to her knees while panting. "T-two…down…argh…"

"…I will never get tired of seeing that." fonfessed the Spriggan of the group with a soft smile, even as her eyes shot with worry over her mostly exhausted friends. "Damn, this is no good…"

"Liz is out of the fight after using her Ultimate Skill…" grimly muttered Strea while lowering Gram, standing beside a panting Asuna (Who had been running from Boss to Boss to aid everyone) and an equally tired Leafa, both girls having been forced to split between fighting and occasionally using spells to prevent the group from being wiped out, given how their races hold both the highest and second highest degrees in Healing Spells in ALO. "And we're kinda on our last legs…"

"And the medallion is starting to darken more…" cursed the blonde Sylph while looking down at the pendant, even as a booming laugh echoed everywhere when Thrym stood up again, looking at them with amusement.

"Not bad, fairies, not bad at all. To be able to beat two of my lesser brethren, even if it left you in this pitiful state…how about a deal?" asked the King of the Frost Giants while opening his arms, as if trying to encompass the Throne Room. "I will give you all the treasures in this room if you walk away from here. This matter does not concern you, and I would prefer to not waste my time crushing your pathetic but brave selves…"

"Fuck you, giant bastard." growled Asuna while raising her blades again. "No amount of riches is worth what you're trying to destroy…and a Hero would never be tempted by villains offer! We WILL bring you down!"

"…a shame. But I guess that stupidity is what has brought you so far…" laughing maniacally, 4 HP Bars materialized over Thrym's head as he looked down at them with an evil glint on his eyes as freezing power gathered on his hands. "BEGONE!"

Before any of the others could even react, the Giant King slammed his hands on the ground and a wave of pure frost shot straight towards the surprised trio, who had enough to be shocked before they were encased into a huge chunk of ice, leaving everyone speechless.

For two seconds.

"LEAFA-SAMA!"

"You bastard!"

"W-we need to get them out of there!"

"Do not worry!" grinned Thrym while gathering more frost on his hands. "You shall soon join them as eternal decorations of my throne!"

"…Sinon-san, cover me." coldly muttered Philia to the enraged sniper, who looked at her in surprise as she started a spell, quickly nodding and running forward while putting the bow she had carried through the fight on her back and unsheathing her katana, letting the 'instinct' take over again, the power to cut every single thing on her way screaming down her arms as she smiled almost hungrily.

The Spriggan was more than halfway through her spell when Yui shouted as the Giant King unleashed another of his waves of pure frost against them.

And the blue-haired Caith Sith unceremoniously cut the freezing spell in a million pieces, her blade blurring in and out of existence as she did so.

Everyone in the room blinked. Silica muttered something along the lines of 'Sugoi…' while Argo called 'Bullshit' before continuing trying to break down the ice encasing their other three friends, even as Sachi (Just finished taking a potion), grabbed her spear and released a battlecry while joining the fray again.

That was when Philia finished whatever she had been doing and the Spell Words around her shone with ancient power, a burst of light engulfing the serious-looking Ronin…

…and a 10 meters tall samurai-like creature emerged in her place, unsheathing an oversized katana and shooting forward with savage glee, to everyone's utter shock.

"What the…?! How did she do…THAT?!" demanded an open-mouthed Lisbeth from where she still laid on a mountain of gold, even as the transformed Philia led the charge against the snarling Giant King, fists strong enough to shatter steel crashing against a blade able to cut through it as easily, all the while Sachi shot her spear's aura at every opening she could find and Sinon switched again to long-ranged attacks.

"It's an Illusion Spell exclusive of the Spriggans, 'Metamorphosis'!" informed an awed Yui from her place floating over where Asuna, Leafa and Strea were frozen, her eyes unable to leave Philia's save form.

"Wait, I thought that spell usually turned you into a weak monster with no change in stats?!" shouted Argo while still punching her claws into the ice, which was visibly cracking now.

"Well, that's mostly the case, but it randomly depends on the player's combat skills, and as Philia-mama is a SAO Survivor and is using her old avatar…"

"That sounds like a good explanation to me!" declared Silica while landing at her fellow Caith Sith's side, dagger in hand as she started to pound into the ice prison too. "Pina, Fire Breathe! We shall free our friends!"

"Kyuuu!" nodded the Feathery Dragon while unleashing flames from his tiny mouth, the torrent actually melting and cracking a good chunk on the ice while the brutal fight kept roaring on the background.

"Dammit…I hate being unable to help like this…" growled Lisbeth while staring helplessly at the Status Debuff that using God Hand's Ultimate Skill caused, knowing that she couldn't even afford to try and help without becoming a burden in her current state. "What the hell can I do…?"

"Please, young Leprechaun, if you really wish to aid your friends then you must help me find my treasure!" spoke Freyja to the surprised blacksmith, who had just noticed how the beautiful woman was sorting through the riches and no longer helping with the fight. "If I can find my hammer, then Thrym's defeat will be assured!"

"A hammer? Among all these things?" commented the pink-haired girl in disbelief while staring around at the masses of gold and all kind of expensive-looking treasures. "Fuck, it would be easier to get Kirito to accept a date with me than finding a hammer among all this…"

Her words suddenly died on her throat, however, when she felt a tug on her metallic arm and she saw how her God Hand had been encased again in the same electric-like aura that her Zeus Blessing gave.

"That power…?" muttered Freyja in shock while looking at Lisbeth. "You're a Blessed of the Thunder?"

"I'm a what? This is the first time it does something like…!" as she said this, the Leprechaun just so happened to be waving her arm around, which suddenly make a booming sound as a hammer flew all the way from the other way of the room towards it, her hand closing itself around it as a glorious aura of pure lighting engulfed both the limb and the weapon. "…this…holy fucking hell."

"Mjolnir…" whispered the woman while walking at Lisbeth's side, the stunned blacksmith not even resisting when the lighting-covered hammer was taken out of her hands. "At last…back where you…BELONG!"

Screaming the last part aloud, all the eyes on the room (Even those of the just liberated trio, who had fell to their knees while shivering from the cold) shot towards Freyja as her body warped and changed under the power of lighting, the golden hammer growing with 'her' as muscles bulged and clothes tore.

Before the fairies astonished eyes, a giant of a man, as tall as Thrym was, with all-white eyes and golden-brown bear and hair stood now, turning around as his cape of similar color flapped behind him, arms and legs seeming as sturdy and thick as trees. A quick look to the corner of their HUDs allowed the girls to see how the name 'Freyja' had changed to reveal the true identity of their ally.

Thor. The Norse God of Thunder.

"…that was something I didn't want to see as the first thing out of that icy prison." informed Strea with a deadpan expression.

"…ah! I remember it now! In the Norse myths, Thor, the Thunder God, infiltrated the castle of the Giants to recover his stolen hammer while being disguised as Freyja! THAT's why it all sounded so familiar to me!" revealed Leafa with dawning comprehension.

"So…he's on our side, right?" asked Asuna as the grinning God walked past them, Argo and Silica staring in awe while Philia commented something about the surprising revelation, the ones engaging the Giant King backing away from the furious Frost Giant and letting way to the Aesir to confront him.

"Thor, you dammed bastard! You tricked me!" snarled Thrym while tightening his frost-covered fists,

"Those words rung hollow coming from you, dammed giant." replied Thor while raising his lighting-crackling hammer. "You dared to steal Mjolnir from me, then try to cause Ragnarok just for your delusions of power…but thanks to the bravery of these fairies, you shall now know the true might of the Aesir! FOR ASGARD!"

With that same cry, the God of Thunder unleashed his hammer straight against the Giant King's chest, causing an explosion of pure power that the Heroines seemed to take in stride, Philia and Sachi charging against and slashing/piercing over Thrym's body as the giant tried to stand again…only to eat an explosive arrow on his neck, screaming in pain as his head fell again.

"Yeah, I think he's on our side!" declared Sinon while the transformed Spriggan shone and a panting Philia was left on the ground, the Ronin shaking her head while Thor charged past them and got the tired Sachi out of the way in time to stop the Giant King from crushing her, then once again slamming Mjolnir on his face, electricity exploding everywhere as Thrym crashed against his own throne. "Can anyone still freaking stand?! I'm almost out of breath and…!"

"I can!" informed Leafa before running forward towards the clashing titans, gracefully twisting out of the way of a clash between ice and lighting to unleash a fierce slash on the Giant King's leg, who screamed damnation as Thor's hammer once again hit him. "It's over, Thrym!"

"NO! I refuse to accept this! I won't be denied now that I'm so close!" roared the Frost Giant while tearing a chunk of his throne and throwing it at Thor…only for Sinon's katana to blur out of existence and cut it into a million pieces, the sniper grinning widely as the God of Thunder gathered more lighting on his hammer. "…that was SO fucking bullshit…"

"Yeah, so people tells me…" tiredly replied the Caith Sith while falling down, just in time to have a first row seat of Mjolnir flying through the air like a bullet and crashing into Thrym with all the wrath of the Lighting, shattering the screaming giant into polygons…and a pair of arms caught her before she could crash against the ground, startling her. "Uh, Kiri…?! EH?!"

"Kuh…Onii-chan makes this seem easier…" complained Leafa from her place under Sinon, having fallen down after trying to catch her. "You okay, Sinon-san?"

"Tha-thanks, Leafa-sama!" quickly bowed the sniper while helping her heroine to her feet, stars shining on her eyes. "Once again, you have saved my life!"

"Ehm…I think that you're exaggerating the first event, and you weren't really in real danger right now…"

"Sinonon, Leafa-chan! That was awesome!" came Asuna's cheerful voice while both fairies turned around, seeing their battered and tired friends coming forward to join them. "We…we did it! We beat that bastard!"

"Well, more or less…we wouldn't have done so without the big guy here." remembered Lisbeth while looking up at Thor, who was staring at them with a soft grin. "Thanks for the help saving our world, God of Thunder."

"No, fairies, thanks to you. If it wasn't for you all, I wouldn't have been able to recover Mjolnir. Remember well this day, for you have made a powerful friend." informed the Aesir before putting a hand over the head of his hammer, lighting solidifying over it before a small form fell down on the blacksmith's shocked hands, who looked down to see a normal-sized version of the divine hammer. "There. That copy of my beloved hammer shall serve you well, Blessed of the Thunder. Until our paths cross again, young fairies!" roared Thor before raising his hammer to the frozen ceiling. "To Asgard!"

A boom of lighting encompassing his words, the Aesir vanished, leaving the blinking group behind as a screen of 'Sidequest Completed' appeared before them.

"Well, that guy really has a linking for the dramatic…wonder if we will ever see him again." wondered Argo while everyone nodded at her first declaration.

"Who knows…the virtual world is filed with surprises." cryptically commented Strea before turning curiously towards Lisbeth. "So, how does it feel to have a Legendary-Level weapon, Liz-chan?"

"And what was all that 'Blessed of the Thunder' bit?" asked Silica while Pina yawned on her head.

"No idea…" muttered the Leprechaun while looking at the golden hammer, electricity running for a moment down her metallic limb and into it. "But for some reason, I have this sudden need of wearing a cape and make myself a fancy helmet with wings at the sides…"

"…wait, did you just make an American comic book referen…?"

Whatever Sachi may have wanted to ask was interrupted when the entire icy fortress shook, startling the group and making they exchange alarmed looks.

"What was that?!" demanded a confused Asuna while the trembling stopped. "I thought we stopped this thing by killing that bastard?!"

"No! How could we forget?! We still haven't released the sword from Yggdrasil's roots!" remembered Yui to everyone as their eyes widened, a quick look to the medallion letting them see with both worry and relief how a bit less than a quarter of it was still emerald. "Quick, a door must have opened behind Thrym's throne!"

Not doubting the young-looking AI for a second, the Heroines quickly ran forward, finding the door and descending the stairs behind it three at a time, not wanting to waste even an instant.

It was with ragged breaths and virtual fatigue filling them that the girls arrived to Thrymheim's last chamber, stopping for a moment to catch their breath and to STARE in awe at the glorious visage in front of them.

There, resting on its pedestal, as majestic as when Leafa, Yui, Strea and Kirito had seen it long ago, Excaliber stood, the tip of the Holy Sword still impaling into the frozen roots of the World Tree, like Urd had told them.

Quickly walking forward, the females of the United Heroes Association surrounded the blade's pedestal, staring at it in awe for another instant before nodding seriously at each other.

"Okay, who pulls it out?" asked Argo while looking at everyone, the group blinking before simply shrugging.

"Why don't we all do it?" asked Leafa while putting a hand over it, Asuna smiling at her word and doing the same, quickly followed by Strea even as all of them did the same, Silica and Philia going so far as to grab it by the blade when no more hands could keep gripping over the hilt and guard. "Everyone ready? 3, 2…!"

With a mighty yank, the girls' combined strength shattered the ice…and released the sword.

For a moment, Excaliber was raised in several awed hands before everyone squeaked as the entire fortress started to shake and crack around them, the stairs from which they had come collapsing as the roots of the World Tree started to grow at an impossible rate and expand everywhere.

"What's happening now?!" screamed Asuna while she and Leafa, the only ones who were still gripping the legendary blade after falling down, looked around in shock.

"O-oh, this is it! The roots of Yggdrasil are growing again, destroying Thrymheim and lowering towards Jotunheimr once again! We did it, we saved Alfheim!" happily cheered Yui as massive chunks of ice started to fall into the Great Void around them.

"Uhm, yes, that's great and all, Yui-chan, but…you DO know that we're still here, right?" pointed out Sinon with a nervous smile, making the pixie blink at the same time that the chamber in which they stood broke apart from the collapsing pyramid, falling towards the void with them inside. "…damn."

"Aaaaaaah!" screamed Silica while tightly hugging Pina, who shrieked too, though for different reasons. "We will fall to the depths of Niflheim towards an icy death!"

"I seriously doubt that place exists in ALO, but she's kind of right…" gulped Lisbeth as she looked down at the massive darkness awaiting them. "Shit, how do we get out of here without dying and failing the Quest or…?"

A familiar animal cry seemed to answer their plea, even as Pina cheered when they saw a flying elephant-jellyfish shooting towards them.

"It's Tonky-san! He came to save us!" cheered Sachi while waving with her spear towards the flying beast.

"Got to accept it, the guy is really smart and knows when he's needed." grinned Philia while the elephant-jellyfish stopped at the side of the falling chamber.

"Tonky, you're the best!" proclaimed Leafa while she and Asuna stood, even as everyone started to jump towards the beast's back, before the Sylph frowned and looked towards the Holy Sword. "Uhm…this thing is really heavy, uh?"

"Yeah, I noticed. No lone player would be able to make that jump holding it." commented Asuna before both of them exchanged a look, the Undine smiling at the blonde swordswoman before they both ran for it and jumped while screaming, barely landing onto Tonky's back as the chamber broke apart, Excaliber still tightly gripped on their hands. "Yahooo! Mission accomplished, team!"

"You know, I think I should start recording all out crazy adventures in a book…" idly muttered Argo while everyone cheered as they stared at the collapsing ice and the descending massive roots, a soft smile tugging on the Caith Sith's lips. "I would probably make a fortune selling it like extreme fantasy…"

"If you do, remember to put Kirito as the main character!" laughed Strea while the group stifled some laughs, Tonky making a trumpeting sound that may have been agreement, the feeling of happiness and accomplishment they were feeling making them all…

" **Good job. I will be taking that sword with me, if you don't mind."**

The girls FROZE, as if the strange and alien voice had suddenly cast an unnatural spell over them. Yui and Strea started to shake, the feeling they had felt when watching Death Gun fighting in the Bullet of Bullets returning ten times stronger, even as the group turned around towards the source of the voice, Tonky making alarmed noises at it.

Floating silently in the air, a humanoid figure stood, no taller than the tallest of the girls, yet somehow emitting an aura so WRONG that dwarfed anything Thrym could have made them feel. It was clad in a beautiful and richly decorated silver armor, which reminded Argo a bit of the series she had mentioned earlier that day, Saint Seiya, just much more bulkier and smooth tan the armor's shown in that old manga. From its back, ethereal wings in mandala-like patterns sprout forth, the only things identifying them as such being that they were apparently what suspended the being on the air in a wave of rainbow colors. What was the most _sinister_ thing about it, however, was the head-covering 'helmet' it wore.

On the right side, a widely smiling face seemed to have been carved out of the headgear's very metal, an eternal gesture that didn't really inspire any real happiness. On the left one, a crying one had been made, no real sadness seeming to come from it either.

But over its face, only a blank mask that didn't had any features stared emptily at the Heroines, heterochromatic emerald and amber eyes seeming to bore into their very souls.

Despite the many changes, however, and despite the fact that it now had real eyes instead of empty wells of color, Asuna felt her blood freeze as she effortlessly recognized the 'creature' in front of them.

"You…" whispered the Undine while unconsciously taking a step back.

The Entity, for its part, only tilted its head to the side.

" **The sword, please."** repeated the inhuman being with that distorted and emotionless voice, before simply raising an armored hand towards the group.

Asuna's already feeble grip didn't offer any real resistance, and Leafa was too busy staring in shock to prevent the legendary blade to fly out of her hands, into the waiting ones of the armored being. Ignoring them, the Entity started to look silently over the golden sword, a hint of _something_ shining on its dual-colored eyes.

"Wha-what is that thing?! So-some kind of Secret Boss?" asked Argo once she got out of her shock, though a part of her just KNEW that wasn't the case.

"That…thing…" whispered Strea while shaking uncontrollably, so much that a shocked Sachi had to hold her when she almost fell down. "It's…wrong…"

"Strea-san?! What's wrong?! Answer!" shouted the scared Salamander while everyone else turned to look in surprise.

"Something that…shouldn't exist…" muttered Yui with fear, returning to her human form in a flash of light, her black dress flapping in a strange way under the roaring winds that Jotunheimr's transformation had unleashed. "Darkness…silence…break it…"

"Yui-chan?! What's happening with them?!" demanded Silica while trying to calm down the suddenly gibbering little girl, everyone else not quite knowing what to do.

The only one still staring at the Entity was Asuna, feeling her hands unusually cold as she tried to suppress the sinister feeling threatening to overpower her.

The inhuman being, meanwhile, reared its head back in shock after discovering something beyond its expectations. There was…'something' inside the sword, deep within its code. It was something incomplete, yes, and whatever it was seemed strangely unstable…but it still felt slightly similar to HIM.

With a nod to itself, the Entity turned around, Excaliber still tightly on its grip. The armored being would take the weapon back with itself and analyze it more deeply when…

The sudden rush of fast spell-words in Alfheim's tongue surprised the Entity in time for an arrow with a flowing 'line' of light attached to latch into the sword's blade, making the inhuman being look back.

Standing there with a serious expression, Sinon was gripping the other end of the arrow's line, Leafa and Asuna staring at her in surprised shock while the others watched from her to the still-out-of-it virtual sisters.

"That's not yours, bastard!" shouted the sniper before pulling with all her might, intent on recovering the legendary blade.

The Entity just smiled patronizingly under its helmet, the otherworldly wings on the armored creature's back flaring with power as it flew away 80 meters in less than an instant.

Shock hadn't finished filling the girls' faces even as the wide-eyed Caith Sith fell. The moment the limit between her and the magical line was reached, it snapped under her weight, the spell not meant to hold something as heavy as another player.

The Heroines screamed as their friend sank into the abyss, Strea and Yui even snapping out of their earlier shock at this.

"SINON-CHAN!"

"Sinonon!" shouted Asuna before turning around with an enraged expression, all fear forgotten while Tonky started to 'dive' to try and catch their friend…before the Undine JUMPED upwards with more strength than ever, swords ready as she soared through the air towards the surprised Entity. "YOU BASTARD!"

With something akin to amusement, the inhuman being glided back slightly, just out of reach of the screaming fairy even as her friends screamed her name on the background.

Then the World _shifted_. And so did Asuna's body, arms turning from soft pale Undine flesh into powerful metal and circuits, something opening on the screaming girl's shoulders and catapulting her the remaining distance towards the wide-eyed Entity with a flare of power.

Fafnir's Fang and Elucidator slammed against the inhuman being's arms in a Double Circular Skill, failing to breach the armor but still with enough force to rip Excaliber out of its grip. The golden blade soared through the air even as Asuna put both her swords back on her back and caught it in mid-air, hugging the Holy Sword to her body as she glared towards the armored creature.

Feeling a mix of utter shock and rage, together with a small hint of surprise at seeing the girl having activated her 'gift' again (When the being knew it should have been impossible), the Entity. Outraged, the armored creature raised its hand again to try and reach for the golden blade again…and ate an explosive arrow to the back, the blast sending it spiraling out of control.

Down below and still falling, Sinon grinned as she lowered the bow in her hands, having just executed an impossible shot from more than 300 meters. Whatever Death Penalty she was going to get for falling into that giant hole, she thought as she saw Tonky catching Asuna, was more than worth having blasted that armored bastard out of the air.

Unseen by her or anyone, Cardinal recognized the nigh-impossible feat just realized, and rewarded it accordingly, releasing one of the remaining 'Unique'. Two remained.

Closing her eyes, the blue-haired sniper softly whistled a happy tune…and shot them open when she felt a familiar sensation taking hold of her, strong arms taking her in a bridal carry as she no longer fell, but now soared upwards through the air at familiar but impossible speeds.

Smiling down at her, Kirito chuckled at her surprised expression, making Sinon grin softly at the Spriggan.

"You really do enjoy carrying me in your arms that much?" asked the Caith Sith with a challenging look.

"Nah, it's just that it happens too often." waved it off the caped boy as they reached almost the top of the icy cavern…all the ice quickly melting as the massive roots of Yggdrasil finally reached down into the Great Void and started filling it with water. "And sorry for the delay, but one of those idiots managed to force one of the smaller of Tonky's siblings into the abyss, so I had to jump down and throw him out, then I fell into some very weird place filled with ice and giants, and…"

The sniper quickly silenced him by kissing his forehead, making the boy's eyes go wide and almost let go of her. Sinon, for her part, just laughed with all her might, even if there was a faint blush adorning her cheeks.

"AHAHAHA! You should see the look on your face!"

"Hah…hah…very funny, Sinon…" nervously chuckled the gamer as they started to fall…straight on Tonky's back, where the others quickly ran around them as he let go of the Caith Sith, the girls swarming her to ask if she was okay while he sighed. "I take it everything went right?"

"More or less, Onii-chan. We beat Thrym and recovered the blade, but…" glancing at Asuna, who was still holding Excaliber, Leafa blinked in shock. "Wait, Asuna-san, didn't you just go all cyborg a moment ago?!"

"I…don't know." muttered the Undine while staring at her once again normal arms, under the surprised/confused stares of the rest. "But that thing…"

"What thing?" asked Kirito while a frown appeared on his face.

"THAT." pointed Strea in a shaky voice, everyone's head shooting up to see how the Entity hovered a hundred meters from them, staring silently at the group.

No…it wasn't staring at them, but only at a single person.

The Spriggan's frown deepened as he stared back at the armored being, wondering why he felt an uncanny and sinister _familiarity_ at seeing it.

" **Not yet…"** whispered the Entity while raising its hands, virtual reality crackling around it, to everyone's surprise. **"But soon…One Punch-Gamer."**

Then, it vanished in a burst of polygons, leaving the stunned Heroes behind.

"Oooookay, that happened." commented Argo once everyone had overcome their shock. "Anyone has any idea what that thing was or why it wanted to take our shiny sword?"

"No…I don't know. I didn't detect any pattern related to the Quest from it, but…" biting her lips, Yui looked down at her hands, even as a worried Kirito put a hand on her shoulder.

"It felt…familiar, somehow." muttered Strea while everyone exchanged worried looks. "A-at least is gone now…"

"Yes, I think we can be happy about that…" declared Asuna while walking near Tonky's head…and her eyes widening at looking around, letting go of the legendary sword, which fell on the elephant-jellyfish's back, as she gasped. "Everyone…look!"

Watching in shock, the members of the United Heroes Association saw how, everywhere, the ice melted and went away, green grass replacing it as trees sprouted to form small forests, the Great Void once again becoming the beautiful lake known as Urd's Spring. The ethereal light that had always covered Jotunheimr seemed to change with the land, becoming a beautiful shade that reminded of the sun at midday.

"Beautiful…" whispered Silica while Pina cooed in agreement.

"That's what I call a pretty hardcore change." muttered Argo while looking around, a happy grin forming on her face. "Heh, wonder how many Quests will be changed and created from all of this?"

"Hey, down there!" pointed out Sachi with surprise, the group following the tip of her spear to see how many of the elephant-jellyfish beasts started to gather around the lake, making trumpeting sound of happiness towards them as they passed, Tonky answering in kind. "I think they're thanking you, Kirito-sama!"

"No, they're thanking all of us." determinedly said the gamer while crossing his arms, a satisfied look on his face as he watched over the changed land. "This wouldn't have been possible without all of your effort, after all."

"Why do you always talk as if what you did was nothing important?" teased Philia while elbowing her fellow Spriggan, making the group chuckle as he looked away in embarrassment.

"Not that you aren't right on that matter, of course." grinned Lisbeth while raising her copy of Mjolnir, seeing it shine under the sunlight (Whose origin was still a mystery, given that the place was still underground). "We all saved the world today."

"Do you think that counts as having stopped a God-Level Threat?" joked Leafa before everyone looked at her and burst out laughing at the reference.

"N-nah, I don't think so. The danger aside, that guy can't have been stronger than Dragon-Level or less…" commented Kirito with a smile.

"Nevertheless, we thank you for you work, noble fairies." came a familiar mystical voice from behind the group, who turned around in time to see Urd materializing in front of them, this time accompanied by two new figures very similar to her. "Thanks to you, Ragnarok has been prevented and our children saved. Me and my sisters would like to thank you for this."

"Our most sincere thanks, young ones." said the second taller of the Goddesses, a bit above two meters, very similar to Urd but with her hair a bit shorter and a face that could be described as 'elegance'. "I, Verdandi, will always be in debt with you."

"Like my sisters say, warriors of Alfheim, this is something we will be eternally thankful for." proudly declared the smaller of the women, who was still as tall as an average human adult and, unlike her sisters, wore Valkyrie-like armor. "If you ever need help with something, call for Skuld and help will come!"

"It was our pleasure!" smiled Leafa while raising her hand, everyone nodding in agreement. "We couldn't just let that bastard get away with what he tried to do!"

"You have your hearts in the right place, young fairies." smiled Urd before pointing towards the blade at their feet, which floated in front of the blinking Heroes while shining with golden power. "Excaliber…this blade is more than a powerful sword. It's a symbol, an icon. It can many things…but in this case, it's the proof that your determination and bonds allowed you to overcome adversity to recover it, not for yourselves but to save your land. And that's why it now belongs to you. Take care of the blade, noble fairies, and perhaps one day you will see its true shine. Until then…goodbye."

And giving the group a last smile, the 3 Goddesses flew away, vanishing into shards of light after a couple of seconds. The magic of the moment was slightly broken by an announcement of 'Quest Complete!' popping in front of the Heroes, but they were too busy smiling to care.

"Well, we got the Legendary Blade…" idly commented Leafa while grabbing Excaliber, the Sylph then frowning and looking around. "What do we do with it?"

"Eh?! You don't want it, Su…uhm, Leafa?!" Kirito's voice reflected the clear surprise everyone was feeling, even as the blonde fairy sheepishly looked down.

"Ehm, well, it's cool and all that, but I think I'm fine with Justice now…" cryptically explained the Sylph before quickly turning around putting the Holy Sword back on the Undine's arms. "Yo-you can use it if you want, Asuna-san!"

"Oh…thanks." muttered the Dual Wielder before looking down at the golden blade with a small frown. "Though…it's weird. It fees kind of wrong in my hands, as if it was meant for someone else to use it…"

"I guess that's a mystery for another day, then?" questioned Kirito with a half-smile. "How about we get out of here and celebrate this victory somewhere? My treat!"

"…you're going to regret saying that, Kii-bou." grinned Argo while everyone laughed again…except for a confused Sinon, who was staring at her menu with a raised eyebrow. "…hmm? It's something the matter, Sinon-nya?"

"Say…all the 'abilities' once can use with a bow are magical, right?" asked the Caith Sith with a serious expression, apparently ignoring the info-broker's 'nickname' for her, making everyone blink in surprise. "There are no Skills that can be used with a bow…yeah?"

"Uhm, yes? Why do you ask?" asked the confused caped boy, even as the sniper turned to look at them with a puzzled expression.

"Then why the hell do I suddenly have a Skill Tree called 'Archery' on my menu?"

Over Jotunheimr's changed land, the gathered Heroes received yet another shocking surprise…

* * *

A couple hours later, on the Dicey Café, Kirigaya Kazuto was staring at the screen of his laptop with a serious look, finishing entering some very specific codes before grinning in victory and pushing intro.

"Okay, that's done! How do you see it, Yui, Strea?"

"Yay, this is so cool!" jumped up and down the older-looking of the virtual girls, who, through the camera, could be seen standing at the opposite side of the table where the black-haired boy was. "It's as if we were really here in Agil's back, minus, you know, you all!"

"It's awesome, Papa." smiled Yui in her pixie form, floating over her sister's head and looking around in wonder. "It feels as if we're almost at your side in the real world…"

"Man, that's fucking incredible!" muttered Rika from over the gamer's shoulder, Saori and Keiko also at his sides and staring at the screen in awe. "How did you manage to bring them here?"

"Well, it's not exactly that…" sheepishly explained Kazuto before pointing to a couple of cameras set on the upper corners of the bar, each on opposite side. "Argo asked Agil-san for permission to install those closed cameras in here. What this program here does is converting all the images they take into a working 3D reproduction of the room, then uses some of the tools of the Seed program to turn it into an interactive VR space. That's how both Yui and Strea can 'be here', though at the same time not. It's just a prototype, though, I'm planning on making something a bit more advanced for them in the future…"

"Woah, that's amazing, Kirito-san!" gushed Keiko with a smile, the kunoichi happily looking at how their two virtual friends kept going around the bar with awed looks. "That you made something like this…"

"I had some help doing it, you know?" commented the boy while scratching the back of his head. "Besides, learning mechatronics in school wouldn't be as entertaining if I didn't had a purpose like this…and even Sachi helped a bit with the coding!"

"Eeep!" squeaked the aforementioned girl when the other two looked at her, Saori blushing as she looked away and fiddle her fingers. "I-I'm only looked over some small things and helped correct minor mistakes, Ki-Kirito-sama still did most of the job…"

"Aww, look at you trying to act all shy when you don't have a spear on your hand!" grinned Rika before putting an arm around the other girl's head, making her squeak helplessly again as she was pulled into a half-hug. "Be proud of yourself, Sachi!"

"Heheh, this day sure has given us lots of surprises, uh?" cheerfully spoke Strea while resting her elbows on the table, totally not to give a suggestive view of her cleavage through the camera, making Kazuto blush and Keiko to lower her head while muttering about the unfairness of the world. "We save the world, get a legendary sword, Sinon-chan gets a Unique Skill…"

"Yeah…I have to say that the last bit really surprised me." muttered the gamer while looking to the side, seeing Shino sitting on another table and talking with both Shiori and Suguha, each one with a glass of ice-cold tea on her hands. "To think that Cardinal was still holding onto them…"

"In hindsight, we should have suspected it when everyone's Unique Skills remained after the System was added to ALO." commented Yui while sitting on her sister's shoulder with a pensive look. "What it truly surprises me is that it ended up going to another member of our 'family'!"

"Maybe Kirito is a magnet for those things?" joked the blacksmith of the group while the other two chuckled nervously at that, each one probably reminding the first time they met the boy.

"Very funny, Liz." snorted the gamer before looking to the ceiling with a small frown. "Though if what we know of them is truth, then that means that two of them are still being held by Cardinal, or already in someone else's hands…"

"Yes, that's a big possibility. One is an unknown we don't know about…" started Strea, she and Yui seeming visibly upset by not knowing the nature of the last Unique Skill, not having bothered with that info before their 'escape' back in SAO. "And the other one…"

"HIS Unique Skill." darkly whispered Kazuto even as the other girls scowled at the memory. "The one meant to the 'Strongest Player'…"

"You think anyone has it already?" worriedly asked Saori.

"If that's the case, then I hope that whoever has Holy Sword isn't a jerk or a madman in disguise this time." bitterly declared Rika while shaking her head.

"No-now, let's not worry about such things, okay?" quickly said Keiko while waving her hands. "Positive thoughts are for the best!"

Even as the other two girls agreed with that and the virtual sisters simply nodded, the gamer couldn't help but think back at the memory of a paladin clad in crimson armor, idly wondering where the virtual ghost of the annoying bastard would be.

Funnily enough, they had obtained the most powerful Holy Sword that day, and now they knew that a new owner of the Unique Skill Holy Sword may be out there. Idly, Kazuto wondered if they were destined to meet such a person…

…on second thought, better if he quickly squashed those thoughts, and fast. As the events of that day had proved, his life still insisted in becoming into an action/fantasy plot at every available opportunity, and thinking about meeting a strong new character was sure to trigger another bout of madness.

Was it a sane way of thinking? Probably not. Did Kirito think with all seriousness that it was possible? Hell yes.

"Hey, did it all work out okay?" came Shino's sudden voice among the now silent group, the bespectacled girl peeking into the screen and waving towards Yui and Strea, who waved back. "We just finished what we were talking about…"

"Yes, I think I will be spending quite some time with Sinon-nya here when school doesn't get in the way." informed Shiori while sitting and taking another sip of her tea. "You know, to help her get used to that Unique Skill of hers and all that…"

No one quite noticed the minuscule widening of Strea's smile. No one except the info-broker, that is, who suppressed a shudder.

"Yeah, as she said. This thing is new to me, but it's just another obstacle I need to overcome to be a worthy Heroine!" declared the bespectacled girl while everyone sweatdroped, the black-haired boy kind of suspecting that such declaration was what had made Sugu go and talk with Asuna, who was asking Andrew about something, instead of coming with them. "…by the way, I was thinking…anyone else thinks there is something 'weird' with the name of that sword?"

"Uh? Weird?" blinked Kazuto while everyone looked at Shino with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't usually the name of the super powerful sword in an RPG written as 'Excalibur', like the blade of King Arthur?" at everyone's hesitant nods, the sniper frowned in deep thought. "Then why is this one written as 'Excaliber' instead?"

"You know…I hadn't thought of that." commented Shiori while scratching her chin. "Hmm…maybe I should gather some info about that…"

"…do you have any idea, Sinon-san?" curiously asked Keiko at seeing the glint on the girl's eyes.

"Well, it's only a theory, but…'Caliber' is the English word used for the measures of a bullet." informed them Shino while adjusting her glasses. "But it can also mean 'the caliber of a person'. The value of someone or the like…"

"You mean that 'Excaliber' would kind of mean 'A person of great value'?" wondered the gamer while looking thoughtfully to the girl, the others apparently processing that. "Or maybe just 'something really valuable'?"

"If what Urd-san said it's true, then, in this case, wouldn't it mean that our bonds that allowed us to save Alfheim, represented into the sword, are very valuable?" theorized Saori before blushing at the sudden looks she got from everyone. "So-sorry! I know it sounds silly, I don't know what I was…!"

"No, Sachi-mama, you're totally right!" cheered Yui from her sitting place while raising her hands to the air, everyone chuckling softly while the spear-user looked relieved and surprised. "That sword is a symbol of how special we're for each other!"

"Yay, that's the spirit, Yui-nee!" added Strea with a beaming smile. "And it's just another reminder of how much we love each other!"

Once again, no one but Shiori quite fully grasped the intentional double-entendre of the Gnome's words, though Kazuto blinked a moment before a small blush appeared on his face for some reason.

"…by the way, someone remind me I need to get back to Jotunheimr later to punch Tonky a way out of there." when everyone chuckled at his words, the gamer could only look around in confusion. "Why are you all laughing? I'm being serious here; I promised him I would do it!"

And as that conversation developed (In very disbelieving and strange ways), a certain vigilante sat at the side of her friend while looking at her with slight worry, seeing the deep-thinking look on the chestnut-haired girl with a hint of worry.

"Asuna-chan?" called Suguha to the other girl her beloved Kazuto loved; worry filling her at the Dual Wielder's vacant expression. "Are you okay? You have been quiet for a while now…"

"Oh…sorry, Suguha-chan, I didn't mean to worry you." apologized Asuna with a soft smile before looking at her own glass of tea with a small frown. "It's just that…I'm worried because of that…Entity of before."

"Entity? You mean the armored…thing?" confused, the young kendoka wondered why she couldn't quite call the being a person unconsciously. "But…it went away. You don't have to worry about it anymore, Asuna-san!"

For a moment, the chestnut-haired girl stared at her friend with slight surprise. Then, a soft but still worried smile appeared on her face.

"I really hope you're right, Suguha-chan…I really do."

Wondering what strange things the future may bring, Yuuki Asuna stood up and followed her best friend back to her second family…

* * *

Beautiful. That word wasn't enough to make justice to that unearthly land.

Gorgeous wasn't enough either, for the impressive extension of plains and forests, filled with impossible trees and animals, even a couple of small mountains, was something that only the deepest and purest imagination of man could ever conceive, the lakes of crystal blue water and the massive sea of similar colors being yet another proof that this wasn't a place that mankind had ever touched. It seemed more like an unreal paradise than anything else.

Especially when one saw the massive floating island that hovered above it, at almost 800 meters from the ground, beautiful gardens and forests surrounding the white-marble castle on its center, two waterfalls falling eternally from it yet never depleting the two rivers it had on each side.

This land had been named Utopia. And the island was called Avalon. In all senses, this place was a paradise.

It was also Fake. Nothing more than 0s and 1s put together in extremely complicated ways, polygons and colors combined to create something that didn't exist, that wasn't real and that would never be. An empty existence without any real meaning. Like its very own.

Sighing in a very human way, the Entity descended into the castle's 'throne room', sitting on the massive and absurdly decorated throne it had made for itself, more of a way to kill 'boredom' (Another human concept that greatly annoyed it) than for anything else. Idly, the inhuman being raised an armored hand, letting an impossible bird of rainbow feathers and four wings to fly into it.

The Entity crushed it without a second thought, ignored its pained cry as it shattered into polygons. There was no need to feel anything for the action. The armored being hadn't killed something alive, after all, just deleted a program made up from data and given a pattern to pretend to be a bird.

…so why did it feel _something_ when doing it? Was there a meaning to it? Had it perhaps turned too human?

That train of thoughts took the Entity's mind to Asuna. That the girl had somehow activated the 'gift' she put into her avatar that one time, when it should have been erased after it completed its conversion into an ALO account…what did it mean?

Raising its hands, the inhuman being let a couple of screens appear. The few data it had been able to obtain from the sword 'Excaliber' was there. Perhaps some kind of answer could be found in there, though the Entity seriously doubted it, and lamented once again not having been able to obtain the blade itself. Still, it hadn't had any other option.

Even with the power it now possessed, it was not match for HIM…yet.

The one called Kirito. The greatest puzzle on the armored being's mind. Looking around at the world it had created, the Entity wondered about the irony of it all. Even with their best programmers at work, it would take humans months to make something even remotely as 'beautiful' as this world was. In one of the many religion of the world, there was also said that God had been able to create the world and everything on it in 7 days.

The Entity had created all of this in little more than an hour. It didn't give it any sense of accomplishment, though. Just…more questions.

A shattering sound interrupted the inhuman being's thoughts, making it look up, towards the 'capsules' that hung from the impressive room's ceiling. Of the 6 capsules, two of them had just shattered, what had been inside them silently floating down towards the Entity.

There were two 'spheres', made of a strange silver-white metal, which seemed almost liquid in nature, reflecting the light in an unnatural and ethereal way. Slowly, almost shyly, both of them got closer to the silent armored being, who regarded them with uncanny fascination.

"So…you're awake. Welcome back to 'Life', 007, 008."

Suddenly, without warning, the silver armor covering the Entity started to float away, the pieces disconnecting from each other and leaving behind a body only covering in a long, featureless dress. The helmet split in two, each part floating away and letting the being look with its heterochromatic eyes towards the smiling and crying faces on its sides before it floated away too.

Long white hair spilled over the Entity's back, free from its metallic prison, even as the creamy skin of the inhuman being made it seem extremely fragile for an instant, even as it reached towards the spheres, which 'cooed' as it 'caressed' their surfaces.

"Hmm…you both will be needing names, right? Yes…you will. After all, a name is what defines what you are…"

The 'spheres' _shifted,_ suddenly becoming two identical, barely humanoid figures, which vaguely resembled the shape of children.

The Entity smiled, looking upwards towards the 3 remaining capsules, where the other 4 still 'slept' (Two sharing one thanks to the extensive and irreparable damage one of them had suffered), their purpose being redefined, their existences being upgraded and changed…

"Soon, my children." whispered the inhuman being, still caressing the 'heads' of its first 'daughters'. "Soon…"

On its throne above Everything, Fate closed its eyes.

The End was each moment closer…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Have a good day, people of Midgard. I'm Urd, and this week I'm the one who will be informing you about the events that will take place in the future. It's a pleasure. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Absolute Holy Sword?!' The seasons change. The cold winter comes. And in the middle of it all, a warrior unlike any other rises, the swiftest and most skilled that legends have ever seen…yet at the same time, more fragile than a flower made of glass. For what it is, in the end, the meaning behind a life…? Hmm…seems that the noble fairies will face quite the surprising challenge. But I have faith in them…they will overcome this-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Done! Fuck, man, this has to be the longest chapter I have written…EVER. It's 22K+ long, even without counting the notes at the beginning and here XP

Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, my friends. I liked doing it, despite the massive length, because it let me give everyone more screen time and prepare several plot points for future arcs and development for the group :D (Fans and Keita and the others, worry not, they will get their turn to shine later XD). It also means that we're FINALLY going to start the arc that I have both dreaded and looked forward to since I began seriously writing this: Mother's Rosario (Sounds of doom on the background). Let's just say it will be…interesting O,O

Some details about the chapter that people may or may not care about! So, if anyone was wondering why Sinon wasn't using Charon (Her hippogriff familiar), that's because, as far as canon seems to show, any 'pet' that can actually let you fly can't be used in Jotunheimr (Because we know these exists thanks to Alicia Rue and her platoon of dragon-riding Caith Siths, yet there is no one ever flying in one inside Jotunheimr in canon and that's why Thrymheim and Excaliber weren't discovered earlier). Also, the theory that it was a screw up from someone in the Ymir company is in fact canon, as it's shown in the alternative sidestory 'Caliber-SS', which shows what would have happened if Kirito and company hadn't let Klein rescue Freyja :O (A newbie GM accidentally turned on Cardinal's Quest Generator System and forgot to turn it off, hence the disaster that almost destroys their own game -.-).

And finally, the whole 'Excaliber' bit: You see, though the official translation of the sword's name has been confirmed to be 'Excalibur' in occidental characters, the 'weird bit' about the name comes from the fact that, in Japanese, the usual katakana in which 'Excalibur' is written in most games and other things (Fate/Stay Night, for example) is 'エクスカリバー', which is pronounced like that 'Ekusukaribā'. However, the name of the sword in SAO is written like this'エクスキャリバー', which is pronounced as 'Ekusukyaribā', uncanny using the similar characters meant for the English word 'Caliber' in Japanese (キャリバー, Kyaribā), hence why it was translated like that in the first fan-translations that came from the novels. Despite the confirmation, however, I have decided to keep using the 'Excaliber' bit because it gives more sense to Sinon's question and theory about the meaning behind the sword's name XP

If anyone is wondering, Sinon's 'Unique Skill' is indeed the same one from Hollow Fragment, though I shamefully accept that I will have to make up the names of most of its skills, because there is no way in the game of actually seeing a list of them and one can't quite order her to cast them either -x- (Can anyone guess what's going to happen with Kayaba's old Holy Sword :D?)

Also…man, Strea and Yui are scarier than they seem, eh XD? If anyone wonders about the 'ominous hints' about the things they're doing behind the scenes, let's just say that at this points their plans have plans within plans…and that their current resources would allow them to buy the ALO servers by themselves if needed (And that's one of the sanest of their 'emergency plans' :D). More development about this in the future -w-!

Well, that's it for now, folks. See you all next time, when one of the best and most innocents SAO characters ever is introduced…snif…fuck…I must not cry…why ;O;…

U-until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	26. Chapter 20: Absolute Holy Sword?

Well, here we are once again! Presenting to you all, another chapter of this crazy adventure, and finally starting the last canon arc that has been adapted into anime: Mother's Rosario. Be prepared…

Also, I would like to use a couple of lines to address the guest reviewer '49561zombies' and anyone who thought as depressing ideas as him: Please, don't. This story is meant to be fun, despite its 'serious' bits, so don't go all emo over one thing or another. Strea wasn't really 'faking' her speech, it's more like, she and Yui REALLY had those worries at some point…but then shrugged then off and decided to keep being happy without thinking about it, pure OPM-style. And while I don't want to get into a religious/scientific debate about what the 'soul' is, I would like to claim without any shame that I'm SURE both Strea and Yui have 'something' (Call it soul, call it spirit, call it heart or whatever you want), be it here or in canon/the games. They can laugh and cry, be sad and happy, hell, even fall in love in Strea's case. You can't 'program' that, it's something they 'developed' on their own. Also, for the purpose of being practical, I will reveal that, in canon SAO, it HAS been proved, at least in a 'scientific' sense inside their world, that virtual beings can have a 'soul', and all that comes with it (That the bastards doing this acknowledge is another matter, though). And now let's stop spoiling the last arc of canon SAO and get back into the story, okay? Sorry for rambling XP

Anyway, with that out of the way, let's introduce one of the more badass characters of the SAO =D! (Geno's battle theme is recommended to be played in the background at a certain, obvious point :3)

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Absolute Holy Sword?! Behold, the One called Zekken!**

 **October 5th, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. Somewhere in the city, 20:30…**

The night was cold, winter making itself present in the form of the chilly air that ran through the noticeably emptier city.

It was through one of its many and cold streets that a figure ran, looking over his shoulder several times while trying to regain his ragged breath, ignoring the scarce people shouting at him when he crashed or pushed them aside, shooting into an alley to try and get away from his currently unseen pursuer.

Almost as if it was a curse from the underworld, the man heard the faint sound of bicycle's wheels skidding on the distance.

This wasn't supposed to happen, or at least those were the frantic thoughts of the petty thief. It was supposed to be another simple night pickpocketing and maybe getting a purse or two, like always. He was NOT supposed to end up fleeing from the recently returned 'Urban Legend'.

While some people would have questioned the bravery of the man for fleeing from what supposedly was just a teenage girl in a bicycle, he didn't want to take any chances. He may not totally believe in the rumors of her being something inhuman or having strange powers, but the fact that the Bicycle Girl had SOMEHOW beaten the crap of two people with a CAR and a gun, coming out supposedly unharmed, was pretty much a fact. Like hell was he trying to face the vigilante with just his fists, appearances be dammed.

Lost in thought, the man felt a smile appear on his face when he saw the metallic fence at the end of the alley. Great! He knew this part of town like the back of his hand, and he could perfectly get over the fence and lose the damn vigilante through the maze-like area that came after it! His grip on his 'goods' of the day tightening, the man ran faster towards the fence, feeling hope filling him…

And then he thought he had started to go mad when he saw a figure clad in black with a white CAPE descending from nowhere, landing in the middle of the alley and blocking his way to the fence.

Perhaps, if the man had been in a more clear state of mind he may have thought that the boy in front of him had not really fallen from high in the sky (Like his terrified imagination had deduced), but just jumped down from the relatively high fire escape at the building's side. Alas, he was too busy staring at the blank and utterly bored eyes of the teen, who wore a black scarf around the lower part of face, which somehow made him feel scared shitless and extremely small.

Screaming like a lunatic, the thief raised one of his hands while gripping his stolen goods even tighter with the other, ready to shove the caped boy out of the way, not caring for what could happen.

The mysterious boy, for his part, moved around the man's clumsy 'attack' with such painful easiness that it almost seemed as if the petty thief was totally still, the man's eyes widening with a mix of horror and disbelief.

"Too slow." were the last things he heard before the caped boy rammed his fist on his stomach, with such a strength that it sent him back, sprawling into the ground.

The thief moaned something incomprehensive just before a shinai slammed against the side of his face, knocking him out.

Standing heroically on her faithful ride, the Bicycle Girl looked up through her reflective glasses and smiled widely at the caped boy (Even if he couldn't quite see it with her health mask on) and gave him a happy thumbs-up.

"Good job, Onii-chan! You were SO cool doing that!"

"Yeah, well, I think the guy was kind of freaked out by you already, so it wasn't really difficult…" awkwardly commented Kazuto while adjusting his scarf, not mentioning that having inhuman reflexes also helped quite a bit. "Also, I think I won't try doing a jump like that again in reality, my feet are killing me…"

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?!" asked a worried Suguha while getting off the bicycle and walking towards him, pointedly ignoring Justice's totally not-jealous rage at the action. "Maybe we should stop for tonight? It's pretty cold out here, after all…"

"I think that would be for the best…" muttered the gamer while looking down at his 'costume' with a mix of amusement and despair.

In truth, it wasn't really a 'costume' in the literal sense; it was just him wearing black sport clothes and white sport shoes, nothing more. And he was only wearing white mittens because it was cold outside, the color was a total coincidence. The scarf WAS for 'concealing' his identity, of course, he couldn't very well be out there watching over his sister as another 'vigilante' while showing his face out in the open, that was just asking for trouble. Besides, any criminal they chased would probably be busier staring at his cape than at his face.

The fact that he was completely okay with wearing a cape for this should explain a lot about his current way of seeing his life (And that he probably needed to see a psychologist soon). The fact that finding a cheap white cape online had been, in fact, pretty easy, was just another reminder that they were in Japan.

Sighing, the boy nodded towards his adoptive sister, who beamed at him (Again, unseen because of the costume) and led the way back to her bicycle, he getting on the back as she rode towards somewhere they could take off their costumes (Or just the cape in his case), pointedly ignoring how he could almost feel the vehicle wishing him an horrible death. Bicycles didn't talk. As repeatedly stated, he wasn't THAT crazy.

"Heheh, let's get back and drink get hot chocolate and biscuits, Onii-chan!" happily declared Suguha, cheerfully unaware of the dark feelings Justice was directing towards her boyfriend, even as a blush spread through her face. "And…if you're feeling too cold tonight, I could always…hug you until you fell asleep…"

"Oh, uhm…thanks for the offer, Sugu…" muttered the black-haired boy with a crimson face, his adoptive sister almost losing control of the bicycle when she realized she had said that ALOUD…also not noticing that it had been partially Justice's fault that they almost crashed, as if the vehicle had felt a horrified shock at her words. "…that would be…nice."

Even as a smile slowly spread on her blushing face, the young kendoka shyly nodded.

Suddenly, none of them felt the night as cold anymore…

* * *

 **October 6th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 22, 12:30…**

The moment he appeared on his room in the United Heroes Association's HQ (Aka the Log House in the woods), Kirito sat up and looked out of the window with a faint smile. The caped boy was happy because Asuna would be returning that night from the 'family meeting' in which she had been the last week, all the way in Kyoto, so he was looking forward to see his disciple, best friend…and girlfriend, again.

Honestly, the thought still felt a bit weird to him, especially after remembering with a blush how nice waking up hugging Sugu had been, and that he had nothing to feel guilty about because both of them had agreed to the outrageous shared relationship they were currently in. Not that he wasn't enjoying it, of course, and he always made a point of being sure to respect both girls and shown them how much he cared for them (As best as a romantically-newb gamer could).

In fact, the caped boy would be lying if he said that a part of him didn't wish things could stay like that between them forever. Yeah, it was crazy and realistically impossible, but then again, he still had the 'power' to punch the sky apart if he so wished in the virtual world. And he had become a pseudo-vigilante together with his sister. Absurdly impossible things seemed to have been becoming the usual in his life, so, would it really be too selfish of him to wish…?

"Papa? Are you there?" came a familiar voice through the door, making the gamer push his train of thought away and turn around, smiling as he opened the door.

"Yes, it's me, Yui." greeted Kirito while looking down at his pseudo-daughter, who smiled brightly at him before grabbing his hand.

"C'mon Papa, let's go down, Strea-nee is looking through some websites to see if we find any image of you punching those players in Jotunheimr the other day!"

"O-oh, tha-that's great to hear, Yui-chan…" sweatdropped the caped boy while letting himself be dragged, feeling slightly nervous.

Truth to be told, he didn't feel really embarrassed for having done that the other day. Hell, he even was pleasantly surprised when not only the GMs didn't try to ban him, but even sent him a formal message apologizing for the troubles caused (Which apparently had, in fact, been their fault) and thanked him for having saved Ymir from what would without a doubt had been a nightmare, both in the gaming and the economic sense.

He had been quick to reply that most of the credit should go to his friends, of course, since they were the ones who had actually completed the Quest and retrieved Excaliber, preventing the crisis that would have destroyed Alfheim, but he hadn't gotten an answer after that.

No, the reason he was REALLY worried about was that he feared Strea or Yui would find out anything related to the Bicycle Girl online, especially if it included any news about her new 'sidekick' (He still remembered with amusement how Sugu had seemed outraged by the fact that anyone would call him her sidekick when they were 'partners and fellow warriors of Justice', in her words).

They weren't quite planning on 'lying' to their friends, but they still had wanted to wait till Asuna returned before telling everyone what they had been doing (And swear them to keep the secret). If anyone discovered it before they said the truth tomorrow…well, he was sure they wouldn't really blame Sugu too much. But they would probably scold HIM, a lot. He just knew it, even if it didn't make sense from a logical point of view. His life was just crazy like that.

Shaking out of those thoughts as they arrived to the house's living room, however, Kirito was surprised to find a wide-eyed Strea running around the room while operating her menu, only for the Gnome to freeze upon seeing them and hurriedly run their way.

"Yui-nee, Kirito! It's an emergency, let's move, quick! We need to go to Floor 24!"

"Wait, what?!" shouted the caped boy even as the AI girl quickly grabbed his hand and started to drag him out of the door, a blinking Yui following behind as she changed to pixie form. "Strea, wait a minute, what's wrong?"

"The others…! Well, you see, remember how Argo-chan was trying to obtain all the info she could about OSSs to help with our 'project?'"

In response, Kirito nodded softly at her, a small thoughtful look on his face.

Original Sword Skill, or OSS for short, was another new feature Ymir had added to ALO with the latest update. Basically, it added a special option to a player's menu that allowed one to enter a 'recording' mode, with which you could create your very own and personal Sword Skills.

Of course, this wasn't easy by any stretch: The original Sword Skill System had been created by recording the movements of experts in the use of the weapons using specialized equipment, back before the SAO incident, and as such creating your own required a mastery of your chosen weapon that went way beyond the average player, not to mention a certain degree of ability and speed to make the system acknowledge the Skill, or the 'recording' would end in failure. Kirito had been sure any of the girls, even Sugu, could easily create one or two of these with their current abilities, at least some with a decent number of 'Hits' (For the more one wanted to add to their OSS, the more difficult it became and easier the chance of failure was).

Of course, he should have known that they wouldn't settle for something so 'simple'. While Leafa had already created an OSS on her own (Which she had called 'Justice Rider', to everyone's amusement), the rest of the females in the United Heroes Association had 'challenged themselves' with something that went a level beyond that.

Namely, they wanted to create Original Sword Skills for their Unique Skills.

The group had started to get pretty excited about it, especially after they started researching the matter seriously when Sinon got her 'Archery' Skill, but they had started to lost hope just before Asuna had to go to that family trip the last days. While the Unique Skills COULD activate the 'recording' process of the OSS system, it was clear that they hadn't been taken into account when it was created, and that, being Skills more inclined towards the 'fantasy' side than the 'realist' side of the scale, recording even 3 Hits of them into any shape seemed absolutely impossible, as the girls had stated with frustration after hundreds of failures, while he, Yui, Leafa, Keita and the rest cheered on them.

Even Asuna's Dual Blades or Philia's Battoujutsu, the ones who should have been the most 'simple' to use for the deed given the lack of 'special effects' in them, had utterly refused to let their users to record a Skill, their attempts always ending with the annoying 'Beep' of a failed action. Above all of them, Liz had surrendered first, saying that there was no way to create any OSS for God Hand, given how it worked…but had suddenly recovered her spirit, like most of them, after the Excaliber incident.

Because of that, Argo had been going around (Usually dragging Sinon with her if the girl was around, claiming she needed more training with her Unique Skill) and exhausting both herself and Garasu to find any and all info they could about Original Sword Skills, even asking other known players for help in this, intent in finding a way for them to finally perfect and create their Unique OSSs.

Despite this, the gamer wasn't quite sure what would make Strea react the way she was now, as if she couldn't believe something…

"Strea-nee…what happened?" finally asked a confused Yui when they exited the house and the Gnome whistled quite loudly, turning to them with a nervous look.

"Well…Argo-chan discovered that a player suddenly appeared and started challenging any opponent to duels, in a spot of the 24th Floor…and that this player was offering an 11-HITS OSS as a reward for anyone that could beat her."

"What?!" shouted Kirito with absolute shock, the navigation pixie at his side gasping in a similar reaction.

It was to be expected, because, as far as everyone knew the strongest Original Sword Skill developed to date was Leafa's Justice Rider, with 7 Hits. That someone had managed to make one of ELEVEN was nothing short of unbelievable.

"Yes, they reacted the same way, but apparently this person demonstrated that the Skill was the real deal before starting to challenge people. After endless consecutive battles undefeated, it seems they have even created a nickname for her…" muttered Strea even as the white-furred form of Tonky (Out of Jotunheimr thanks to Kirito's 'help') landed at the house's side. " **Zekken**."

"Absolute Sword…?" whispered the caped boy, wondering why the word sent a shiver down his spine, a strange feeling of excitement filling him. "Well, guess the girls must be eager to try and beat this…"

"They already tried. That's why we're going." informed the serious-looking Strea while flying up a couple of meters and landing on Tonky's back.

"Wait…Strea, are you saying that…?"

"Yes. Leafa-chan is currently trying too, but…everyone else already lost to this 'Zekken' girl."

Vaguely aware of how Tonky grabbed his unmoving body, Kirito felt his mind reeling in shock, unable to believe what was had been said.

Despite having come to terms with his 'power' and everything that came with it, that didn't change the fact that he had obtained it without any apparent reason, not having given anything for it. That had always made him respect and admire the strength and tenacity of his friends (Which had only grown after the Excaliber Quest), who had earned their own skills and abilities by themselves, inch by inch. Even Suguha, who didn't have any Unique Skill, was impressive enough on her own, and was obviously the 'strongest' of them in the real world. In the same way, even if they didn't had any special Skill, Keita and the other boys knew how to act in almost any situation, always ready to cover the rest and protect the weak points their abilities had, not to mention that the older boy had quite a tactical mind on his own.

That was why the sudden news had left him shocked beyond belief, even as he vaguely registered Tonky flying them over the edge of Aincrad and then upwards towards Floor 24.

Zekken…

Was there really someone strong enough to beat ALL of his guild mates…?

* * *

Aincrad's 24th Floor was a place covered by lakes and small patches of lands that could barely be called islands, the biggest of them being barely 200 meters in diameter.

In one of these many mini-islands, a quite impressive and notorious tree grew, an unmistakable landmark that probably was the center point of a Quest or something similar. It was at the roots of this imposing tree that a group of players from all races were gathered, whispering excitedly among themselves as they watched the battle above.

They were interrupted, though, when a massive elephant-jellyfish flying thing descended from the skies and landed in the water just at the side of the 'island'. Almost everyone was gaping even as Kirito and Strea jumped down Tonky's back, Yui quickly thanking him for the ride before flying after them.

The gamer was already moving towards his friends (Sans Leafa and, obviously, Asuna), all of which were very busy staring upwards and barely seemed to have paid their arrival any attention.

"Guys?" asked the worried caped boy once he was close enough, making many of them blink and turn to look at him, surprised by his presence. "What is…?"

The sound of a familiar voice shouting interrupting him, the boy's gaze shifed just in time to see a familiar and strangely-decorated katana fall from the heavens and sink itself on the earth 4 meters from them, edge-first.

Kirito was just starting to 'hear' the frustrated and ashamed cries of 'Sorry, Master!' coming from Justice's Wings when a blur of blonde hair crashed on the ground, just at her sword's side. Leafa had enough time to whimper in defeat before her body burst into a greenish Remain Flame.

"Dammit…she did it again." whispered Argo while biting her lips as she looked towards their Sylph friend's flame.

"Is she even human…?" asked an incredulous Ducker. "I mean, after she discovered the tricks behind your Unique Skills I COULD have believed she was just being very lucky and had a sharp mind, but to beat even Leafa, a national-level kendoka…"

"I told you she was no joke." bitterly said Philia while looking upwards. "Not even KAYABA could move like that, and he KNEW how our Skills worked firsthand."

"Not even mine and Pina's combination was able to faze her…" whimpered Silica while her dragon friend looked down too, apparently ashamed. "Her Ninja Way is just too far above ours…"

"No fucking contest…" was the mantra that a shocked Lisbeth was repeating several times. "I went Zeus Blessing on her and she somehow DODGED all my hits by just an inch until it wore off…how the hell…?"

"That girl is terrifying…" muttered Sachi even as the many players around cheered in excitement towards someone who had just started to descend from the air. "And…amazing, too."

"For Leafa-sama to lose like this, even after I asked her to avenge my shameful defeat…" Sinon's voice was clearly filled with a mix of despair and terrified awe.

Ignoring the wording of that last sentence, Kirito's eyes moved towards the landing form clad in purple, finally letting his eyes fall over the one they called Zekken.

It was a girl, young but happy-looking, from the race of the Imps, the fairies of darkness. Her purplish-black hair was long and lustrous, falling all the way to her back. She wore obsidian half-armor, which covered her chest and had a slight bulge, a bluebottle violet blouse and a windswept dress of the same color beneath. From her waist, a thin black sheath hung, probably belonging to the purplish One-Handed Sword she had on her hand.

With a bright smile, the Imp swordswoman raised her empty hand, two fingers raised and open in the classical 'victory sign'.

"Okay! That's another win for me! Man, today sure is filled with lots of amazing players…"

Any other person would have been kind of 'disappointed' with the 'unimpressive' look of the one the people had nicknamed 'Absolute Sword¡, especially after the apparently brutal defeat over people they had seen handling epic monsters and holding their own against enemies that far surpassed them.

Kirito, on the other hand, had watched One Punch-Man. Even more, he had been going around wearing Saitama's clothes for years now. He KNEW, more than anyone, to not underestimate someone from their looks. The fact that Zekken was a young girl didn't even register through his mind as part of this, though, as it should be obvious for anyone who had grown up with Suguha and been near Silica for quite some time. There was only ONE thing in his mind.

This girl was STRONG. Perhaps stronger than anyone else he had seen, besides Kayaba in his 'God Form'.

But…what did that make him feel like…?

"Go and beat her, Kirito!" Strea's sudden shout startled him out of his deep thoughts, making him squeak at noticing the girl had pushed him forward and he had started to walk almost without noticing, even as the rest was reviving his little sister with an item. "Avenge everyone's honor!"

"What?!" shouted the confused boy with a shocked expression. 'Sadly' for him, the Imp girl had heard the shouting and turned around to look at him curiously, a smile spreading through her face after seeing the strange Spriggan that had stepped forward.

"Oh, would you like to try, then?" asked her in a happy way before quickly operating her menu, sending a Duel Request to him. "C'mon, equip your weapon! This will be a fight till one of us has no HP left!"

"Wa-wait a minute!" quickly started the caped boy while shaking his hands. "I didn't mean to…!""

"Show her, Kirito!" came Sinon's raging shout, making the gamer freeze. "Avenge Leafa-sama's honor!"

"I know this is totally unfair, but what the hell, that girl totally annihilated us, so go and kick her ass, Kii-bou!" added Argo with just a hint of bitterness, making Kirito feel the urge to facepalm.

"Onii-chan…you would really fight her for me…?" 'whispered' a blushing Leafa in a too loud voice, totally misunderstanding the situation.

Looking back for help, the caped boy saw Keita gave him a resigned shrug, as if saying _'Be a man and affront the consequences'_. Sighing and feeling incredibly bad for it, the gamer nodded towards the confused/curious Zekken, who was looking from him to the other members of the Heroes Association, before accepting the Duel, making the Imp smile as she prepared her blade and the countdown started.

That also let Kirito a moment to stare at the actual in-game name of the girl in front of him.

Yuuki.

"Hey, are those your friends? They were all really strong and could do some amazing Skills I had never seen before…" cheerfully commented the Imp while the numbers kept ticking down.

"Yes, they are…" muttered the gamer while shaking his head, letting a faint smile cross his face before looking at his opponent with resignation. "And…sorry about this, really."

Yuuki blinked at his words, clearly confused, even as the last second ended and the 'Duel' officially started.

Without wasting a single second, Kirito MOVED, ready to grab the girl and end this as fast as he could, clearly not wishing to drag it on and humiliate her.

The surprised Imp DODGED, the attack, the Spriggan's hand going through a part of her hair as she spun around.

The gamer didn't know if the gasps coming from the crowd (And mostly from the side of his friends) came even close to his own shock. Yeah, he had done that half-heartily, for obvious reasons, but he had still moved at a speed almost no player in ALO could reach unless they were flying at top speed and were especially good at it. To have managed to evade him, even if barely, without having had any previous warning of what he could do…

He didn't had any moment to keep dwelling in this, however, because he quickly had to move his head to the side to evade what would have been a beheading attack if it had connected with any normal player. Startled, the boy overrode his battle instincts and put his full attention back on the fight, also dodging the next slash of his opponent.

Kirito had an instant to realize that the attack had been faster and more precise than the last before he had to dodge an even stronger one.

Around the mini-island, absolute silent had fallen even as everyone found their eyes glued to the battle taking place in front of them. The United Heroes Association, however, was more than shocked by the fact that the Imp girl had DODGED an attack from Kirito.

They all knew he could go way faster than that, of course, and they had seen him do and defeat seemingly impossible things…but this was the first time a 'normal' person had been able to evade even ONE of his hits.

Even Kayaba Akihiko had needed the Cardinal System backing him up to be able to block the boy's mighty fists, yet Zekken was actually forcing their surprised leader to dodge her slashes by a hairbreadth. Again, they knew he wasn't going 'serious' on her, but even so, the only one any of them had ever seen pushing him like that had been Asuna. And that had been back in SAO, when the chestnut-haired girl had asked him to increase the frequency of their 'spars' to master Dual Blades after their first meeting with Laughing Coffin.

Yuuki, for her part, was astonished, her excitement only growing with each swing of her blade. Certainly, she had felt more than tempted to ask any of those girls with the incredible abilities and the strange but powerful Skills to 'help her' with the real reason for which she was doing this whole dueling thing…but that small whisper that was always with her had told her to wait, that none of them was the one she was waiting for, so she had continued…and now, THIS.

 _"Woah…what is this guy?! It's as if he could see all my attacks coming a mile away!"_ excitedly thought the one called Zekken while pouring more and more of herself into the fight. _"How can he be so fast?!"_

 _"Stronger…no, it's not that. Faster? No…she's as fast as Asuna, maybe a fraction slower than her…then, what is this?"_ were the frantic thoughts of the gamer as he kept trying to decipher the puzzle that was his opponent. _"How can her attacks become sharper and deadlier with each move?! Unless…she has been HOLDING BACK against everyone?!"_

The caped boy had enough time to process the full implications of this before Yuuki grinned and feinted, the fake attack never coming even as she spun around and unleashed a 'Vertical' Skill.

Despite knowing the attack wouldn't really harm him, the surprise took over and Kirito actually used his forearm to BLOCK the attack, taking a step back and blinking in shock.

No one sans Death Gun and Kayaba had ever been able to land a hit on him, even if he wasn't going serious. Narrowing his eyes an infinitesimal fraction, the gamer quickly evaded the next attack without apparent effort, to the Imp's surprise, a strange suspicion starting to form on the Spriggan's mind.

"Woah! You're unreal, Mr. Cosplayer!" commented the girl with a challenging smile, her grip on her blade tightening.

"…I'm not cosplaying." deadpanned the caped boy while staring at her, still trying to give form to the idea that his mind had come up with about the Imp.

"Really? Oh, okay…but even so, I congratulate you. I didn't think I would need to use THIS today…" idly muttered Yuuki before shooting forward again at unreal speeds, swinging her blade straight towards Kirito.

The gamer, for his part, was ready to once again evade the strike and try to catch her…when a blinding light covered the whole edge of the girl's blade, the shine overwhelming his eyes in an instant. He had enough time to hear the astonished and disbelieving shouts coming from most of his friends (And utterly confused ones from Leafa and Sinon) before the girl's blade impacted against his chest and sent him flying backwards, crashing against the island's tree. He didn't get up instantly, though that was mainly due to the shock of what had happened. There was only ONE Skill that worked that way.

One-Hit Sword Skill 'Divine Sword'. The first and most simple of the Skill Tree belonging to the Holy Sword Unique Skill.

Even as he stood up with a swift jump and stared towards the incoming purple blur that was Yuuki, he couldn't help but imagine a crimson-armored figure with a long blade and a tower shield instead of her.

Then, the moment was over and he was stopping the wide-eyed Imp's blade with his gloved hand, his fingers closed around the blade as he looked silently at her.

"I see…so Cardinal has determined you to be the 'Strongest', uh?"

"What?" asked the confused girl…before the caped boy let go of her weapon with a mighty push, which almost sent her falling on her ass, and JUMPED upwards, many people around squeaking in alarm as the shockwaves made them fall down. "Ah…! HEY!"

With that shout, the Imp girl shot upwards too, her wings opening as she pursued her opponent.

"…was that…Kayaba's Unique Skill…?" muttered Sachi with a minuscule voice, even as Sinon and Leafa looked at her in shock.

"What?!"

"That girl…what are you going to do, Kii-bou?" whispered Argo with narrowed eyes, her gaze never leaving the purple blur speeding towards the black-white one.

Looking down, Kirito saw Yuuki approaching and once again let his instincts take over, even as the girl unleashed a flurry of strikes that even lifelong-warriors of old would have been unable to predict or evade.

The gamer's hands deflected all of them in a blur of motion, even as his momentum and the girl's slashes kept pushing him upwards.

 _"…her reaction time."_ finally realized the shocked Spriggan, even as he kept deflecting her attacks. _"It's even faster than Asuna's…no, even faster than several of the other's combined. Hell, it would be faster than mine if I wasn't actively channeling my 'inner Saitama' right now! But…that means…"_

"Strong…" muttered the Imp with slightly narrowed eyes, her smile dropping just a fraction. "Too strong…"

For a moment, the caped boy could have sworn he saw another figure shadowing Yuuki's form.

Identical to her, but with slightly shorter hair and lacking any of the Imp's racial characteristics, dressed in a white dress, a melancholic smile on her face as she whispered something on the other girl's ear…

The strange moment was faster than what it took a human to blink, but for Kirito's enhanced senses it may as well had lasted an eternity, Yuuki's smile having returned in full force at the specter's words. He was still trying to understand what he had seen when the girl slashed at him with a determined shout, the 'Light Cutter' Skill creating an edge of pure light that didn't really separate from the blade, but gave the illusion of doing it, basically a slashing and much faster variant of 'Vorpal Strike', with the added effect of blinding the opponent. The gamer had once taken head-on Heathcliff God Mode's version, a gigantic energy slash, so something this shouldn't have been any problem.

Except for the fact that he couldn't fly, his enemy could, and she had the thought of unleashing the Skill right on his face.

"…how clever…" whispered the caped boy as he flew out of control, totally blind for but an instant.

For the girl people had called 'Absolute Sword', it was more than enough.

"MOTHER'S ROSARIO!"

Kirito had seen many impressive things in his life, and done many more. He was also the only one on his whole group of friends that could boast of having seen every single existing Sword Skill at least once (Except for the mysterious missing Unique Skill and a couple from Sinon's Archery, who the Caith Sith was still trying to master). He knew how amazing, impressive and, in some cases, beautiful these deadly 'Sword Arts' could be to a level only surpassed by Kayaba Akihiko himself.

And yet, he had never contemplated anything as breathtaking and beautiful as the Skill that followed the purplish glow engulfing the Imp's sword.

Five consecutive stabs in a straight line, from the top right to the bottom left of the opponent's body. Then, the girl drew her blade back and, in an instant, performed another five consecutive stabs in a straight line, this time from the top left to the bottom right, perpendicular to the prior five, the two lines together forming an X shape over his body with their third hit overlapping. And finally, the swordswoman tilted her body and used her full strength to perform a last stab, directly at the intersection of the cross-shape created by the former ten strikes, just as the gamer's body was forced to crash against the Floor's 'ceiling'.

A beautiful Skill, shaped like a cross, as its name indicated. One that reflected determination and perseverance on a level unheard of, for the precision and ability needed to create such a thing was beyond that of anyone else…and it also reflected a hollow sensation, an empty resignation running down the blade as if the one wielding it had already abandoned all hope, but still smiled just for the sake of not being sad.

It was a Skill that did not deserve to have had every single one of its strikes blocked by an open palm that moved faster than any of its stabs. Neither did the blade deserve to be crushed and turned into breaking polygons when said hand closed into a fist after having stopped its last hit.

Yuuki's brain was barely registering the impossibility when an overwhelming dread filled her, her gaze fixing upon the carpet of darkness in which the caped boy's face had become, his eyes having turned into two voids that sucked all life out of the air as a fist that carried the end of all things shot towards her….!

Kirito came back to his senses and realized what he was doing in time to stop his punch.

He could do nothing about the shockwave, however.

With a scream of pure shock, the Imp girl went down as if she had been hit by a giant hammer of air, her wings unable to fight against the residual power of the stopped attack. Without thinking, the cursing Spriggan kicked off the Floor's ceiling and shot after her, trying to reach her falling body in time.

Down below, people were murmuring between themselves in excitement and confusion, only those belong to the Caith Sith race having even remotely been able to see what was happening. The members of the Heroes Association noticed, though, that more than one was whispering things like _'Isn't that the guy from the Bullet of Bullets?'_ or _'I heard he was down on Jotunheimr the other day too!'_

Before any of them could inquire about that, however, Sinon, Silica and Argo gasped at the same time, the younger girl even pointing upwards. The rest could clearly see why a moment later, when Zekken's form fell down like a meteor, screaming as she headed head-first into the water.

A black and white blur caught her barely 2 seconds before she crashed, both of them plummeting into the lake surrounding the island of the big tree, a massive column of water rising into the air from their crash.

Several seconds of absolute silence passed among the crowd before a caped figure jumped out of the water, the silent Spriggan carefully holding a purplish Remain Flame in his arms.

Wordlessly, Kirito ignored the window announcing him as the winner of the Duel, the boy quickly opening his menu and grabbing a Resurrection Potion, emptying its contents over the Imp's flame.

With a gasp, Yuuki's body appeared again, the girl taking deep breaths and even shaking a little, her eyes quickly moving towards the gamer's form, still standing behind him.

He looked away with shame at her shocked and slightly scared expression, turning away and whispering _'I'm sorry'_ before vanishing from sight in a burst of super speed, ignoring the cries from his friends and arriving at the Floor's edge in a second, jumping off Aincrad and down towards Sylph territory, over where the Floating Castle currently was.

All the while, the caped boy never stopped thinking about the girl that, somehow, had a better reaction time than any Front Liner-SAO Survivor, and all that sinister fact implied…

Back on the tree's island, even as the United Heroes Association and Tonky flew away and the other players started to talk excitedly among themselves, the girl called Zekken never stopped looking in the direction where Kirito had vanished.

Unseen by everyone, the same 'shadow' from before, identical yet different to her, leaned over her body and hugged her from behind.

 _"It's okay, Yuu…"_ it soothingly whispered on the Imp's ears.

As always, only Yuuki could hear her voice…

* * *

 **October 8th, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. Yuuki Household, 18:35…**

It was a peaceful night in the residence of the Yuuki Family (Though it was closer to a mansion than anything else), and nothing could possibly disturb this fact…

CRASH!

…except maybe the sound of a fine and clearly expensive plate breaking against a wall.

"Asuna!" shouted a woman with dyed, rich brown hair and eyes of a similar color, her usually calm and cold demeanor replaced by utter shock as she stared at the enraged expression of the aforementioned girl. "How could you…?!"

"How could I what, mom?! Break the damn plate?! It's nothing to worry about, we can just buy another, better one! Isn't that how you think things can always be fixed?!" practically snarled the chestnut-haired girl while standing up, her eyes glaring towards her mother with an unearthly fury.

Yuuki Kyouko found herself at a loss of words, her eyes wide as she stared at the girl she knew was her daughter.

…but she had never believed Asuna could hold such anger on her gaze, let alone aim it at her. In that moment, she wasn't staring at the girl she had raised to be a 'proper and brilliant lady' for years, no. She was facing the anger of the Heroine the people of Aincrad had called 'The Mighty Flash'.

Despite this, the older woman tried to recover her temper and sent a stern glare towards her daughter, not willing to let this 'childish tantrum' go on.

"I'm your mother, Asuna, and I won't have you showing such disrespect to…!"

"Respect?! You want my respect, mom?! Start with respecting ME first!" shouted the chestnut-haired girl while stomping around the table, never stopping glaring at the woman that had brought her into the world, who was looking at her in utter shock again. "I can still talk to you in a civilized way when you try and have me change schools without asking my opinion on the matter. I can bit my tongue and still keep arguing like a normal person when you criticize my 'useless' hobbies. I can just get a bit angry when you try and choose my future for me, even after the DISASTER that was Sugou Noboyuki, and keep trying to make you see reason with words…but when you INSULT my friends, then I NO LONGER will give you any damn respect!"

"I was just being perfectly honest, you're way above that group you hang up with, and that boy you're always around of isn't worthy…!"

"DON'T you dare to finish that sentence!" snarled Asuna again, making her mother cringe at the sheer passion in her voice. "If you say that about him…about the person that saved MY LIFE in every single meaning of the phrase…then I will never say a word to you again, _mother_."

"Asuna…!" started to say the woman, standing up in shock as she saw the chestnut-haired girl head towards the living room's door. "We…we're not done talking, young lady!"

"Oh, but I think we pretty much are. Until you start realizing I'm your 18 years old daughter and not a DOLL you can dress-up and make do whatever you want, then we have nothing to talk about. Or until you stop thinking that anyone who doesn't has a lot of money or high social standing is below us." coldly declared Asuna before stopping at the door, the gaze she sent towards her mother being colder than the artic, almost making the woman shiver. "Grandmother and grandfather would be ashamed of you."

Kyouko reared back at the words, looking as if she had received a physical blow. The door slammed closed a second later, the rushed steps of her daughter echoing into the massive house.

On the second floor, Asuna held back angry tears as she entered her room and closed the door, trying to calm down. She had been holding back in a lot of ways, since she came back home after the SAO and ALO incidents were over. The girl had done her best for reconnecting with her family, after realizing how empty her relationship with them was thanks to her Sensei and the rest of her friends. Things had gone surprisingly well for the most part, at least with her busy brother and her worried father. Asuna always tried to talk with the former when he was free, and always made sure to pass some time conversing with the later about most things going on in her life, especially since he had to step down from his old post as CEO of RECT thanks to the actions of that Sugou bastard.

The only one with which she had seen her efforts of being 'closer' were utterly failing was her cold mother, whose pragmatic view of things now seemed utterly sickening to the SAO Survivor. Even so, she had still tried to be a polite and good daughter, hoping that a way of bettering their relationship would come, even if the lack of significant progress for almost a year had discouraged her quite a bit.

Then, the 'family meeting' at Kyoto came, and she needed to use every ounce of her willpower to not explode at realizing that, once again, her mother was trying to control her life and future however she pleased, without caring for her opinion. More than once, she had been sure she would snap, grab the nearest blunt object and unleash hell upon the 'important men' that had talked with her so casually in there.

She had been immensely relieved of getting back home, heading to her room and Logging into ALO to unleash tons of pent-up violence upon any mob and Boss she could find. Her friends had even asked her if she was okay, clearly worried about the brutal way in which she murdered any enemy they found, but she had calmed them down after assuring she was only very glad of being back doing Quests with them. She had told them about the great views and similar things in Kyoto, deciding to omit the most 'annoying' bits of the trip for their sake, and they in turn had explained her all that had happened in her absence.

Remembering that made the chestnut-haired girl frown slightly, the worried look on Leafa's face flashing in her mind, just like the equally worried looks on everyone's faces. Also explaining the reason why her Sensei wasn't there, and why he had looked a bit down the next day in school, despite smiling and telling her how happy he was for her return.

Zekken. Someone so strong and skilled that had beaten everyone else (Except Strea, though the Gnome had outright said that not even with the advantage Darkness Blade had in PvP would she even come close to beat the so called 'Absolute Sword'). Someone who had actually forced Kirito go A BIT serious.

Someone who was the new wielder of Heathcliff's…Kayaba Akihiko's 'Holy Sword'.

None of them was sure what exactly had happened near the end of their fight; only that her Sensei had apparently ended up sending the unreal swordswoman down like a rock, trying and failing to save her from suffering a deadly crash into the waters of Floor 24. After that, the boy had come out of the water, resurrected the girl from her Remain Flame, who was apparently quite shaken by the event, and, after apologizing, he had run off.

Suguha had apparently tried to ask him what was wrong after logging out when they couldn't find him, at which the boy had told her he was feeling a bit depressed because he felt as if he had bullied the girl…but it was clear that there was something _more_ to it.

After all, she had seen the distant look in Kazuto's eyes that morning in school, as if he was lost thinking about something. Usually, she would have felt a bit angry at the fact that he wasn't telling either her or Suguha what was wrong with him, but that look on his eyes had made her rethink that. Whatever was going through his head about this 'Zekken', it was something he considered quite serious, but she hoped he would share it with them if it was something that affected him somehow. Luckily, she had a way to investigate more into the matter herself.

Apparently, as Argo and the others had told her a bit earlier, the mysterious Imp girl was once again challenging people in Floor 24. Tomorrow, she would go and go look for herself, maybe even try and challenge someone who, apparently, had managed to do something that she had never achieved: Force her Sensei's hand.

As she prepared to go to bed, pushing away bitter thoughts about her mother in favor of wondering ones about the mysterious 'Absolute Sword', Asuna idly noticed that the moonless night seemed oddly dark…

A thought that was shared by two guys, a Salamander samurai-wannabe and a Sylph dagger-user, as they ventured through the woods of New Aincrad's 22nd Floor.

"Klein-san…I have a bad feeling about this…" muttered the younger boy while looking around with nervous eyes, always believing to see 'something' out of the corner of his eyes.

"That's just nonsense, Recon! Didn't you say you wanted to join Fuurinkazan to take on Aincrad? Then you should act more like a man!" boasted the red-head with a confident smile.

The green-haired boy grimaced slightly at the words, before nodding with determination. Certainly, unless one was extremely strong, it was almost impossible to venture into the Floating Castle that now flew over Alfheim, so most 'normal' players that wanted to challenge it needed to either go with regular parties or be part of a guild that was trying to clear it. And the Sylph just so happened to have come across Klein one day in Alne, heard him talking about his 'awesome guild' and their adventures in Aincrad, and asked if he could join.

After all, Leafa-chan now spent almost all of her time in there. And she barely talked to him in school nowadays, always seeming to have her minds in other things. If he wanted to once again spend time with her, he needed to start braving into this place too!

Hence why both of them were there now. The Salamander's friends had accepted him right away, but Klein had said he should first need to past a 'test' to see if he was worthy of fighting alongside the proud and brave members of Fuurinkazan, so he had gotten rumors about a mysterious Quest that could only be taken at night and that had a high-level reward somewhere around there and had come there together with the 'newbie'.

Still, after almost an hour of going around in a New Moon night, Recon was starting to feel more than unnerved, with no sign of the Quest yet and that sinister feeling that _something_ was watching their every move…

Then his eyes finally caught sight of something unusual.

A piece of paper, hanging from the side of a tree.

"Uh…? Ah, Klein-san, look! Can that be the start of the Quest?!"

"Oh, sharp eyes, Recon! You will be a great addition to our mighty guild" boasted the samurai wannabe before they got closer, even as he ripped out the note from the tree.

Both of them looked at it, the simple message in it staring back at them, together with a strange and slender drawing: _'Don't look or it takes you'_.

That may have been the first sign that something was veeery wrong. The second probably would have been the pop-up warning that they had accepted a Quest, despite no confirmation having been given. The third, however, was perhaps the most ominous one, as another window informed them that their wings had been deactivated for the duration of the Quest.

"…I'm not liking this all of a sudden…" whimpered the Sylph while looking around, the darkness suddenly seeming much more ominous.

"Heh…heh…oh, look! We only have to collect other 7 of these pages, nothing difficult even if we can't fly! And look, the Quest even gave us a couple of torches!" cheerfully commented Klein before activating one.

All the way to the Floor's other side, the screams arrived, making Yui and Strea blink and look out of the window in the log house's living room, where they were calmly having tea.

"Hmm…it seems someone is trying to beat THAT Quest again." idly commented the Gnome before shrugging and drinking some tea. "Looks like our 'neighbor' is going to have another busy night…"

"It seems like it…" nodded the younger-looking AI before smiling cheerfully and grabbing a cookie from the table, eating it with another sip of her tea. "Remind me to leave some cookies for him with Tonky before going to sleep, okay, nee-chan? He's too shy and never comes out when we try to get close, after all!"

And with that perfectly normal declaration, the virtual sisters kept enjoying their tea, Recon and Klein's occasional screams on the background.

All in all, it was another peaceful night…

* * *

 **October 9th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 24, 15:35…**

Leafa was standing on one of the floor's many 'islands', staring at the water with a small frown, when Asuna landed near her. For a moment, the Undine blinked in confusion at the Sylph's apparently bad mood, before looking around and realizing what was going on.

"He isn't coming, right?" sighed the Dual Wielder with a scowl even as she saw the kendoka stomp on the ground.

"It's just…ugh! I love him, but sometimes I wish he wouldn't try and keep quiet about things that bother him like this! That idiot…" grumbled Leafa while looking away, arms crossed.

"Well…what about this?" asked Asuna while putting a comforting hand on the Sylph's shoulder, smiling at her. "After this, we both go and 'ask him nicely' to tell us what's wrong?"

A small smile spread through the kendoka's face at that, and the Undine blinked in confusion when she swore she heard the girl's katana chuckling evilly at the idea, but dismissed it as a hallucination from the stress she still felt over her argument with her mother.

"Heh, yeah, that sounds good, Asuna-san." giggled Leafa before looking seriously at her friend. "Still…are you sure about this? That Zekken girl is no joke, her level of Skill is just…unreal."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I want to know how good is the one that forced Sensei to put some effort into a fight…" muttered the Undine before a determined grin appeared on her face. "Besides, I need to avenge your defeats and restore the honor of the Heroes Association! It doesn't count when Sensei does it, for obvious reasons!"

"If you…say so…" sweatdropped the Sylph before opening her wings, nodding towards the direction where the 'Island of the Big Tree' was. "Shall we?"

With a nod on her own, Asuna flew after her friend (And...fellow girlfriend? How do you even call someone in their situation?), her eyes widening slightly at seeing the players gathered around the area, Tonky floating in the water nearby with Argo, Yui and Strea sitting on his back (She still needed to figure out how had Kirito gotten him out of Jotunheimr without the admins from Ymir noticing).

But what immediately got her attention was the lonely figure standing on the center of the clearing, just besides the tree's roots, who was currently sheathing a sword on her waist (Which she noticed was just a normal, high-level steel one, reminding her that Kirito apparently broke her old one) while a Remain Flame floated down behind her.

The cute-looking Imp had a small frown on her face as she looked up towards the tree.

As she landed beside her friends, the Undine could have sworn she saw the mysterious Zekken leaning slightly to the side, as if someone was whispering to her ear, letting a cheerful smile appear on her face again.

"Hey there, Aa-chan, Leafa-chi." greeted Argo without taking her eyes from Yuuki's form, who was just calling out to see if anyone else wanted to 'try' next. "Be warned, she may look in our direction in a weird way from a moment to another."

"Uh? What do you mean?" asked Asuna with confusion, even as Leafa bit her lips.

"You don't think…?"

"Yeah, I think she's looking to see if Kirito will show up again." informed Strea with a curious gaze. "Though if it's to ask for a rematch or something else, I'm not sure…"

To be fair, everyone had been curious about it, but given that most had other things to do that day, only the three of them had remained there to watch over the mysterious 'Absolute Sword', regretfully.

"Ah…she's doing it again." muttered Yui with a startled voice, both newcomers looking up just as Zekken's gaze washed over them.

Her red eyes, a similar shade to Strea's, passed over Leafa with just a hint of acknowledgment…and then found Asuna's.

Time seemed to _stop_ , as if someone had cast a spell over the World. Aquamarine met blood as an eternity seemed to pass when their gazes crossed. The Undine shivered with a strange sensation even as the Imp seemed to almost jump on her feet.

Asuna hadn't been aware of the confused voices calling out to her until she was standing 5 meters from Yuuki, rapier drawn, the Imp girl blinking as if she also had just noticed she had walked forward.

"Hey, you want to try, nee-chan?" asked the one called Zekken, a happy smile appearing on her face as she sent the Duel Request.

After a second of hesitation and looking back at her confused/curious friends, the Undine nodded and accepted.

The countdown started even as Asuna sighed, quickly operating her menu and putting her rapier away, much to the Imp's confusion, and quickly equipped both her trusted blades.

She resisted the urge to frown at the many confused/disbelieving stares coming from most of the Players around when Fafnir's Fang and Elucidator appeared on her hands. She knew that most of the people around though that dual wielding was something unpractical and silly, and looked down on any newb that tried to do so just to 'look cool', which was one of the reasons she disliked using her Unique Skill in the open. To be fair, though, they would have been right under most circumstances. Be it in the real world or here in ALO, using two swords of the same length was dancing between the line of 'impractical' and 'suicidal'.

But the Undine came from Sword Art Online, where the rules of 'reality' were looser than those of Alfheim. Back in the original Aincrad, despite her reticence to use the Skill at first, she had mastered the use of both blades to a level few modern-day humans could ever hope to accomplish even after years of training.

And that was why several jaws dropped when, the second the countdown finished, Asuna vanished in a blur of inhuman speed, the sunlight reflecting off her armored gauntlets being the only warning Yuuki got before the edge of the first blade was about to cut off her head.

Zekken seamlessly deflected Fafnir's Fang, with just a bit of surprised effort. Elucidator, however, managed to cut across her torso as she tried to dodge, clearly not used to fight an opponent wielding two weapons.

Both girls separated and stared silently at each other, even as excited whispers ran through the crowd at the latest development. The Undine idly noticed how Yui and Strea cheered quite loudly for her even as Leafa and Argo sharply watched, but her attention never left the silent form of her enemy.

Once again, the smile on the Imp's face widened.

"You…are somehow related to Him, right?"

Asuna didn't answer. Neither did she need to ask who the other girl was talking about.

She simply rushed forward again, her instincts as sharp as the edge of her swords, ready to take down her opponent.

Yuuki's smile turned into a fierce grin as she spun out of the way of the emerald blade…and countered the black one with a 'Sacred Swing' Skill, the fierce slash of the light-shrouded blade heading straight towards the Undine's face.

Luckily for the Dual Wielder, she had been expecting her to use Holy Sword. Letting go of Elucidator, she somersaulted with seemingly impossible grace, getting out of the Skill's way and landing behind the shocked Imp.

The black blade was once again in her owner's hands when Zekken spun around, the Skill 'Holy Cross' being unleashed with impossible precision, rivaling or even surpassing that of Kayaba.

'Double Circular' quickly repelled it, sparks flying from where the swords 'danced' to counter the opposing one in a clash of Skills.

Everyone watching was in utter awe, even as both girls seized up one another, like warriors of old searching for an opening. Even Argo and Leafa were speechless, while Yui and Strea looked on open-mouthed.

It was to be expected. After all, in another world, in another tale, those two Unique Skills would have been destined to face each other as the ultimate enemies. In this one, wielded by these two girls, who had received them by several twists of Fate and adapted them to suit their every move and their complex styles, it was like watching the metaphorical fight of 'The Dragon and the Tiger'.

Their gazes crossing again, Asuna and Yuuki felt IT again, that strange and unknown sensation overwhelming them.

Both warriors decided to end it all with the next strike, as if compelled by an unseen force. The smallest mistake in predicting what the other would do would mean their absolute defeat, so…

"Starburst Stream!"

"Mother's Rosario!"

…both unleashed power beyond that of any mortal men, a star-rain of slashes meeting a brutal 'crucifixion' of stabs.

Asuna's Skill had more Hits. But Yuuki's one had almost twice the power of each of hers.

In the end, the mighty clash of stabs and slashes between the three blades ended with an impressive 'explosion', created maybe by the sheer force behind the girls' Wills...or maybe because, like most normal Sword Skills now had in ALO, Dual Blades' Skills now had elemental magic partially imbued in them, Starburst Stream in particular having 25% of Lighting and 25% of Fire.

Everyone was still staring in shock at the cloud of dust that had been created from the attack when the Imp and the Undine rolled out of it, jumping back to their feet in just an instant, Asuna panting hard while Yuuki just silently restored her stance. Both of their HP Bars were at less than 10%, though Zekken's one was a sliver bigger. If the Dual Wielder wanted to have any opportunity, she would need to carefully plan the next...

Yuuki started to laugh. Openly and cheerfully, with a massive smile on her face, confusing the hell out of everyone, the Undine most of all, especially when she sheathed her sword and quickly flew towards her, the lack of any hostile intent stopping Asuna from attacking even as the other girl grabbed her shoulders and looked at her excitedly.

"Yes, you're the one! The one we have been looking for!"

"Uhm...what?" flatly muttered the extremely confused girl.

"Ah...yes, quick, come with me!" said the Imp for all answer, grabbing the surprised Undine's hand and raising into the sky with her, forcing the squeaking Asuna to open her wings and fly after her opponent, Duel forgotten.

Down on the clearing, the spectators of the unexpectedly interrupted battle were still trying to comprehend what had happened, the remaining members of the Heroes Association most of all.

"...did Zekken just kidnap Asuna?" asked a blinking Leafa with disbelief.

"...I think so?" answered Strea while looking at Yui for help, the pixie shrugging with an equally clueless look.

"Well...that's something I certainly WASN'T expecting..." commented Argo while standing up. "I guess we will need to wait for Asuna to tell us what THIS is about, so, in the meantime..." turning around, the Caith Sith produced a virtual newspaper, holding it before the surprised face of her Sylph friend. "Say, can you please tell me. Leafa-chi, what is this Sinon-nya found yesterday about?"

Frozen in shock, the blonde girl gulped at seeing the article's title: _'Bicycle Girl back with mysterious caped sidekick?!'_

She had just remembered that, because of this Zekken's business, she and her brother had forgotten telling everyone about their recent 'nightly activities'.

Unknown to everyone, however, a black-haired figure clad in white and black watched from not far away how Asuna and Yuuki vanished towards the sky. For an instant, Kirito almost followed after them, before looking down and shaking his head, opting for logging out. It wasn't his problem, and there were some things that were better off not known. Hopefully, Asuna would be able to help the young prodigy with whatever she needed…

Even so, once he had taken off his AmuSphere and sat up on his bed, Kazuto couldn't help but look with a conflicted frown towards his computer's screens.

On them, many articles about the possible uses of FullDive technology in medicine, especially the care of terminally ill patients, could be seen, a couple ones about the places where the tests for this were currently being done too.

With a sad look, the gamer turned around and walked out of his room.

That's why he wasn't able to see how a silver mask with dual-colored eyes suddenly appeared on his screens, 'looking' over the open articles before vanishing without a trace.

On New Aincrad's 22nd Floor, in the living room of the UHA's log house, Excaliber shone from its place hanging from the wall, where Asuna had decided to put it for everyone to always see.

The Legendary Holy Sword shone with a blinding golden light for a moment, before falling silent once again.

The Promised Time was very close now…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…h-hi there, eve-everyone…this Tsuboi Ryoutarou, better known as Klein in the virtual world…I'm here to gi-give you the next chapter's preview, s-so let's get it over with, okay? Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Wish of being Remembered'. Asuna meets a ce-certain guild, a group of fri-friends joined for a single mission, all hi-hiding a terrible secret…will the Heroine fi-find the truth behind the Absolute Sword?…oh, sweet hell, I think it's here! In the shadows…always watching me…stay away, you slender abomination! Uaaah-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Don't worry people, Klein is fine. Slendy isn't real out of the virtual world (Or is he -w-?)

Okay, so, Kazuto has joined Sugu in her vigilante activities to make sure she's okay (There is no way that can go wrong :D). Let's hope people doesn't start calling him the 'Caped Sidekick', though XD Also, hints of future plot-points are being subtly given left and right AND Yuuki has been introduced! *explodes confetti* Though she's a bit different and more badass this time around…now, wonder how many can see and understand the 'hints' I'm leaving about her and the weird 'phenomenon' Kirito saw? Be prepared, people for things, as obvious with this arc, are going to get quite…deep O,O

Oh, and what did you think about Asuna's 'reaction' to her mother? Yeah, this isn't an Asuna that's going to sit in silence while Kyouko tries and take near-maniacal control of her life and subtly insults everything around her, unlike the canon one. 'Mighty Flash' Asuna doesn't fear to lose it quite hard when shit like this happens…more development on that, later :P!

Well then, I guess that's all for now, everyone! Don't miss next chapter, where things will start getting deeper, and shit will start getting real…

Until then, here is Saint, signing off!


	27. Chapter 21: The Wish of being Remembered

Hi there, my beloved readers! I welcome you all once again to another episode of the craziest story I have ever done XP!

So, I was almost late for this chapter, but I have a GOOD excuse, I swear…Sword Art Online's 16th Volume finished being translated not long ago (And I'm one of those who waits till a whole vol is finished before reading), and I had to do a conscious effort to not devour it endlessly and instead set up time to write. I won't give Spoilers to anyone, but I just really want to say one thing: Alice is FUCKING badass :D I'm SO fucking hyped for the next volume, aaargh, it can't come out (And be translated) fast enough!

Well, that's all for now. Enjoy this chapter, my friends :)

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 21: The Wish of being Remembered. Holy Girl & Holy Blade…**

 **October 9th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. An Inn in Floor 27, 16:00…**

Asuna wasn't quite sure how to feel about her current situation.

Then again, when you went from being in one of the most challenging fights of your life one moment to sitting in front of a group of unknown and smiling people the next one, with your previous opponent having dragging you there, you couldn't exactly know what kind of face make.

"So…you want ME to help you defeat a Floor Boss?" asked the Undine with a confused tone, looking from the 5 strangers to the nodding Imp at his side.

"Yes, that's right! Will you help us, Asuna?!"

At Yuuki's question, the Dual Wielder couldn't help but recall all that she had been told till that moment.

Apparently, the only reason the mysterious 'Zekken' had been having all those duels in Floor 24 was to try and find a player strong enough to help her and her guild, the Sleeping Knights (And Asuna wondered why something about the name rubbed her in a strange way), could beat a Floor Boss by themselves, without needing to from a Raid of more people, like it usually was done for such a thing. The reason for this was because, as the hyperactive Imp had told her, their guild would be disbanding soon for personal reasons and they would no longer be able to play as often as before (And again, something in those words had seriously bugged her), so they all wanted to make one last 'memory' that let them all remember they had done something 'amazing' together.

And so, they wanted to have their names inscribed in the 'Monument of Swordsmen' that was inside the Black Iron Palace, in Aincrad's 1st Floor.

The 'monument' in question was, basically, the thing that had replaced the ominous 'Monument of Life' from the original SAO, which had shown the names of every single player trapped in the game, and that would 'cross' their name the moment they died. The new monument in New Aincrad had been, quite smartly for the part of Ymir's admins, changed into one that would automatically show the names of the ones that had defeated every single one of Aincrad's Floor Bosses. There was just a small 'problem' with that, though it wasn't one anyone had particularly cared about before, but that affected the Sleeping Knights quite a lot.

If a Raid was created to face off against a Boss, only the names of the leaders of each Party that formed the Raid would end up being engraved in the virtual monolith. With a total of 7 Players per party, with 7 Parties being the max. that could form a Raid, that was a total of 49 Players per Boss Fight maximum, and only 7 names being recorded per Boss. On the other hand, if just a single Party beat a Boss, all the members' names would be recorded on the Monument.

The Sleeping Knights had tried to do this feat by themselves, and, apparently, after coming pretty close but failing in 3 occasions, had decided that it would be faster for them to get a seventh Player to help their guild to beat one and achieve their objective than convincing a lot of people to form a Raid with each of them as their leaders. Hence why Yuuki, the guild's leader, had come up with the idea of her dueling to try and find the 'appropriate' candidate.

With those thoughts in mind, the Dual Wielder raised her gaze and looked at each one of the smiling and hopeful faces around her, which had already introduced themselves. Siune was an Undine, like her, and apparently the second in command of the guild, like her too, the young woman seeming very kind and comprehensive. Jun, the younger looking of the bunch, was a Salamander carrying a heavy two-handed sword, one of the group's two Tanks and someone clearly ready to give his best. Tecchi, the other tank, was a massive Gnome, almost as big as Agil was, and clearly made to be a resistant 'wall' for his friends, with his heavy Ancient-Level armor and tower shield, a heavy mace being his main weapon. On the other hand, the two Damage Dealers, Nori and Talken, were total opposites, the outgoing Spriggan girl with the long quarterstaff (Almost twice as long as Keita's battle one) making a funny contrast with the shy and bespectacled Leprechaun, who had a lance almost as long as Sachi's.

All in all, they seemed like quite a happy and clearly very diverse group, wanting to accomplish a slightly curious but still noble-sounding goal.

And yet…Asuna couldn't help but feel there was something 'wrong' with them. As if their smiles were lacking 'something' that she couldn't quite place…

Slowly, the Undine turned her gaze towards the hopeful-looking Imp at her side, the girl people called Zekken, in that moment, not seeming anything like the fierce warrior she had faced a while ago. She was the one that gave that unknown feeling the most, but also…

When she saw that smile of hers, even if she felt there was something wrong with it, she couldn't help but want to her best to help her achieve her dream.

Asuna's smile widened when, after nodding softly, Yuuki squeaked happily and raised her arms to the air in victory, the rest of the guild also cheering as they exploded into thankful words at her.

Letting just a second past to enjoy that sensation of knowing she was doing something good, Asuna stood up abruptly and looked at all of them with a serious look, making them all stop in surprise.

"Okay then, Sleeping Knights! I have promised to help you all, so don't expect sloppy things or any slacking moments! The current Front Line of Aincrad is this Floor, so I'm going to spent the day going over the most important and basic tactics about how to face off against a Boss with you all!" raising a fist in an epic way, the Undine pretended not to see the nervous/awed/sweatdropping looks the guild was sending her way as she let a determined grin replace her previous expression. "And I promise you that tomorrow we will have vanquished the 27th Floor Boss! I swear so in the name of my Sensei!"

As she started to go on about what they needed to do and how to prepare for the incoming battle, impressing the small guild with her vast knowledge of the game and the Boss Battles, the Dual Wielder didn't notice how Yuuki's smile had vanished, replaced with a thoughtful look, the moment she had mentioned the word 'Sensei'.

The image of a figure clad in black and white was running through the Imp's mind. The image of someone…too strong. Inhumanly strong.

Terrifyingly strong…

Once again, the girl called Zekken was hugged by hands that no one could see, felt a warm that no one else could perceive and heard words no other person would ever heard.

 _'Calm down, Yuu. He's not a bad person, I'm sure.'_

Reassured as always by the voice and presence of someone she knew deep down was no longer with her, Yuuki stared once again towards the cheerful-looking Asuna and devoted herself to hear what the Undine had to tell her and everyone else, sure that they would achieve their objective with her at their side.

The unseen specter, meanwhile sent another bittersweet smile towards her before falling silent once again, continuing her quiet watch.

The only thing she wanted was to see the other smile, after all…

* * *

Kazuto frowned as he sat outside his house's dojo, a water bottle on his hand while he stared at the garden in silence, pondering about many things.

The black-haired boy had tried to relax a bit and forget about the dark thoughts that had been going through his mind since a couple of days ago by trying to get into the dojo, grab a shinai and practice a bit, remembering that he used to get bored enough to not think about anything in the past when doing so.

It hadn't helped in the slightest, especially because he couldn't even remember how to properly grab the bamboo sword. His grip was so bad and shaky that he had ended up throwing the shinai to the ground by accident after his second, too forceful swing. Idly, the gamer had imagined the voice of his deceased grandfather berating him for tarnishing the name of kendo with his pitiful attempt, and the saddest part was that he would have been unable to deny that if it had actually been said. Kazuto felt the blade as something foreign and strange, that didn't belong in his hands. Startled, he had realized that he couldn't even recall the times he used to swing one in SAO's beta, all of that erased from his mind, all the style and discipline needed to use the weapon replaced by the simple, easy and all-powerful surety that his fists alone could solve any problem that involved fighting.

Sighing as he remembered that, the gamer looked in silence towards the sky, barely feeling the cold of the evening as he wondered what to do. He should probably go and take a bath before Sugu Logged Out and wanted to take one herself, then maybe try and get some homework done, but…

The boy's hand tightened around the half-empty bottle, deforming it slightly, even as he remembered his 'fight' against the enigmatic Imp girl. The astounding warrior with the hollow smile.

Zekken, who hid a secret that could be incredibly dark.

Yuuki, a girl who fought for no real reason except to continue smiling…

It wasn't his problem. He shouldn't get involved; he didn't have any NEED to get involved. Heck, for all he knew, Asuna would take care of whatever the girl needed herself, and maybe even fill that smile again, solving whatever problem Yuuki had with her own hands.

And yet, once again, a small part of his mind…

 _'If the Heroes run and hide, who will stay and fight?'_

 _'I'm not working as a hero because I want you morons to admire me! I do it 'cause I want to!'_

…told him he would regret it if he DIDN'T get involved.

Shaking his head, the boy suppressed yet another sigh. If he had any interest in ever having a normal life, he should get up and arrange for his mother to call a psychologist, or call the school's counselor himself.

Instead, he took out his phone and, after a moment of hesitation, quickly dialed a certain number he had looked over so many times he had already memorized.

"Good evening, this is Yokohama North General Hospital's reception, how may I help you?"

"…hi, excuse me, I'm just calling for an…assignment from school." muttered the gamer while closing his eyes. "Is there where there are testing the uses of FullDive technology with intensive-care patients by using the machine known as 'Medicuboid'?"

There was a moment of surprised silence from the other side, a clear sign that people usually didn't call asking for such a thing, before the receptionist apparently composed herself, though there was still a hint of doubt remaining on her voice.

"Yes, it is, but I'm afraid that any details pertaining to that are confidential information, for the sake of the patients related to it. But, if you want to ask details that aren't directly related to them, maybe Doctor Kurahashi will be able to…"

"No, there is no need for that, I don't want to be a bother. Thanks, I will call again if I need anything else."

That said, Kazuto cut off the call, looking down with a small frown before taking a deep breath, pondering what to do. Looking at the half-crumpled bottle of water, he took a long sip and nodded, a decision taken.

Ten minutes later, and after leaving a note to Sugu saying he would return soon, the black-haired boy left the house, not in a hurry, but neither exactly at a slow pace. On the sports bag he carried at his side, the edge of a white cape could slightly be seen hanging out, as if someone had hastily thrown it inside.

Unseen by him or anyone, the moment the gamer step out of his house, the World _shifted_ , a path that shouldn't have been taken having been opened once again.

Somewhere, something _cracked_. Slowly, Reality bleed.

As Kazuto walked forward, he didn't notice how a small and unnatural glow enveloped the 'costume' inside his bag for the briefest instant.

On its throne above Everything, Fate frowned.

Something was going in a way it shouldn't…

* * *

With a smile on her face, Asuna left the Inn after saying her goodbyes to the Sleeping Knights, the guild dispersing after several hours of strategy-discussion, explanation of tactics, and informing her about their play-styles.

All in all, it had been a very enjoyable evening for the Dual Wielder. The small but lively guild kind of reminded her of the relationship she and her friends had, as they acted more like a family than anything else, and being with them had been quite an enjoyable and interesting experience. Yuuki, specially, had a lively and cheerful aura that drew the Undine in, and that she saw also affected everyone else around her, as if the amazing Imp was a beacon that attracted and inspired those she was close with.

It was almost enough to make Asuna forget that there was something 'wrong' with her and her friends. Almost.

In a way, the blue-haired Undine mused, the one called Zekken was similar to her Sensei. Someone with amazing and unreal abilities that drew others to herself and led them around without really trying to act like a 'real leader'…but the similarities ended there.

Kirito fought to protect those he cared for, and to enjoy his life with them. Yuuki…her blade was motivated for something else. Something that gave off that 'hollow' tinge to her smiles.

The Undine really hoped to be able to help her and the others to solve whatever 'problem' they seemed to have, but for some reason couldn't shake the feeling that there was nothing she could do. It was a disconcerting thought, especially given that she wasn't someone who would surrender without first doing their best, so she decided to ignore it and push forward.

Finally remembering the time, the girl looked at the edge of her HUD and saw that she was already 'late' for dinner, or at least for the stupidly strict hour her mother had imposed for her to be down eating with her. Suppressing a scowl at the memory of last night, the Dual Wielder sighed and shook her head, knowing that angering her more wouldn't really help matters for any of them. Calmly Logging Out, Asuna took off her AmuSphere and, after remembering herself to call her friends after dinner to tell them what had happened, went down to the house's first floor, ready to face whatever her mother had to say.

That was why she was surprised when she found only a plate of food, still slightly warm, waiting for her in the dining room, but no sign of Yuuki Kyouko anywhere.

She was still pondering what that meant when the familiar voice of the housemaid called from behind her.

"Oh, Asuna-ojousama? You mother is eating in her room because of work-related matters, she said that you could go ahead and eat on your own."

"I…see. Thanks for that." nodded softly Asuna towards the older woman, who offered her a kind smile before going off to her duties. Meanwhile, the chestnut-haired girl let her eyes wander upstairs for a moment before sighing and entering the room, sitting down to eat.

She knew her mother never ate in her room, much less if she had any work to do. It was clear that her words the night before had shaken the woman more than she thought, but she did not regret anything of what she had said. The only thing she regretted was that not only she and her mother couldn't understand each other, but also that the first reaction the woman that had brought her to the world had to them was to try and evade her.

Wondering if there was any way in which she could ever fix her relationship with her mother, Asuna grabbed her phone with one hand between bites, slowly starting to write a message to Suguha and Kazuto about the day…

* * *

Opening her eyes, Konno Yuuki stared silently at the empty and round area that surrounded her.

Well, 'opening her eyes' may have been the wrong term, given that she wasn't really opening her physical ones. If anything, this was just the closest she could actually be to reality without suffering any pain.

Looking down at the massive and currently inactive screen in front of her, she saw her reflex, the actual one and not the Imp avatar: short black-brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, a thin frame that couldn't really be called 'pretty' and had slightly outgrown the 'cute' designation, and tired brown eyes. She was also wearing cream colored pants and a mostly pink jacket. Virtual imitations of what once were her favorite clothes.

The real ones probably had been destroyed already. And her real boy was only wearing a hospital gown.

Shaking those thoughts away, she quickly let her eyes roam around the small virtual room that had been her 'home' for the last years, doing her best to ignore the screens that showed the state of her heart, brain and other similar medical-related things. She knew they were important for the machine, and would sometimes be for the patients in the future, given that this was just a prototype, but they still made her feel between scared and annoyed. Yuuki really disliked coming back here whenever it wasn't needed, preferring to even 'sleep' in the virtual worlds she visited.

But this was the only place where she could freely talk with 'her' without anyone else knowing. Not even the closed rooms of Alfheim's Inns made her feel the same 'sanctity' she felt in here for _this_.

"…are you there?" she softly asked, as always fearing that she would finally get no answer and 'come back to her senses'.

 _"…Yes, you know I am, Yuu."_ whispered back the familiar voice, making the girl's heart skip a beat as she turned around, her smile widening at the ghostly figure standing there.

Identical to her, even in height, but with her longer hair styled in a ponytail (Which was kind of funny, because the hair of her Imp avatar was slightly longer). She was wearing an all-white dress and her figure seemed strangely transparent, giving her an ethereal and otherworldly appearance that would have frightened many at the implications.

Yuuki, for her part, only smiled and ran to hug her, virtual arms closing around the ghostly form as she once again felt the happiness of her delusion.

"Nee-san…nee-san…!"

 _"Shh, Yuu, calm down, you can't react like this every day."_ soothed her Konno Aiko, or Ran as their friends had known her, the original leader of the Sleeping Knights. _"Siune and the others will get worried about you…"_

Wordlessly, Yuuki nodded towards the specter of her twin sister, though not making any effort to end the hug.

She knew she had probably lost it at some point, for this to happen. That maybe something was wrong with her brain and that she was making things worst for herself by not telling Doctor Kurahashi or anyone else, but at this point she did not care.

No one else could 'see' Aiko like she did. No one else could feel or heard her. Even when she had discreetly asked her Doctor if he had seen anyone with her when they were in one of their many virtual talks, he had just been confused. From all points of view and common sense, the girl in front of her was just a product of her imagination, a happy lie that her brain used to trick her and ease the pain she had felt when she had lost the last member of her family.

She spent the whole night crying when Aiko died, only Siune and Dr. Kurahashi having been with her most of the time, given that everyone was still grieving for having lost 'Ran'. They had all lost a great friend, leader and beacon of hope. She had felt as if she had lost a part of her soul.

And then, when she had been all alone and feeling as if she would just die from sadness, feeling so horrible that she sworn she felt something 'crack' in the back of her mind…her sister had been there again, wearing the dress they once used to wear in the virtual hospice Serene Garden where they met Merida, their first friend and other of the Sleeping Knights' founders, hugging and telling her she would be with her till the end.

Yuuki didn't care if she had gone insane or not. All that she cared for was that her sister was back with her, in a way. Even if she had to pretend in front of the others, even if she had to hide the truth from Dr. Kurahashi, she would still cling to the 'Aiko' that always was with her till the bitter end.

Unseen by her, the specter's smile turned slightly sadder for a moment.

"Aiko-nee…you won't leave me, right?"

 _"I will tell you as many times as it's needed, Yuu: I won't. Ever."_ wiping a virtual tear away from her younger sister's eyes, Aiko smiled softly at her twin again. _"So, why don't we go over what you really wanted to talk about? You ready to follow Asuna-san's strategies?"_

"Ah, yeah, you bet I am!" happily replied Yuuki, almost jumping in place, the reaction bringing a genuine smile to the specter's face. "Man, she's just so amazing, and smart too! I can't believe someone like her really exists…" pumping up a fist in excitement, the girl's eyes seemed to sparkle at remembering the valiant Undine. "With her at our side, the Floor Boss is as good as beaten!"

 _"My, I'm almost jealous. Seems like someone has really caught your attention this time, Yuu."_ grinned Aiko while her hyperactive twin blinked and pouted her way. _"And you were right, uh? She really was related to 'him', though it's surprising to know she's somehow her 'disciple', right?"_

"Oh…yeah, surprising…" muttered Yuuki with a suddenly more subdued tone, her eyes darting off towards the darkness of the silent virtual space, recalling how Asuna had several times made a mention of the one she called 'Sensei'.

The specter of her sister frowned at this, walking closer and putting a hand on her shoulder, startling the girl from her deep thoughts.

 _"…are you still afraid of him, Yuu?"_ softly questioned Aiko while resting her ghostly chin on her twin's shoulder.

"I'm not…afraid of him." sulked the younger girl while pouting and looking away. "It's just that…for a moment there, that boy, he…felt as if he had become something completely different. As if a switch had been flipped and…I was no longer someone facing an opponent, but a small pebble trying to stand in front a tidal wave…"

 _"Yuu…"_ whispered the specter while hugging her tighter as she felt Yuuki shake at the memory.

"It was…overwhelming. Maybe it DID scare me for a second, but after that it was just…confusion. Wonder. And…maybe a bit of sadness, too." looking at her ghostly sister's confused expression, the younger girl had to suppress a chuckle. "I mean, having all that power inside of him, always having to hold back…he must be under a lot of pressure. I wonder…how does he deal with it? Is he like me, ignoring the issue and giving my best despite it…or is it something else?"

And as her twin sister kept pondering about the enigma that was 'Kirito', Aiko silently let go and looked towards the side, to an empty 'space' inside the Medicuboid's personal VR-area.

Outside of the hospital, on a nearby building, a caped figure with a scarf around his neck blinked, looking around warily for a moment before confirming that no one was around, before looking back at the hospital.

Kazuto had spent a good chunk of the day looking around the place, all the areas one could safely walk without raising suspicions…and others he had needed to put his 'costume' on, just in case.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to try and get INSIDE it. Those places had cameras and quite a lot of security. In fact, he wasn't really sure what he was hopping to accomplish. All that he had done so far was obtaining all the info one would need to enter into 'restricted' areas of the hospital without being detected, if they somehow had a way to get around the cameras…but really, he WASN'T going to do something that stupid. He had no real reason to do so except something that could very well be satisfy his stupid and childish curiosity. Even if he DID discover something about that Yuuki girl, what could he do about it?

Yes, the best thing would be to just go back home already, think about a good excuse to tell Sugu and then ignore this. Besides, his phone had ringed a moment ago and apparently Asuna had been informing everyone of what the mysterious Imp wanted from her.

With a resolute nod, the young vigilante turned around.

He took three steps, then looked back towards the hospital, still feeling that odd sensation of someone 'watching' him. He took a deep breath.

"…I wonder if Yui or Strea can hack cameras…"

And as he whispered those words, the spectral form of Konno Aiko smiled and turned once again to look at her mumbling twin, even as Kazuto headed back home…and unknowingly to quite a long rant from her female friends (Which had already finished with Sugu) about the siblings' 'nightly activities' as vigilantes.

Unseen, the World changed once more.

* * *

 **October 10th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Teleport Gate of Floor 27, 12:30…**

With a cheerful and brave look on her face, Asuna walked towards the Floor's Teleport Gate, already seeing the clearly nervous but determined forms of the Sleeping Knights in the distance. As she got closer, the Undine saw that Jun and Nori were already waving her way, even as Yuuki excitedly ran towards her, Siune, Talken and Tecchi only smiling when they saw her approaching. The Dual Wielder could only smile even more at this, happily greeting the hyperactive Imp and the rest.

They were good and sincere people, people who honestly needed help for something in which they believed in. That was all that mattered for her. Whatever secret they had, she would do her best to help them with, but only if they wanted her to.

For now, though…

"Okay. Ready to kick some ass?" asked Asuna with a challenging smile.

"You bet we are, Asuna!" cheered Yuuki before looking at her guild. "Right, everyone?!"

"Yes! We're going to do our best for this!" agreed Jun while raising his massive sword.

"Don't worry for anything, just leave the front to us!" grinned Tecchi while tapping his shield with the tip of his mace. "That Boss won't get past us!"

"Hell yeah, let's win this like fucking bosses, team!" shouted Nori while giving a thumbs-up to the group. "Ready, Tal-chan?!"

"Ple-please, don't call me that." sighed the bespectacled Leprechaun before giving their leader a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I-I will do my best too!"

"As you see, we're all ready to give it all." smiled Siune while raising her staff. "Shall we go, then?"

"Yes, let's go!" turning around, the Undine felt herself filled with the confidence of being able to do anything, tightly closing her fists before opening her wings. "Onwards to the Dungeon!"

As the Sleeping Knights replied with enthusiasm and the whole Party took flight, none of them, sans Yuuki, could see how Aiko's specter joined the cheer and squeezed her twin's hand for a moment.

And absolutely none of them could have known that a silver-armored being watched their flying forms going away in the distance, silently trailing their path with its heterochromatic eyes…

* * *

 _"It certainly has been changed, but this is still the 27th Dungeon, uh?"_ thought Asuna to herself when, after a while of mostly evading or quickly finishing several golem-like mobs, the group finally arrived to a long and straight corridor that led to a massive door.

"Hey, look, that's the Boss Room! Man, we really got here fast, uh?" commented Yuuki while rushing towards it, the rest of the Party having a bit of trouble to catch up with their energetic leader and friend.

And then Asuna suddenly stopped, tense, and unsheathed one of the blades she carried on her back.

"Asuna-san?" asked a confused Siune while everyone else stopped too, staring at the girl with surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes…we're not alone!" shouted the Undine while quickly spinning around, surprised squeaks echoing when Fafnir's Fang decapitated one of the 3 invisible players, the other two turning visible as they gaped in disbelief at the vanishing form of their friend, a Remain Flame being left in his place. "I knew it!"

"Wha-what the hell?! What did Roxon do to you, you crazy bitch?!" shouted the taller of the players even as the other one tried to calm him down, looking nervously at the Undine that was clearly way more powerful than them.

"I could ask you the same time!" replied Asuna while pointing her emerald sword their way, ignoring the open-mouthed Sleeping Knights for a moment. "Why were you waiting here invisible to ambush us?!"

"W-we weren't trying to ambush you, I swear!" quickly said the smaller player while looking nervously from his partner to the Remain Flame. "We were just waiting for our friends to fa-face the Boss, yeah, that's all!"

"Yes…what my friend here said…" lowly muttered the more hostile of the two while looking away.

The Dual Wielder stared at them with narrowed eyes, still not lowering her sword. She didn't need to be a SAO Survivor to know that they were lying, and quite badly at that, but she didn't have any proof of it and didn't know their motives either, so it would be better to just leave it be…for now.

"I see…my apologies, then." corrected the Undine while sheathing her blade, her eyes never leaving the pair as she kept talking. "Sorry about your friend, but if you're still waiting for a bigger group then you don't have any problem with us challenging the Boss, right?"

"N-no, of course not, this is a free world, d-do whatever you want, hah…hah…" awkwardly laughed the smaller player, quickly busing himself with resurrecting their fallen friend.

Finally deeming it safe to turn her back to them, Asuna walked back towards the Sleeping Knights and motioned them towards the door with hurry, still frowning slightly.

"Asuna…?"

"Those guys are lying, Yuuki-chan, but I don't know why, so let's go and finish this quickly before they try to do anything weird to us." whispered the Dual Wielder, getting a surprised nod from the small guild before they all hurried after her, the massive door opening for them.

As they got inside and, after walking 10 meters, the door closed behind them at the same time the torches in the area starting illuminating it, Asuna couldn't help but think how useful that small change was. Closing off the Boss Room while a Raid was inside stopped anyone else from busting inside near the end of a fight and trying to steal away the glory.

Quickly pushing those thoughts aside, the Undine concentrated on the massive form appearing before the Party, barely aware of the small gasps coming from some of the Sleeping Knights when the 27th Floor Boss finished materializing.

It was a giant, almost 5 meters tall, with four arms in an Asura-like pattern, two heads with goat-horns and red eyes looking at them with evil intent while his weapons, two wooden hammers that seemed eerily like battering rams, loomed ominously over them, gripped tightly on its upper arms. On the lower ones, thick and long steel chains that wrapped around the giant's waist rattled sinisterly as it moved, seeming strong enough to throw a truck around like a toy.

The Dual Wielder had to admit it: Ymir had really put quite the effort in remaking this one.

The Boss roared as his 4 HP bars filled themselves, moving towards the group like a force of nature ready to crush some ants. Exchanging a quick look with Yuuki, Asuna received a nod in response, the blades on her back being unsheathed as she dashed forward and to the side, idly aware of the Imp girl doing the same but in the opposite direction.

"Go everyone, just like we planned it!"

The fight began and the Sleeping Knights unleashed their best. And the Undine was quite pleased with what she was seeing.

The guild was strong. Perhaps not at the same level as the United Heroes Association (Except for Yuuki, obviously), but they also had a teamwork and synergy between them at the same level, if not slightly better, than theirs, sometimes seeming as if one member of the Party could read the minds of the others when they Switched, backed away for Siune to cast a spell or heal them, block when needed to protect a surprising attack to the damage dealers…

With such an amazing tactic, Asuna wasn't surprised when, after almost 20 minutes of fighting, the Boss' second to last HP bar was about to disappear…

And that was when something went WRONG.

The Dual Wielder froze, a familiar and sinister feeling covering her and making her skin crawl, the girl's gaze shooting everywhere in the room to try and pinpoint the source of it all and identify it…when the Boss was finally left with just one HP bar.

At that moment…something seemed to 'crash' on the giant, the beast stopping dead on its tracks for a moment before, to the utter confusion of the Sleeping Knights, wildly throwing away his weapons and unleashing an unholy roar.

Then, it started to CHANGE, the creature's muscles bulging in an insane and almost grotesque way, his skin turning a sickly purple while shining green veins appeared all over his body.

Asuna was still trying to understand if what she was seeing was really happening when, as if putting the final nail on the coffin, rhino-like horns emerged from the two foreheads of the Boss, his now razor sharp-teeth glowing ominously as it glared down at them, now almost twice its precious size.

Over his name, a new 'state' had been added, the Undine reading it but not wanting to accept the crazy impossibility.

'Asura Mode', it read.

Unleashing another earth-shattering scream, the transformed Boss shot forward with an speed it didn't had a moment before, appearing behind the open-mouthed Sleeping Knights before Asuna could even begin shouting.

"DISPERSE!" screamed the Dual Wielder even as Siune was turned into virtual toothpaste by an ungodly fast hand, leaving the Remain Flame and then shooting forward towards Tecchi and Jun, both tanks raising their shield and sword in an attempt to block the insane charge.

The Asura wasn't even slowed down, slamming two of his fists over them and throwing the Salamander and the Gnome all the way to the room's opposite side, their HP depleted as they exploded into Remain Flames.

The Undine had finally arrived to the monster's side at the same time Yuuki did, idly aware of how Nori and Talken tried to regroup as they backed away from the transformed Boss. Putting all her attention back on the unexpected enemy, the girl unleashed a Nightmare Rain Skill even as she felt the Imp girl doing the same with a Holy Cross one. The Unique Skills visibly lowered the monster's HP.

That didn't stop it from roaring again and throwing both girls away like ragdolls, once again moving with godly speed towards the two other Sleeping Knights. None of them had time to do anything other than raising their weapons before they were crushed by a quadruple punch. The Boss cackled with what seemed like mad glee at the action, turning away from the Remain Flames to stare towards the standing forms of the two girls that remained.

"Asuna! Why did it become so strong?! Isn't this way too unfair?!" shouted Yuuki while gripping her steel sword tighter.

"I…I don't know! It shouldn't have…!"

The girl's words died on her throat when, for a moment, she saw a strange, lizard-like being made out of shadows staring at them from just beside the door, moving silently over the ground to keep its small eyes over the battle.

Because of this, she was too late to hear the Imp's warning and was punched away by the massive creature, her body breaking down into the ethereal blue fire that marked the Undines' Remain Flames.

The last thing she saw before being left in the 'waiting for resurrection' state was how Yuuki roared and charged by herself towards the Asura, the abomination cackling madly before shooting towards the Imp…

Five minutes later, a slightly dejected group emerged from the Floor's Teleport Gate, the Sleeping Knights all seeming between outraged and depressed.

"What the hell was THAT?!" demanded Nori while stomping on the ground, looking at everyone as if expecting them to have an answer. "We were winning, and then…argh!"

"I know Bosses are supposed to power up or something when their HP is almost depleted, but God bless, wasn't that too hardcore?" asked Jun with a nervous look as he stared at his friends.

"Yes…it certainly was." muttered Yuuki with a serious look, grabbing the hilt of her steel sword while frowning. "In fact, it almost felt as if it wasn't…"

"Everyone, grab potions to recover and move, quick!" shouted Asuna as she emerged from the Teleport Gate, surprising the small guild as she started to jog out of the town's plaza.

"Wait, Asuna-san?!" even as they hurried after her, Siune barely managed to catch up with the other Undine as she took flight, the others doing the same. "What's going on?!"

"We need to get back and challenge the Boss again, now, or we're going to miss our chance!"

"Wait, what? Right now?!" asked a panicking Talken. "Why?!"

"Because someone was spying on us!" answered the Dual Wielder while she finished swallowing a potion, everyone sending her surprised looks even as Yuuki finally caught up with her.

"Spying on us?! But, how?! The doors to the Boss Rooms close behind us when we enter and…!"

"Yeah, I myself didn't realize, but there is a loophole around that: Tracking Familiars!" answered Asuna as they started to head straight for the dungeon. "Temporary magical creatures created through magic that allow a player to look through their eyes! They're usually used for scouting, but in this case…"

"They used one to spy on our battle with the Boss?" finished Tecchi with narrowed eyes, clearly confused. "Why would they do such a thing?!"

"Because that way, they don't need to scout ahead themselves to know all the Boss' attack patterns!" turning around, the Undine surprised everyone with the angry look on her eyes. "Remember those guys outside? How it seemed they were WAITING for us to show up? And remember how you told me you have been always losing your chances with past Bosses because a large Raid would form just after you failed a battle and take it out?"

"Wait…you can't possibly mean…" started the Imp with wide eyes, her shock spreading through her friends' faces.

"Yes, I'm afraid. These bastards have been taking advantage of your attempts to clear the Floor Bosses to do it themselves by spying on your fights, then taking advantage of YOUR efforts." growling, the Dual Wielder accelerated, noticing with approval how the Sleeping Knights finally started to take their own potions and to catch after her, Yuuki even starting to get a bit ahead of her, eyes narrowed.

She could worry about the impossibility of the Boss' oddly familiar 'transformation' later. Now, she needed to make sure her new friends didn't have the efforts to achieve their dream wasted once again.

And staring at her, the specter called Aiko slowly nodded.

* * *

This time, the group made it to the corridor leading to the Boss Room in a record time of 10 minutes. Given that they had the layout of the Dungeon pretty fresh on their minds and most of the Mobs had yet to respawn, this wasn't so surprising.

Even so, Asuna felt about to burst with a mix of anger and worry when she and the others saw that there was already a group of at least 15 players waiting in front of the door, blocking their way.

With a scowling Yuuki in tow, Asuna tried her best to put on a calm smile and walked up to the group. Ironically, the tall player from before was the one that turned around to look at them with a raised eyebrow, almost seeming to try to suppress a smile (And failing at it).

"Yes? Can we help you?" asked him in a fake-sweet tone.

"Yeah…sorry, me and my friends are going to challenge the Boss, so could you please stand aside and let us pass?" asked the Undine with an equally 'sweet' voice, catching the attention of many of the gathered Players, who looked at the Party in disbelief.

"Oh…we're truly sorry, but you see, we're waiting for some friends to form a Raid and challenge it ourselves, so I'm afraid we can't do that." replied the man with a smug smile.

"But…your friends aren't here yet." pointed out Yuuki with a blank face. "You can't block the way for other players if you're not going to challenge the Boss right now."

"Oh yeah? Who says it?" challenged him with a victorious look…

…which vanished the moment his body was cut in half by Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang, everyone's eyes widening and several shouts and screams of surprise coming from the tall man's companions as Asuna stood up, looking PISSED as hell.

"I have been having an annoying couple of days because of personal matters, I was just told last night that my boyfriend has been out doing stupid things (Even if for the right reasons) without telling me and I'm starting to really understand why Sensei seems to be so done with the world going crazy because of the thing behind that door…So if you don't want to end like him I suggest you get the fuck out of the way!" roared the Dual Wielder before pointing her weapons at the surprised players, many of them starting to shout and grab their weapons, some even starting to cast Spells.

Then Yuuki shot at Asuna's side, the Imp moving with that incomparable grace of her and cutting down the nearest player that had tried to charge at her friend.

"Heh…I'm glad you didn't hesitate with this, Asuna!" grinned the one called Zekken, the Undine staring at her in surprise for a moment before smiling back. "After all, sometimes you need to do things forcefully for others to understand them!"

The Dual Wielder closed her eyes at those words, letting the full meaning behind them echo into her mind before nodding and opening them. She couldn't agree more.

As if that was an unseen signal, the rest of the Sleeping Knights bravely charged forward after their leader and their new friend, battle cries erupting from them as the other party, despite having twice their number, started to be pushed back and lose quite quickly, Yuuki and Asuna tearing into them like a pair of deadly dancers, their blades seeming to sing as they took down several of the opposing players in less than 30 seconds, barely getting damaged in return.

That was when someone cried in relief, pointing down the hall. Eyes widening, the Undine and the Imp turned around to see almost 30 players running towards them, which were clearly the main attack force of the Raid, looking pissed and with their weapons drawn.

"It's over! You're done for, bunch of lunatics!" shouted some random Player while pointing to the Sleeping Knights.

"Oh damn!" growled Nori while slamming away a player trying to sneak up her back. "What now?!"

"I'm thinking!" shouted back Yuuki before standing at Asuna's side. "…you take the ones on the left and me the ones on the right?"

After blinking for a second at the words, the Dual Wielder couldn't help but laugh openly, patting the back of the girl called Zekken before readying her blades, despite knowing that they would most likely not survive the charge, and if they did, wouldn't be in any shape to challenge the Boss.

"Yes Yuuki…let's do that."

Inspired by the courage of the two girls, the rest of the small guild readied their weapons, ready to give their all until the end.

That was when Aiko put her hands on Yuuki's shoulders, startling the young girl as she whispered on her ear.

 _'I told you he was a good person.'_

The Imp didn't have enough time to ask what she meant before the sound of 'something' echoed through the corridor.

With a sonic boom that threw almost everyone to the floor, a blur of white and black shot down the hallway like a living bullet, going through the incoming horde of players as if they weren't there and stopping in front of the small guild with a mighty crash.

The players that were in the center of the group that had been running towards them died and turned into Remain Flames without even properly understanding what had happened. The ones closer to the walls weren't as lucky, and went flying away like bowling pins, crashing against the ceiling and the walls, those few that didn't die being left on the ground with their HP on the red and unwilling to get up, too shocked/traumatized to do so.

In front of the gaping Sleeping Knights, the slowly smiling Asuna and the trembling remains of the original group blocking the door, the caped figure stood, his face a carpet of darkness with two white voids instead of eyes, his bottomless gaze sweeping over them all…

This time, though, Yuuki didn't feel any fear when their gazes crossed for an instant. Infinite curiosity met worry and doubt, before the Spriggan's whole visage seemed to return to 'normal' on the blinking players' eyes, an awkward smile appearing on his face as he looked towards Asuna.

"Thought you could use some help." simply declared Kirito before pointing towards the door. "Go on, I will watch your backs."

"…hai, Sensei." grinned the Undine before turning around and dashing to the door, which opened as she motioned to the still frozen Sleeping Knights. "C'mon, everyone, we need to beat this thing!"

"Uh…ah…yes! Let's go!" shouted Yuuki while snapping out of her daze, her guild following cue and quickly hurrying after her towards the Boss Room.

As the door closed, however, the Imp girl risked another glance towards the caped boy and the running and screaming players, who were shouting things like _'It's him!'_ or _'Run, is the guy that punches everything!'_

Kirito stared back, a serious and apologetic look on his face. Then, he gave the girl a sad smile and a thumbs-up.

The doors closed. Sighing, the Spriggan turned around and vanished in another blur of speed. Soon, nothing but Remain Flames were left on the area.

Back with the Sleeping Knights, they had all stopped upon seeing the center of the room, a scowling Asuna facing towards the roaring form of the transformed Boss, the Asura looking at them with a mad glee, as if he could remember them, his last HP bar fully regenerated.

"Wha…?! Why is that thing still like that?!" asked a confused Talken while taking a step back. "Shouldn't it have returned to normal and had his whole HP restored?! What's going on?!"

"Just as I thought, this isn't normal…" muttered the Dual Wielder before looking back to the group. "Everyone, me and Yuuki will keep it distracted, okay?! Tecchi, Jun, protect Siune, we're going to need her to keep us alive! Nori, Talken, if we get it close enough unleash all the hell you can! Understood?!"

"YES!" replied the group without hesitation after hearing the girl's serious and determined voice, the Undine nodding towards the Imp and charging towards the berserker abomination.

Once again, the Asura laughed madly as it charged towards the girls, only making Asuna see it even more as a warped version of the character of the series her Sensei seemingly had gotten his 'powers' from. Not letting anything distract her this time, the blue-haired girl quickly sidestepped two mad punches and slashed her way along one of the upper arms of the corrupted Boss, the parody of Asura Rhino roaring madly as it tried to throw her off...only to be stopped when Yuuki flashed a brutal Light Cutter Skill over one of his legs, the attack distracting it long enough for Asuna to jump at his right face with a Double Circular.

Siune chose that moment to help out by unleashing several ice-arrows towards the Boss' neck, making it stumble backwards when they hit the strange crystal embedded where his heads met, the only part of the creature that hadn't really 'changed' since its transformation (Aside from the red eyes).

"He-Hey, I think that's his weak point!" shouted Nori while pointing at it with her weapon, the Dual Wielder and the Holy Swordswoman exchanging a quick look before nodding and running towards the Boss once again...

The abomination spun around, roaring madly and JUMPING over them like a mad kangaroo, the shock on the girls' eyes being as great as the horror reflecting in their friends' ones, who saw the creature land and start the motion to crush them like insects with two of his fists, even as they tried to turn around and react.

Yuuki managed it first, slashing at the incoming fist as she backed away...and having her steel sword destroyed by her troubles, the blade unable to withstand more strain from the absurdly powerful creature and sending her owner stumbling backwards.

Asuna saw all of this as she finished turning and just started to raise her blades, unable to do it in time and being crushed like a fly...

...or that's what would have happened, if the Undine hadn't suddenly released a scream on her own and shone with ethereal light, everyone, even the specter that followed the Imp, gasping in shock at seeing the wide-eyed Asura's hand stopped by the two crossed blades of the now mostly-metallic girl.

It seemed as if 99% of her body had suddenly turned mechanic for no reason, streamlined and bluish metal that shone in the faint light of the Boss Room covering her whole form except for her face, the Dual Wielder's eyes now sporting black instead of white.

"What the...?!"

"Sh-she transformed too?!"

"HOLY SHIT, SHE'S A CYBORG!"

"Asuna...?" whispered a shocked Yuuki from her place on the ground, staring upwards at the girl trying to stop the corrupted creature from advancing.

"I'm...too young...to deal with this shit!" growled Asuna before what seemed like honest to God rocket boosters opened on the back of her shoulders, giving her enough strength to slash away the monster's arm away and cut several of his fingers as she jumped backwards, more ice coming from a slightly recovered Siune allowing her to land at the Imp's side. "Yuuki, I'm going to need you to charge with me! If we can land a solid hit over that crystal of his, we will finish it!"

"I-I can't!" panicked the girl called Zekken while looking down at her empty hands. "That thing broke my backup sword and I'm not carrying another one!"

The Undine blinked at this, even as the Asura madly roared and decided to charge forward once again, Talken and Nori deciding to disobey her previous order and charging at it from the sides to keep it back, even as she sheathed one of her blades and, idly noticing how sinisterly comfortable she felt with that mechanic body, opened her menu, scrolling down it with the godly reaction time that earned her Dual Blades, which was only surpassed by the girl behind her.

She had grabbed it that morning from the log house after asking everyone for it last night, thinking she may need it in an emergency, if just to beat the Boss and achieve the wish of the lively guild she was helping.

But now that she thought about it...maybe she had done it for another reason?

A warning scream coming from Jun made Asuna snap back into reality and jump out of the way, those strange rocket boosters that she somehow knew how to will into activation once again helping her to get out of the absurdly fast attack's way.

Being weaponless didn't make Yuuki any slower either, so she easily evaded the direct attacks too, getting out of the way and glaring at the madly roaring Boss, cursing not having thought about memorizing at least one attack spell from her race.

It was at that moment, while she was cursing her lack of better preparation and Aiko was staring at her in silence…

"Yuuki! CATCH!"

…that she felt SOMETHING calling for her.

The Imp's head snapped to the side, the world seeming to slow down as she idly registered Asuna's words, her whole self being consumed by the golden blade soaring through the air in her direction.

Beautiful didn't begin to describe it, glorious couldn't explain its magnificence, no word could be used to define the meaning behind it…and it was calling for her.

 _'Catch it, Yuu.'_ softly muttered the specter of the girl's sister, grabbing her arm and raising it for her.

Zekken's trance-like state ended the moment Excaliber reached her hand, quickly closing it around its hilt…

And golden light bathed the world, blinding everyone as it exploded in all directions with a divine radiance.

"This…? What…?" muttered Siune while the Asura took several steps back in shock, everyone trying to look towards the core of the burning light.

"Yuuki…?" muttered Asuna while staring in shock, this not being something she had expected at all.

Before the Undine's awed eye, the Imp girl stepped out of the light, tightly gripping the Ultimate Holy Sword, ALO's strongest weapon, in her hand, a golden aura burning around her like ghostly fire even as she slowly raised the glorious blade, a smile adorning her face.

"Let's do this."

The moment those words left her mouth, Yuuki vanished from existence in a golden flash.

The next second, she was besides the left head of the Boss, swinging with a mighty cry and unleashing another Light Cutter…only this time the Skill was twice as big, and the light was no longer white, but a dazzling golden, which actually left her blade and cut a deep gash of crimson polygons through the abomination's head.

Jaws dropped even more as the Imp KICKED away from the corrupted monster's head, landing on the ground with enough force to make virtual crack appear on it, the golden aura surrounding her flaring like a second sun.

For an instant, Asuna could have sworn she saw a second figure besides her, grasping the golden blade with her and smiling with utter joy.

Then, the moment was over and the Dual Wielder shook her head, smiling as she took the crazy event in stride and rushed forward, her blades igniting with power as she shot with a mechanic jump straight at the Boss' chest.

"THE ECLIPSE!"

The Undine wondered if it was overkill that each and every single one of her slashes was only boosted by the fact that the rocket boosters on her shoulders released a burst of energy every time she swung the corresponding arm. She quickly realized that she didn't actually give a fuck about that, as long as the thing in front of her finally died.

Barely 10% of the Asura's HP was left when Asuna's Ultimate Skill finally ended. She could feel her body temporary freeze the moment the 27th Hit was over, her mechanic body starting to fall down. She knew that the corrupted abomination would be upon her before the 2 seconds gap before she could move again was over, ready to crush her like a bug…but she wasn't worried

"I got you covered, Asuna!" shouted a golden blur, speeding past her.

"Yes, finish him!"

Because the Absolute Sword was ready to finish the job.

"MOTHER'S…!"

Excaliber shone brightly, the glorious light of victory reflecting on everyone's eyes, filling the hearts of the Sleeping Knights with an unknown feeling and Asuna's one with a familiar, long-forgotten nostalgia…

"…ROSARIO!"

The Dual Wielder had seen the Original Sword Skill before. She knew how powerful and amazing it was, to be able to match with Dual Blades' second strongest one. Even if she, like her Sensei (Though she didn't know this bit), felt that it was missing 'something', she couldn't deny the beauty of power behind it.

This time, even with her 'cyborg' accelerated senses, Asuna was barely able to see a glimpse of Yuuki moving he blade before the Imp landed behind the Boss, Holy Sword raised before her face.

And a massive, pure cross of golden energy consumed the Asura, making it scream as it exploded into polygons, the data of those breaking part too before their very eyes, into golden dust that scattered into the void.

The 'Congratulations!' message echoed at the same time the aura surrounding the girl called Zekken vanished as she lowered her blade, wobbling in place for a moment, as if she had just come out of an adrenaline rush, before turning around and give everyone a thumbs-up.

The Sleeping Knights came out of their stupor by exploding in cheers, rushing forward to surround their leader. It was at this moment that the Dual Wielder noticed that, at some point, her avatar had returned to its normal Undine looks, which made her sigh. It seemed that THAT mystery wasn't going to be solved anytime soon.

Nevertheless, she pushed those thoughts aside and smiled brightly towards the cheerful Imp when she rushed towards her, barely stopping a step in front of her with confusion, which made Asuna giggle.

She was probably wondering if she should just let Excaliber fall to tackle her into a hug, so the Undine saved her the trouble by hugging her herself, making Yuuki's eyes widen.

"Good job, Yuuki-chan. You were amazing back there."

"…I wouldn't have done if you hadn't been here, Asuna." happily replied the Holy Swordswoman while returning the hug, being careful of pointing the golden blade away from them, but not letting go of it. "Thanks."

With warm and happy smiles, the rest of the Sleeping Knights watched the scene. Unseen by them, Aiko's specter did the same, before stiffening and looking to the side.

Floating outside the Tower Dungeon, the Entity finished making sure the entire 'alteration program' it had put on the 27th Floor Boss had been erased with him, before nodding and turning around, its armored body started to dematerialize. The inhuman being didn't want to keep pushing its luck. It was still too early to pick up a fight with the Cardinal of Alfheim Online.

Besides, the Entity thought as it vanished, it had already confirmed what it wanted to know.

As they finished vanishing from New Aincrad, the memory of that golden light seemed to be seared on the being's emerald/amber eyes…

* * *

After the group finally managed to calm down enough, Asuna was able to drag them up to the next floor, smiling all the while at the giddy expressions they had at being the first ones to see the geography of the 28th Floor since Sword Art Online, before activating the Teleport Gate on the main city. Another triumphant cheer had erupted from them in that moment, and Nori had proposed they all went to celebrate their victory.

To their utter surprise, the Dual Wielder himself had stopped them, remembering the small guild that they still had one important thing to do before claiming total victory. Given that they were already besides the Teleport Gate, it only took them a couple of minutes to get to Starting City, then to the Black Iron Palace.

And that was how, right now, the 7 Players were standing before the massive slab of ebony rock that was the Monument of Swordsmen, the Dual Wielder happily pointing towards the previously empty area under the mark of 'Floor 27'.

"There it is, guys. The proof of what we did today."

"…it really is here…" whispered Yuuki while touching the cold virtual rock, her hand caressing the engravings of her and her friends' names with the symbol of their guild (A heart with wings and some sort of crown), Asuna's one just under them. "…the proof that we did something amazing. That we…were here, together."

The Undine felt a deep sadness filling her at hearing the Imp's words, but quickly swallowed the question she was about to make, turning to her with a bright smile.

"Yes, you're right about that, Yuuki. But the most important part…" started Asuna before pointing towards the girl's chest, making her and the others blink. "Is that the real proof is HERE. In every one of us."

"Asuna…" muttered the girl called Zekken before Siune cleared her throat and made them turn around, showing the shining crystal she had in her hand.

"Ho-how about we take a picture to commemorate this moment?" asked the healer with a hopeful look, feeling relieved when she saw everyone else start smiling too.

Some seconds later, the entire group was smiling towards the camera-crystal, the picture of them in front of the monument, with their names just between Yuuki and Asuna, being recorded.

When that was done, the Undine just smiled and hopped down from the platform before sending a bright look towards the small guild, surprising them.

"Well, I guess that's it for now. I'm sure we all need to go and get something to eat soon, so how about we get together tomorrow to celebrate?" asked the Dual Wielder without losing her smile. "Me and my friends have a house in Floor 22, so I can introduce you to each other and we can hang out together afterwards…"

"Oh…well, Asuna…" looking to the side, a noticeable discomfort suddenly seemed to fill the Imp's face, as well as those of her friends. "We…we're going to disband the guild soon, as we told you, and be-because of that we weren't really planning on Logging In that much after this, s-so…"

"…it's okay. I understand, Yuuki. Don't try to make up excuses for my sake, okay? If there is something you aren't confortable telling me, I won't pry, I promise." declared Asuna with a sad smile, shocking everyone as they stared at her agape. "I just hope that you can tell me the truth, at some point. I may not be able to help you, but I would do my best…I have learned a lot of things from you in these two days, after all."

"Yo-you knew…?" whispered Yuuki while staring at her with absolute disbelief, a hint of fear in her eyes as she shook slightly.

"I don't 'know' anything. Maybe I am wrong, who knows? But…I like to think I have become friends with you all, especially you, Yuuki. So, let's talk again when you're ready, okay?" turning around, the Undine opened her menu and chose the Log Out option, but turned her head around before pushing on it, given one last smile to the Holy Swordswoman. "Oh, and you can keep Excaliber for now, don't worry. I'm sure my friends won't mind, Sensei broke your old sword after all."

And with those words, the blue-haired girl vanished from ALO, leaving behind a silent and guilty group staring at each other.

Biting her lips while looking down, Yuuki touched the hilt of the golden blade on her hip, feeling her sister's ghostly touch on her shoulders.

Five minutes later, after saying goodbye to everyone, she was back into the virtual space of the Medicuboid once again, her eyes wandering around the simulated reality of the machine that essentially let her have a life before sighing as she sat on the ground, trembling.

"What do I do? Nee-chan…what do I do?"

 _'…I can't answer that for you, Yuu.'_ apologized Aiko from behind her, looking away.

"I…I don't want to hurt her. Asuna…she's a great person and I'm very happy when we're with her, but…I don't want to make her suffer…" tears streamed down the girl's virtual face at the words. "By knowing my truth…"

Looking in silence at her twin, the specter felt sadness. Whether she was real or not, whether she was truly a remnant of 'Ran', of Konno Aiko, or just a figment of Konno Yuuki's imagination, that didn't change the fact that she was sad for her little sister, who couldn't find the courage to reveal her dark secret to the girl that, she knew, reminded her of herself. Of the sister she had lost and that now only remained as a specter that no one but her could perceive…

And she couldn't do anything for her. But…

"…are you there, Zekken?"

…maybe someone else could.

"What?!" said Yuuki while her head snapped up, towards the main screen, the one that showed the 'observation area' behind her 'room', willing it to turn on. A gasp escaped her throat as she stood up, Aiko silently watching from behind as a small smile appeared on her spectral face.

There, standing on the middle of the observation area and staring at what, currently, was just a reflective glass leading to pitch black darkness, was a familiar figure. He looked a bit older and with his hair a bit messier, but there was no mistaking him.

Not when he only wore black and white, with a cape of the later color on his back. Even the scarf around his face's lower half didn't stop the shocked girl from recognizing him.

Even when there shouldn't be ANY way for anyone without authorization getting into that room, and when they were in a hospital she knew had a very strict security system.

And when it was barely 4 in the evening.

"How…why…?"

"…I have come to apologize, for breaking your sword." muttered the caped boy while looking down.

"Kirito…?" was all that the shocked Yuuki could reply.

In that exact moment, somewhere in Alfheim, near Caith Sith territory…an arrow flew wildly through the sky and made a small bird-mob squeak in fright, quickly flying away.

Startled, Charon the hippogriff looked at his master, unable to believe she had failed a shot, the beast's AI somehow being advanced enough to let him feel her stiff shock.

She was currently staring at one of her friends, the one with the 'whiskers' and the dark-blonde hair, who was giving her a very uneasy smile.

"What…what did you just…say…?" muttered a trembling Sinon, staring at her fellow fairy with a frozen face, as if thinking she had gone mad.

Argo, for her part, did her best to keep the 'Strea-patented smile' on her face and not feel like a crazy maniac (As doing THIS sometimes made her feel), her sharp eyes having seen a flicker of 'hope' in the sniper's eyes.

"What you heard, Sinon-nya. What if I told you we could all be 100% happy…?"

As the evening moved on in both worlds, the World _shifted_ once again.

And for the first time, it was in a way Fate hadn't totally predicted…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…hello to you all. I'm…Konno Aiko, I guess, and my friends knew me by 'Ran' when I was alive…Hmm? I'm really me? I don't know…but I know that I want Yuu to be happy…that's all. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Truths of Life'. Secrets to light. Revelations are made. And limits are forced to be accepted…or are they? Are there really things in this world that we can't overcome? The answer may be yes, but…isn't my existence a proof of the contrary? So please…help Yuu, Hero…I beg you-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, that's done XP Sorry for the lack of presence from most of the cast, but I couldn't exactly make them fit in this part without it seeming forced. Don't worry though, that will change from the next chapter onwards, so look forward to it :3

Also, all the references to Yuuki's past and 'Aiko' made in here came from reading the sidestory 'Sisters' Prayer', which tells the tale of the Konno sisters after their parents dead and the beginning of the Sleeping Knights ;w;

So, Yuuki got Excaliber! How many saw that coming?! (Besides almost everyone XD) And she took another level or awesome because of it! HOW many saw that coming? And why does it interest the Entity so much? The answers to all of this…somewhere in the future XP!

Oh, yeah, if anyone wants a clearer 'image' of how Yuuki finished off the Boss, imagine one of those cross-shaped explosions the Angels of Evangelion like so much, but in golden :P

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Nothing much more to say except that be ready for the next chapter, it's going to be…interesting O,O Oh! Also that, as always, any help filling this fic's TvTropes page is welcome, because I'm still a very sucky Troper and the page is needed some serious update. Especially after latest chapters OwO

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	28. Chapter 22: Truths of Life

Hi, everyone! Once again, Saint wishes you all to have a good day and welcomes everyone to a new chapter of the crazy adventures of history's strongest gamer XD

By the way, WOAH! This story has reached over 800 favorites! God bless, I never thought I would make something so many people would deem worthy of favoriting…this humble author once again wishes to tell you how much he loves you all, and that it would have been impossible to get so far without your support. My most sincere thanks to you all :)

Now then, enjoy of this chapter, with some feels and fun for everyone! Also, remember that, if you have time, the TvTropes page of this story needs help being filled XP Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Truths of Life. Overcome the Impossible…?**

 **October 10th, 2025. Yokohama, Kanagawa. Yokohama North General Hospital, 16:05…**

Nowadays, Konno Yuuki wasn't someone who could be easily surprised.

Of course, after all the things she had gone through in her short life, not to mention the countless virtual worlds she had visited in the last years, little things could still take her by surprise. Oh, she always got excited by anything even remotely interesting, but truly and absolutely surprised? She hadn't felt that way in ages.

And yet, seeing HIM there, the only one who had bested her since her sister, the one with such an immense 'power' that it dwarfed everything she had ever imagined, had totally caught her off guard.

The one she knew as Kirito stood there, just outside her 'room', wearing a real-world equivalent to his in-game 'Superhero costume', looking down with a mix of guilt and nervousness. Her mind was awhirl with the implications, a part trying to cope with the impossibility of the surreal situation and the other scared at how he had discovered her 'secret' in such a direct way. The part that won over the 'fight', however, was another, much smaller one. The one that had heard his words.

"…my sword?" whispered the girl with a stunned voice, despite knowing that the boy would still heard her perfectly clear thanks the sound-reproduction system connected from the Medicuboid to the Observation Room.

"Yes…I shouldn't have run away that day without even offering you some money to pay for a new one, and for what Asuna told us that almost cost you all the fight, right? I want to apologize for that…and offer that you keep Excaliber in exchange." muttered the caped boy while staring at the reflective crystal that separated him from where the girl 'was'. "Asuna suggested it a little while ago and everyone was pretty much okay with it. She was planning on telling you next time she found you online, but…guess I got a bit ahead of her."

"…how long have you…?"

"Know? Well…since we were finishing our fight, you could say." sighed Kazuto before lowering his scarf, letting Yuuki see that, effectively, his face was the same in the real world and in Alfheim. "At the time, I wasn't exactly sure, but I started to think deeply about it, then investigate. Skill aside, you could have only moved like THAT if you somehow had an even longer time of FullDive experience than a SAO Survivor, so I quickly connected the dots…"

"Wait…how could you possibly know I have been using VR for longer than a survivor of Sword Art Online?" demanded the shocked girl, only to see the gamer smile sadly her way.

"Because I'm one. And my friends too." he accepted as if he was talking about the weather, making Yuuki gasp. "And you have seen firsthand how amazing they are, yet you were able to surpass them. And so…that's what led me here." looking down, the caped boy suddenly seemed slightly ashamed, to the girl's surprise. "I'm…sorry about this. It will probably look crazy and weird for you, but I just couldn't…do nothing. I needed to find the truth…because I couldn't stop remembering that there was something wrong with your smile."

"Ki-Kirito…" started Yuuki before the boy rested his forehead on the crystal, silencing her with a bitter chuckle.

"Worst part is, I was almost ready to stop, you know? This wasn't my business, we barely spoke to each other and I was clearly going 'too far'…but then Asuna told us why you were doing those duels. How you and your guild wanted to beat a Floor Boss to get your names on the Monument, because you were going to disband it soon, to have a 'good memory'…and that bad feeling I had grew stronger." slowly, Kazuto raised his face, staring silently at the crystal of the clearly sealed off room. "And now…now I get it. You wanted a memory because…you're not going to be with them much longer, right?"

Absolute silence was the caped boy's answer. As the seconds passed, the uneasiness in him started to grow and he was wondering if he should leave…when, without warning, lights turned on at the other side of the crystal, filling the previously darkened room in a way that nullified the reflective effect on the glass, allowing him to see inside.

A part of Kazuto almost wished it hadn't, the moment his eyes set into the room.

It was mostly white, and you could almost _feel_ the cleanliness and artificially sterilized air it had inside. But what truly caught one's attention was the figure on its center.

In the middle of the room, there was a bed, big enough for two adult people, despite only one young teen being currently on it. The head of the bed was slowly raised, allowing for the extremely thin girl of sickly-looking skin to be half-sitting up, which let her head to be half covered by a massive device.

The part around the head seemed like a slightly modified Nerve Gear, but the main one was an enormous and cube-shaped piece of machinery, with a screen on the front and the word 'Medicuboid' on it. Big cables sprouted from its back, connected to the ceiling, where also other cables, that were connected to 'bracelets' around the girl's hands and neck, arrived. At her sides, IV drips were lazily connected to her arms and a couple of screens around her seemed to be constantly monitoring her vital signs, from her heartbeat to her brain-patterns.

"…my name is Konno Yuuki." came the girl's voice from what the gamer now knew wasn't a speaker, but a system connected from the machine's virtual space to its outer systems. "I'm the first tester of this machine, the Medicuboid, and I have been connected to it almost daily for the last 3 years. I also haven't abandoned this especially isolated area in that time…" biting her lips inside the virtual space from where she watched the frozen boy, the girl found strength to keep talking in the warm and spectral hands grabbing her shoulders. "And…I suffer from Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. My whole family got infected because of complications when I and my twin sister were born. Me and the Sleeping Knights…we're all patients in terminal care of different hospitals, and we met in a special virtual area where people like us can Log into. My twin sister, I and two friends founded the guild. They're all dead now, my sister a year ago…and soon, two more of us…well, next year's will probably be…the last spring we share together…"

"…I see." finally whispered Kazuto, hands clenched as he looked down at hearing the girl's resigned and sad voice. "That's why you all wanted to do the whole deal with the Boss…"

"Kirito…please, go back home and…forget about me. Forget about this." Yuuki's voice came filled with sadness and pain as she said those words. "It will be better for…"

"Are you an idiot?!" the boy's sudden shout made the girl almost jump in place inside her virtual space, looking in shock at the anger in his teary eyes. "You're asking me to forget about you when you're obviously in so much pain?! And I'm not talking about your physical body! Your soul…you're hurt, right? Asuna sounded so sad before, when you and your friends were hesitant to keep seeing her…and that's because you yourself don't want to hurt others. You're isolating yourself, Yuuki, putting walls around your heart not unlike the ones of this room and hurting yourself because you don't want others to be sad for you…" suddenly, the boy slammed a closed fist against the crystal separating him from the girl's room, and though there was no strength behind it she couldn't help but cringe, the illusion of the window breaking like nothing having appeared on her mind. "And that's unfair. For Asuna…and for you."

"You…how can you say that, after…?"

"Seeing this? Knowing this? What about it?" asked the caped boy with an extremely serious look, making the girl's words die on her lips. "All I see…is a girl who worries too much about others and very little for herself. Someone kind enough to ignore her own condition for the good of those she considers close to her, no matter how much that hurts her. Someone who doesn't deserve what life has done to her…and I don't, and never will, regret having met said girl, no matter what." closing his eyes, Kazuto put again the scarf properly around his face's lower half. "Please…talk to Asuna, Yuuki. Not only for her sake…for yours too. She's a marvelous person, and I know she will be the friend you need."

With those words said, the boy turned around, starting to walk away.

"Wha…?! Wait, Kirito…!"

"…my real name is Kirigaya Kazuto." silently said him before turning back towards her with a small smile. "It's only fair I tell you, after all."

"That…no, well, I wanted to ask…" suddenly, Yuuki was glad that he couldn't see her face, because she was blushing and looking away in childish embarrassment. "…how did you get in here with that costume without anyone noticing?"

"…oh. Well, to tell you the truth…"

"Papa!" suddenly came a voice from the boy's pocket, making the hospitalized girl blink when he hurriedly got out a small portable terminal and stared at someone's face on it. "Quick, get out, someone is coming that way!"

"What?! Did the loop you put in the cameras fail?!" asked the suddenly panicking gamer.

"No, Strea-nee is still with that, but this guy is just going that way for no apparent reason! Ah, he's already…!"

Without more preambles, the door to the observation room opened, Yuuki wincing slightly when the bespectacled form of Dr. Kurahashi, the one who had helped her with her illness since she was little, entered the room.

The man quickly blinked, his face morphing into one of utter shock, clearly not having expected to find a cosplaying boy inside the supposedly empty and restricted area. The girl that was called Zekken in ALO was starting to fear he would start screaming for security…

"Holy shit! You're the Caped Sidekick!"

…when he instead shouted something totally unexpected, pointing at Kazuto as if he was a ghost.

"…what?" asked a thoroughly confused Yuuki, even as the caped boy seemed to resist the urge to facepalm for some reason.

"Yes…it's me." simply declared the gamer before turning around and pointing dramatically towards the hospitalized girl, startling her as he deliberately made his cape flap at doing so. "Remember what I told you, Yuuki, it's for your sake! And…don't worry. I…I promise I will do my best to help you."

Then, without saying more, he spun around again in an overdramatic way, his cape flapping as he rushed past the shell-shocked doctor and into the hallway, starting to run like hell.

Five more seconds passed before Kurahashi blinked and looked back towards the hall, as if still trying to confirm if what had happened hadn't been a dream produced by staying up late with too much coffee.

"…how the hell did he get in here?" asked the doctor to no one, clearly at a loss. "Were…were the rumors true?! Does he really teleport anywhere he wishes by falling out of the sky?!"

"…what?" repeated Yuuki once again, much to Aiko's amusement and also getting the attention of her medic.

"O-oh, Yuuki! Are you okay?! Wha-what happened? What did that urban-hero had to tell you?!"

"U-uh?! No-nothing special, he just…wanted to ask me about my life and…promised to help me…" muttered the still shocked girl, not believing that the caped boy had said that, knowing that nothing could really help her…and yet, a part of her still wanting to believe his words. "…wait, what's that about 'Urban Hero'?"

"You don't know? Oh, well, I guess you won't really read about news of that kind in your free time, and I have never brought it up in our talks, but you see, there has been this 'vigilante' called 'The Bicycle Girl' close here in Kawagoe for quite some time now! Sounds crazy, right?" not even given the girl time to answer, Kurahashi pointed behind himself, clearly excited. "And you see, some time ago she suddenly disappeared, then came back but with ANOTHER vigilante helping her! And that was him just now, the Caped Sidekick! God, I can't believe I just saw and talked to him!"

"Wo-woah, yes…that's quite surprising, Kurahashi-san…" sweatdropped Yuuki while promising herself to look into that a bit later, also glad that the man was apparently too distracted talking with her and by the shock of meeting a 'real life vigilante' to remember he should probably call the police because someone unknown had gotten into the hospital and into what probably was its more secure room.

Slowly, she looked to the side, thinking again over the words Kirito…Kazuto had told her.

A smile spread over her face, the girl taking a decision.

And as Yuuki happily asked the surprised doctor if he wanted to come to a 'celebration party' the next day in Alfheim Online before quickly getting ready to call the rest of the Sleeping Knights, the specter of her twin sister smiled even more.

She had been right about that boy, it seemed…

* * *

Arriving home tired, hungry and slightly out of break, Kazuto cursed having decided not to use his bike to go to Yokohama, in the improbable case anyone saw him riding it and recognized him. Because of that, he had been forced to wait for the bus more time than he thought, getting lost 2 times after running out of the hospital…before remembering he could just ask Yui or Strea for directions.

That was why now, almost 7 in the evening, the gamer entered his home with his phone without any battery left and an exhausted and deep-thinking expression, having had almost 3 hours to think about everything that had happened and that he had been told. Of course, he had sworn both Strea and Yui to secrecy about what had happened, until or if Yuuki decided to tell anyone else about her condition or that of her friends. At the very least, he hoped the girl would talk to Asuna about it. It was clear that his disciple and girlfriend had grown very close to the hyperactive Imp in the short time they had known each other and he knew she would feel really down if Yuuki stopped talking with her without an explanation, no matter what the Dual Wielder said.

That, of course, made his thoughts go back to the poor girl confined to that hospital's room. Konno Yuuki was someone who didn't deserve what life had done to her. Perhaps he knew little of the girl by himself, but from their brief battle, what Asuna had said and the small interaction he had had with her both in ALO and in the real world he could heartily say she was a beautiful person. The moment he had seen her real body, all pale and thin in that bed, only able to interact with the world thanks to the prototype machine known as Medicuboid, and heard her story, he hadn't feel pity or anything similar. He had just felt angry. Angry that the world could be such an unfair place so as to allow something like that to happen.

People had called him a Hero several times, and he had even 'accepted' it a couple. He wouldn't hesitate in doing something good or helping out others if he could, it was something that was ingrained in his nature nowadays. And he was willing to do the impossible and beyond for those he loved. But…

What could he do in this case? He wanted to help her, the girl called Zekken, Yuuki the Imp, Konno Yuuki. He wanted to try and do anything and everything to fill that hollow smile he had seen in her face when they fought, now that he knew the true meaning behind it…but he couldn't just 'punch away' her problems. Even if he truly had Saitama's power in reality, he wouldn't be able to punch her AIDS away. He wasn't any medical genius either, so the possibility of him suddenly finding a miraculous cure for one of the few viruses mankind was still as unable to heal now as it had been the last decades.

There was nothing Kirito could do to save Konno Yuuki's life. Kirigaya Kazuto could think of a couple of things that could 'help' her, especially that small project he had been working in lately with some help of Keita and Sachi, but nothing that could really 'save' her in the long run.

He almost felt like cursing everything in that moment, some bitter words he had heard sometime ringing in the back of his mind: _You can't save everyone._

And yet…he wanted to try. Even if there was nothing he could do, even if it seemed impossible in all senses…that didn't mean he should just give up from the beginning, right? Even if he knew it was a hopeless situation from the very beginning, he would still try his best, hoping for a miracle, because…

Wasn't that what real Heroes did?

"Onii-chan?" suddenly called a clearly surprised Suguha, coming from upstairs and staring at his silent and unmoving form. "Are you back already? I was starting to worry that…"

The girl was suddenly cut off when Kazuto looked at her and ran to her side, trapping her in a hug and kissing her. The young kendoka was so shocked that she froze for at least three seconds before softly kissing him back. The moment they separated, Suguha was sporting a bright blush on her face as she stared in wonder at the black-haired boy. That had been the first time he himself had tried to kiss either her or Asuna.

"…hello, Sugu." he softly whispered while smiling at her.

"Not that I'm complaining, quite the opposite in fact, but…any special reason for that?" asked the younger Kirigaya while happily resting her head on his chest.

"I…guess I just realized how lucky I really am, to have you and Asuna in my life. And everyone else too…" reluctantly letting go of her, the gamer looked at his girlfriend with a conviction that truly surprised her. "And I swear I will always do my best for you all, no matter how difficult it seems."

"…Onii-chan, did something happen?" curiously asked Suguha while tilting her head, a suddenly teasing smile appearing on her face. "Don't tell me you were thinking impure thoughts of another girl besides me or Asuna and you were feeling guilty?"

"It was just ONCE, dammit, I can't control my dreams! Besides, it wasn't even Sinon, she was acting too much like a kitty!" shouted Kazuto with a suddenly burning face, before freezing at realizing what he had shouted, even as the young kendoka stared blankly at him.

"…eh?"

"Uhm, I…look how late it is, I need to bathe before starting to help out with dinner!" quickly said the black-haired boy before rushing upstairs as if his feet were on fire.

"Wa-wait a minute, Onii-chan! What have you been dreaming about Sinon-san?! Come back here!"

And with all the chaos that ensued, Suguha would forget, until the next morning, to tell the gamer about how, just twenty minutes ago, Asuna had happily invited everyone to a celebration party in the log house, after Yuuki had called her telling that she and the rest would be there.

Despite this, everything was still right with the world…

* * *

The moon shone upon the land of fairies, and in the floating castle that lazily levitated over its skies, the silence and peace of the night had already started to lure the usual players to retire and sleep, leaving the place for the hardcore people that never slept and those gamers that had little social life outside the virtual world.

Floor 22, however, was absolutely deserted at night. Perhaps because of the many sinister and unsettling rumors that had spawned around it since it was unlocked, perhaps because of the chills and terrifying sensations of being watched players would get when walking through its darkened forests or perhaps because of the screams that would be heard in it from time to time, the truth of the matter was that no one really liked to be in that particular Floor of New Aincrad at night.

And that was why it was the perfect place for the hooded figure to meet with the darkness-covered being, whose red eyes seemed to illuminate the darkness with a bloody light.

"Ah, my young pupil. You have come." whispered the darkened figure while tilting its head to the side. "I hope you bring satisfactory news about our 'master plan'…"

"Strea, please, cut that out. NOW." muttered an annoyed Argo while lowering her hood, getting a sheepish laugh in response as the Gnome girl deactivated her Darkness Blade and sheathed Gram on her back. "It's not funny. I HATE being in this place at night."

"So-sorry, Argo-chan, but I just saw this anime yesterday and couldn't help but want to play at the 'Evil Overlord'." apologized Strea while grinning at the Caith Sith, who just huffed and looked away. "So, how did 'things' go with Sinon-chan today?"

"…I finally decided to try and 'bring her to our side', so to speak." revealed the information broker with a suddenly serious face…and by serious it means she seemed to be struggling to not grin at the memory. "As expected, she freaked out and called me crazy before threatening me and Logging Out with a burning face."

"Oh…? Well…just as we predicted, uh?" laughed the Gnome with a massive smile.

Argo had to suppress the need to shiver, remembering once again that the bubbly girl could be scarily smart…for the things she wanted, anyway.

"Yes, probably. If yours and Yui's predictions are correct…"

"Which they are…" sang Strea while an annoyed tic appeared on the whiskered girl's face.

"…then she must be right now going around her apartment and unable to sleep while my words 'haunt her very mind and understanding of morals in a fierce battle for her heart's desires'." quoted the Caith Sith while the Gnome gave her a thumbs-up. "…you were also right that she seemed to have a 'reaction' when I mentioned Leafa-chi and how it was 'very possible' that she and Kii-bou were already in a 'secret relationship'."

"Excellent." declared Strea while putting her hands together in a very cute way, totally at odds with her 'dark' tone of voice. "By the end of tomorrow we will most likely get Sinon-chan on our side, with some reluctance that will most likely go away when we start 'Phase 3'. And that's just in the worst-case scenario…"

"Wait…that's the 'worst-case scenario'?" asked Argo with disbelief while staring at the AI. "Then what the hell is the 'Best-case' with her?"

"Oh, that she will most likely spent the whole night masturbating and/or having sexual phantasies about herself, Kirito and Suguha-chan, and will then be all aboard the 'Plan' by tomorrow." bubbly waved it off the Gnome, only to blink in confused at the frozen and wide-eyed stare the gaping info-broker was giving her. "What? She's a 16-years old girl living alone in the city, who has had serious problems relating to people since she was a child, has just recently overcome a severe trauma that she has suffered for as much time and is experiencing her first serious crush. And that's without going into the whole bit of unleashing her pent-up rage into a game of guns or the worshipping-complex she has towards said crush's little sister because she became a serious focal point in overcoming her problems after saving her from a traumatic event. Do you have any idea HOW MUCH repressed sexual frustration she has to have?"

"…you know…sometimes I really forget you were meant to be a psychologist-program…and it really scares me when I remember." whispered the Caith Sith with an extremely faint voice.

"Ah…I will take that as a compliment!" cheered the AI before spinning around and pointing to the sky, the sudden change in her demeanor making Argo sigh, thinking she should be used to it already. "After tomorrow, we need to start thinking more about who our next target will be! With Sinon-chan in our side, maybe we can even start going faster, heheh!"

"…I think I remember that Liz won't be totally opposed to the idea…" commented the whiskered girl while vaguely wondering when had she started to become fully a part of this craziness, but unable to deny she dearly wished for the 'objective' to become a reality. "But can we please talk about this tomorrow, or in another place? I really hate being here…I always have this creepy feeling of being watched…"

"Really? You don't have to worry about that, Argo-chan!" cheerfully assured Strea to the shivering girl. "Our neighbor is making sure we're alone and no one eavesdrops this conversation!"

"…ne…neighbor?" nervously asked the Caith Sith, suddenly having an ominous feeling.

"Yep. Look, he's right behind you."

Slowly, against her better judgment, Argo turned around…and looked up.

The inhumanly tall and slender figure in the black suit 'looked' back at her with its white and faceless head. then, it waved at her, as if in greeting.

Ten seconds later, the information broker could be seen screaming like a possessed and jumping off the side of Aincrad, never stopping her screams until she crashed down face-first into Salamander territory. She also apparently forgot she could actually fly.

Back on the clear of the forest, a confused Gnome was blinking in the direction in which her friend had run off, looking back at the tall abomination with honest confusion.

"…why did she do that?"

For all answer, the slender being could only shrug.

And that was another normal night ending in New Aincrad…

* * *

 **October 11th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 22, 12:30…**

"Hmm…I hope there is enough for everyone…" worriedly muttered Asuna while looking over the food gathered, even as Yui happily floated down on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Asuna-mama! We even got Agil-san to help us, and Leafa-san also had practiced a bit of her Cooking Skill, so…"

"Yes, I know." muttered the Undine with a small sigh. "But even so, is in moments like these that I wonder what would have happened if I had tried to actually learn how to cook in SAO, at least. I really want Yuuki and the others to enjoy this party…"

Being honest, the Dual Wielder was sure that, if she had stayed on her own, she most likely would have tried out the Cooking Skill in the Death Game, probably by a mix of boredom and curiosity, given that, thanks to her upbringing, she had never cooked anything in her life.

Of course, she had then met her Sensei, and then no part of her free time was ever boring or lacking in fun again, so she totally forgot about it, preferring always to do more 'productive things', as Kirito would say, or just enjoy their time together and, later, with the others. Hence why she still knew crap about cooking, though she had started to try and get better at it, both in the virtual world and in reality, for…personal reasons.

It had nothing to do with that magazine about 'How to be a Good Wife' that she had casually seen in the school's library the other day, no sir. That would be silly…

"There, there, I'm sure they will enjoy it a lot, Asuna-mama." happily said the small pixie while patting the fairy's cheek.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, I'm just being a worrywart and I should just hope for the best when everyone arrives…" muttered Asuna while looking around, raising an eyebrow at a particular scene. "Oh? I wonder what Strea-san is talking with Argo-chan?"

"Ah, probably something about the next Boss Battle, you know how Argo-mama is." innocently smiled Yui, discreetly making a mental note of how the 'nervousness' that the Undine felt when she called someone else 'mama' had reduced in a 95%, even if she hadn't realized, since her sister's words to her and Leafa in the Excaliber event. Just as planned.

"Hmm, maybe you're right…but why does Argo has that haunted expression and it's looking at the trees all the time?"

"Uhm…oh, look, the rest are arriving!"

"Eh?! Really?! Aaah, I need to go inside and bring out the other table!" squeaked the Dual Wielder before shooting towards the log house, even as the small AI sweatdropped.

And meanwhile, on the other side of the log house's clearing…

"I…I knew you were someone related to dark and evil forces, but to think you could control…THAT THING…" shivered the information broker while looking around with disturbed eyes, her ears and tail clearly showing her frightened state. "You're truly a messenger of the darkness, uh…?"

"…I think you really have a problem with our shy neighbor, Argo-chan, but if it makes you feel better I will not ask for his help again if you're involved, okay?" commented the Gnome with an awkward smile. "Anything for the sake of the 'Plan', after all!"

"…talking about that…I can't fucking believe it, but look that way." weakly muttered the Caith Sith while looking to the side, making Strea follow her line of sight and let a smile appear on her face as a certain blue-haired sniper made her way towards them, fidgeting and making a point to not stare directly into their eyes.

"Hey…" started Sinon for a moment before looking at them, a noticeable blush on her face as she quickly averted her gaze from the pair. "…that idea Argo was talking about yesterday…I think it wouldn't hurt if I heard a bit more about it…"

"…you're REALLY scary." simply said the info-broker while staring at the SMILING Gnome.

"Heheh, you're so funny, Argo-chan!" was all Strea replied before putting an arm around the other Caith Sith's shoulders, the girl stiffening when the sudden feeling that she had just entered into the inescapable reach of a sinister force working for 'good' reasons washed over her. "Now then, why don't you come and hear us out after Asuna introduce us to her new friends?"

And as the cheerful AI dragged away the clearly nervous Sinon, even as the mysterious Zekken and her Sleeping Knights arrived, Argo allowed herself a moment of not staring in fear at the woods to materialize a list and, quickly, cross the sniper's name from it before making small notes and putting it away. She had to accept that, madness aside, she was truly impressed. Strea and Yui's plan may actually work, even if she was sure she was going to be missing a few years of her life and mental health by the end of it.

At that moment, just walking out of the log house to greet their guests, Leafa shivered for an unknown reason. Kirito, who had just arrived and was staring with a soft smile at the small guild exchanging greetings with his own, shivered too. Asuna would have probably suffered the same fate, but she was too busy hugging the life out of Yuuki and happily greeting the Sleeping Knights to notice it.

A while later, after the introductions were out of the way, the boy clad in white and black was looking over the gathered people with a bright look on his face, everyone seemingly enjoying their interactions. He saw Silica and Liz happily exchanging tales with Nori and Jun, the blacksmith Leprechaun apparently boasting something about her latest creations, with the kunoichi Caith Sith showing off her Fuuma Shuriken as proof to the awed pair. Not far from there, Keita and the boys were laughing openly with Siune and Tecchi as they ate some of the barbecue that had been prepared, and Agil was apparently hearing with interest how Sachi gave tips to Talken about the use of the spear. Philia was currently chatting away with Yui about something he couldn't quite understand (Unless he wanted to eavesdrop, and he had no intention of doing so. But c'mon, what could innocent Yui say that he had to worry about?). A bit more strange, perhaps, was how Strea, Argo and Sinon were a bit separated from the main group and talking mostly in whispers, but he was sure that it was probably was of those 'girls talks' he had learned not to try and interrupt back in SAO.

Leaning against the side of the log house itself, Asuna, Yuuki and Leafa were cheerfully talking, even if there was an almost unnoticeable nervous feeling coming from the Imp girl.

The moment he looked her way, the one called Zekken seemed to 'feel' it, turning her eyes in his direction for a brief instant. He merely offered a comforting smile in return.

Suddenly seeming to take a decision, Yuuki slowly nodded (If to him or to herself was anyone's guess) before excusing herself with Leafa, confusing the Sylph while she asked Asuna to follow her a bit away, exchanging quick looks with her guild as the confused Undine followed.

Watching over the scene too, the specter called Aiko smiled softly, turning her ethereal stare towards the caped Spriggan. It seemed that he had really helped her sister change her way of seeing things, in more ways than one. When she was able to, after almost a minute of talking, see how Asuna quickly trapped a shocked Yuuki in a bear-hug, whispering softly to her ear, the specter felt a curious mix of sadness and happiness overcoming her. One way or another, Yuu soon wouldn't need 'her' anymore. The only thing Aiko wished was that it was in the happiest way possible, and maybe, as impossible as it seemed, that boy in the jumpsuit and cape who seemed to be called a 'Hero' by many others would be able to help her out with that. It was what she wanted to believe when she saw the happy tears running down her sister's eyes as she hugged Asuna back. Idly, she sent a grateful look towards the silent Kirito.

Her very existence froze when she saw him look straight at her.

No…it was impossible…was he seeing…?

That train of thought vanished when, with a soft call of 'Onii-chan!', Leafa the Sylph passed straight through where she was, heading towards the Spriggan with a big smile, he answering in kind. Aiko's specter released a relieved sigh she didn't know had been holding. It was obvious that he had been looking at something else. No one but Yuuki could perceive her doubtful existence. Those thoughts in 'mind', the specter called Aiko turned around, moving once again towards the form of her twin, who was now coming back accompanied by an encouraging-looking Asuna. Unbeknownst to her, many things with great ramifications would happen that day.

A bit later, Yuuki Asuna would go the Yokohama North General Hospital to personally meet Konno Yuuki and, after reassuring her once more, promise she would be her friend no matter what, which would later allow for her and the other Sleeping Knights to openly admit their 'conditions' to the rest of the United Heroes Association. They would all accept them in the same way, if there was any doubt.

A couple of hours after that, Keita and Sachi would receive a call from their friend and crush (In the latter's case) to ask for them to help him finally test the 'project' they had been working on, to give Yuuki a 'surprise' after talking with Asuna.

At midnight, as the next day began and the moon shone brightly on a 'perfect' land with an impossible floating island, an inhuman Entity would look in wonder as three different 'cocoons' of data cracked open.

But perhaps the most simple, ignored yet transcending one, happened in that same moment, when, for an instant, Kirito's gaze shifted away from his adoptive sister.

It stopped directly over Aiko's ethereal form before looking away again…

* * *

 **October 15th, 2025. Nishitokyo, Tokyo. SAO Survivors School, 07:30…**

Kazuto wondered if he should find funny or endearing the way in which Asuna nervously fidgeted as he finished making the last adjustments to the small and camera-like device that he was placing over her shoulder. Deciding that it was better to not temp his luck, he simply sent his girlfriend an encouraging smile as he finally finished preparing the Audiovisual Bidirectional Communication Probe (ABCP) and, after making sure the connection between it and Asuna's phone worked perfectly, turned around towards Toshiyuki and Saori, who were currently looking over the device's different data input in the computers of the mechatronics club.

"It's everything working? Any problems with the connection?"

"No, seems like everything is in order here." commented Toshi before looking towards his long-time friend. "What about your end, Sachi?"

"…done! There were some small problems in the connection, but I think they're fixed now." smiled the spear-user before giving a thumbs-up towards the black-haired boy. "Everything should be ready, Kirito-sa…I mean, Kirito-kun!"

"Tha-thanks, Sachi." replied Kazuto with a sweatdrop, pointedly ignoring Asuna's chuckle as he turned to the probe and turned it on. "Okay…Yuuki? Is everything fine? Can you hear and see us clearly?"

"Ye-yes!" answered the hospitalized girl's awed voice from the small device, making everyone in the room smile. "Man, I can't believe you could make something like THIS…you guys are amazing!"

"Well, it's not really all that great. Just something we came up with for our own reasons…" vaguely muttered the gamer while remembering how they came up with the idea to help Yui and Strea 'visit' the real world, the base program that ran the device being the one they tested the other day in the Dicey Café, after the Excaliber incident. "Anyway, this is just a prototype, to be honest. We're planning on it becoming something more complex…"

"Yeah, it's our dream that future versions allow free movement and even interaction from virtual spaces!" happily informed Saori with bright eyes, a fist raised at the thought.

"It would be something incredible when that happens, don't you think so, Yuuki?" asked a smiling Asuna towards the camera.

"Really?! That would be awesome!" continued the excited girl, everyone almost imagining the stars on her eyes. "Like, if you could put this thing in a flying drone and then someone could control it from this side! Or even in a robot!"

"Sadly, the budget for school's clubs doesn't quite cover the costs for things like that…" muttered Keita while sweatdropping. "Also, that last bit sounds uncomfortably close to those American movies about machines taking over the world…"

"Please, Keita, be serious." waved it off Kazuto with a snort. "No one would ever be stupid enough to try and use advanced AIs to control weapons."

At that moment, in a super-secret location in the Japanese sea, Kikuoka Seijirou sneezed, looking around in confusion.

"Well, that aside, I guess this will have to do for now." laughed Asuna before sending a thankful look to everyone and then smiling at the probe again. "Ready to go to class, Yuuki?"

"Uhm…yes, I am ready!" replied the hospitalized girl with a conviction-filled voice, the black-haired boy almost imagining her pumping up her fists as she said that. "Let's go and do this, Asuna!"

"Remember to meet us with in the break to eat something, okay?" reminded then Saori as the chestnut-haired girl started to walk away. "And don't make any sudden movements, that could damage the probe!"

"Don't worry, Sachi, we got this!"

"Until later, thanks again!"

"…well, they're off." commented Toshi while crossing his arms, looking towards his friend and leader with a puzzled look. "You really think this was a good idea?"

"Of course. Yuuki needs as much normalcy as she can get. She deserves this after how unfair life has been with her…" whispered Kazuto while a slightly sad aura overtook his friends for a moment, before he abruptly stood up and surprised them with a smile. "So, why don't we start heading to class already? We're going to want to review all the data those two gather later, right?"

With their spirits raised again at his words, the two nodded before exiting the room, the black-haired boy stopping for a moment at the door before shaking his head and looking forward with determination.

A couple of hours later, in one of the many open areas in the school's grounds, all the SAO Survivors of the UHA sat while happily chatting and prepared to eat their lunchboxes, a shy but still clearly happy Yuuki also participating in the conversation.

"…and then I was asked to read the whole page! Aahh, I was so nervous…but I managed to do it, and everyone praised me!" cheered the happy girl's voice from the small device, which was moving excitedly from Kazuto to Asuna, who were sitting beside each other. "Thanks a lot for this again, Asuna, Kirito! Coming to school is being something great!"

"Educators around the world can shed tears of joy at knowing there is someone saying that." chuckled Rika with a small smile before looking back to her side. "So, what did you wanted to tell me, Argo?"

"Yes, you see…would you help me out with a Quest tomorrow?" innocently asked Shiori while looking aside. "It may involve some rare materials and I wanted your expert opinion about that…"

"Oh, sure, count me in! What…?"

"…and that was the moment when the giant chicken tried to eat Ducker here whole!" narrated Kenji, much to the amusement of Kotone and Saori and the annoyance of Takuya. "You should have seen his face!"

"Dammit, Tetsuo, it WASN'T like that!"

"It must have been quite the enlightening experience, almost being eaten by a giant chicken." grinned the katana-user before taking a bite of her food, which ironically included some fried chicken.

"Phi-Philia-san, please, don't be so harsh on him…" pleaded the spear-user while trying to act as peacekeeper, despite the fact that she had also found the story to be extremely hilarious. "I'm sure…!"

"Se-Sensei, wo-would you like to taste a bit of this?!" suddenly asked Asuna with a flushed face holding her lunchbox towards the blinking gamer and making sure to be as silent as possible while doing so. "I-I would like you to tell me how I made it …"

"Woah, you prepared it, Asuna?" muttered the boy in slight awe while holding his chopsticks and taking a bit of the food towards his mouth, even as the Dual Wielder and, surprisingly, Yuuki looked at him in expectation. "…ah, is really good! You have talent for this!"

"Yeah, I think the same, Asuna! The food in ALO the other day was great!" cheered the hospitalized girl through the probe, before looking down a bit depressed. "Though I wish I could also eat with you all right now…"

"O-oh, Yuuki…" muttered the chestnut-haired girl with a suddenly grief-stricken face, looking down. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't think."

"Don't worry, that's not a problem." reassured them the gamer with a soft smile, making both girls blink.

"Uh? What do you me…?"

"Hi there, Yuuki-chan!" came a sudden and unexpected voice from the girl's side, making her turn around in shock to see a certain pair of girls standing behind her, inside the Medicuboid's virtual space, the younger-looking one holding a picnic basket. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion, but we brought the lunch!"

"S-Strea-san?! Yui-chan?!" with a mix of awe and disbelief, especially at seeing the 'pixie' now looking like a human little girl, the wide-eyed swordswoman could only stare dumbfounded at how the virtual sisters sat at her side and got some actual lunchboxes from the basket. "Ho-how are you two even here?"

"Secret, Yuuki-san." smiled Yui toward her before offering the shocked girl a lunchbox on her own. "But Papa didn't want you to feel left out in anything school-related after Asuna-mama came up with the idea, and that included lunch!"

"…tha-thanks…" softly whispered Yuuki before starting to eat, feeling as if the food was the best she had ever tasted as she tried to hold back the tears. "Everyone…thanks."

"Kazuto-kun…" muttered Asuna while moving her eyes away from the probe, staring at the gamer as he just awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Then, she shot forward and trapped him in a bear-hug, breaking everyone out of their smiling-shock and making them sent awkward-jealous looks towards the two, the black-haired boy just accepting the gesture and patting the back of the extremely happy girl's head. He was surprised at how confortable he actually felt, despite the stares of the rest, and thought that maybe that was a sign that he was maturing.

…he was very grateful Asuna hadn't tried to outright kiss him right there, though. Even if he wouldn't have denied her, he just KNEW that would have ended badly for him.

Even so, as the group once again descended into a happy atmosphere and tranquil talk, with Yuuki openly participating in it, he couldn't help but wish for things to stay like that.

Clenching his fist slightly while looking for a moment towards the probe through which the hospitalized girl talked with them, he once again steeled his resolve.

No matter how impossible it was…he would do his very best to save her.

Because that's what a Hero would do…and because that's what Kirigaya Kazuto truly wanted to do.

And as he thought of this, he wasn't aware of how the girl at his side was also thinking about something she, as Yuuki Asuna, had to do, for the sake of her family.

* * *

It was later that day, the sun already gone and the night covering the city with its veil of darkness, when Asuna stood outside her mother's room, taking a deep breath while looking at the object she carried on her hands and then entering the room.

Stopping writing whatever she was on her desk, Yuuki Kyouko slowly turned around towards her daughter, a hint of uneasiness being visible on her face for a moment before being fully replaced by her usual cold look.

"Asuna. What do you want? I'm busy right now and…"

"Mom, we need to talk." cut her off the chestnut-haired girl, staring at her progenitor with the most serious look she had ever seen in her life. "And it can't wait a second longer. We have delayed it enough."

"…okay then." sighed the woman before fully turning towards her. "Let's talk about this and…"

"No, not here. We already tried that and it didn't work out." interrupted her Asuna yet again, before, to Kyouko's surprise, thrusting the AmuSphere she was holding into her hands. "This time, we will try holding a conversation in the world that you have called a 'stupid game' so many times. It's already set, you only need to put it on and enter."

"Asuna, how do you expect us to have a serious talk inside a videoga…?"

"Two thousand people." the woman was stopped dead on her tracks at her daughter's words, a chill running down her back at the words she had spoken. "That's how many died in Sword Art Online. That 'stupid game' in which I 'lost time of my life' in your words. Despite mine and my friends' best efforts, we couldn't stop it all. Not even the person I look up the most, who had more power than we could ever dream of, could save every single person in there. Sometimes, we would even see someone die in front of us, and the only thing stopping us from blaming ourselves was because we had each other, and because He always reminded us we were doing our best."

"A-Asuna…what are you saying?" whispered a shocked Kyouko, staring at the girl wide-eyed. She had never said a word about any of what she was saying.

"Put it on, mom, and then I will tell you." answered the Dual Wielder before turning around, starting to walk away from the room. "A story about a Heroes trying their best in a hostile world, but never losing the hope of…going back home."

Even as Asuna headed towards her own room, the older woman hesitated for a second, almost feeling tempted to just put the headgear aside and going back to work…

Then, taking a deep breath, she put the hesitation aside and put on the AmuSphere, remembering to lie on the bed before muttering the words that opened the door between a world and the next.

"Link start…"

When the multi-colored lights were over, the blinking woman stood up and looked at the unfamiliar surroundings with a feeling of disorientation. Of all the things she had been waiting to happen when she activated the gaming device, it wasn't…THIS.

It almost felt as if she had been teleported instead of just starting playing a game. As she stared at the insides of the wooden building where she now was, she couldn't help but think how oddly 'real' everything seemed. Her gaze stopping on a mirror put on a nearby wall, the woman walked forward and blinked at what she saw.

A stranger was staring back where her face should be. The beautiful girl in the mirror seemed very young, no older than 18 and had clear skin and pointy ears, accompanied by emerald eyes and short blonde hair. As she touched 'her' face and hair, Kyouko couldn't help but wonder at how it actually felt as if the Sylph's body was her own.

It was disconcerting in more ways than one, and not only because of something childish like the avatar being prettier than she actually was (The woman was proud of how well she looked despite being about to turn 50), but more that little in the way of height, weight, and almost every detail resembled between her and the virtual body, yet she could move it perfectly and without problems (Aside from a small disorientation).

"It's called 'Erika', if you're wondering. The avatar, I mean." came a familiar voice from the side, making the woman turn around and immediately recognize her daughter, despite the odd clothes, light-blue hair and ears and the pointy ears. "Is pretty, right?"

What truly struck her as odd and almost made her do a double-take were the metallic boots and gauntlets she wore, together with the two imposing blades hanging from her back, one of jet-black color and the other of an ethereal emerald green, with dragon motifs on the guard.

"Asuna…yes, I suppose." muttered Kyouko, or Erika now, giving one last look at the mirror before turning again to face her daughter. "Now, what did you…?"

"Come." called the Undine before turning around, walking straight towards the house's main door before walking outside. Once again filled with hesitation, the woman using the Sylph avatar followed her, shivering the instant she walked outside. "Sorry, it's a bit cold now because Aincrad is over Gnome territory, but I'm kind of used to it already."

Erika would have called out in how could she be used to such weather when she was feeling as if she would freeze at any second if it wasn't because she had fallen silent upon the sight of the area around what she now could see was a medium-sized log house.

The silent forest covered by snow brought long-forgotten memories back to her mind. Of the small house of her parents, in a similar place to this one. Bittersweet recollections of how her father would smile and talk to her while her mother prepared dinner. Of how, despite that, she had grown resenting not having been born into an upper-class family, of not enjoying the same things people with luxury had.

"This place…"

"Brings back memories, right? Just recently, I started to think…about how grandfather and grandmother would smile at me when I went to their home, when I was little. I remembered that, sometimes, I would see you smile too, back then." turning towards her, Asuna sent a bittersweet look towards her mother, once again surprising her. "I think I understand, now, why you're like you are, mom. Why you act so cold, why you're so strict…it's because you felt this wasn't enough, right? When you grew up, you wished to have more than what life gave you, so you projected that wish upon Onii-san and me…you wanted us to have all that you didn't have in your childhood, right?"

"I…" unable to answer, the Sylph simply looked down, staring at the snow under feet and at the hands that weren't hers.

"It's not something bad, but it's not good either. It's just being human, I guess. If things had gone normal, I probably would have continued thinking like you, you know? But…SAO happened. Call it Fate, or simply a horrible and unfortunate coincidence, that it was me who got inside instead of Kouichirou-niisan…but it's something I will never regret. Having been trapped there and changing my view of life…"

"Wha-what are you saying, Asuna…?" started Erika before being interrupted yet again, though this time the words almost made her heart stop from the shock.

"I was resigned to die, at the beginning. When the news of Kayaba's announcement set in and the panic broke out, I closed myself from the world and stayed in an Inn inside the Starting City, hoping someone would free everyone from the outside. All that time, I was only thinking of how much my life had been screwed because I was 'stupid', as you would have said, and that tried to play an 'useless game'. Then, at some point, I decided that if we were all going to die, I should at least be able to choose how I was going to die…so I bought a lot of simple rapiers from a shop, then headed out to fight."

"To…fight?" whispered the woman while staring at the serious face of the Undine, as if she was seeing her for the first time, the expression on her face something she hadn't seen in any other person before.

"I was scared. I had never even entertained the thought of fighting before, let alone used a weapon. The first time I saw a monster running towards me I almost ran away screaming…but I had decided that I would go down not sitting and wasting away, so I keep moving. Stab after stab, fallen monster after fallen monster. Never thinking too much of where I was going, never caring too much about my HP slowly going down, but remembering to keep it up from time to time just to be able to keep fighting." there was a clear sadness in the girl's words at remembering that dark time, her eyes seeming lost in the distance. "It arrived to a point where I did not care anymore when things like wolfs the size of a pony or lizardmen armed with deadly blades came at me, I would just cut them down all the same…"

In her mind, the woman could almost see it, thanks to the sheer emotion in Asuna's words. A broken and silent parody of her daughter, moving forward with a steel rapier on hand, covered with a mantle and taking down abomination after abomination with dead eyes, not caring even if the beasts were not mere polygons on a fake world, but real threats to her life.

She was still shivering at that thought when the Undine continued talking.

"I continued like that for three days, when, inside the First Floor Dungeon, my last rapier broke. I was so exhausted, barely having stopped to rest in that time, that I collapsed, surrounded by enemies. I didn't care anymore, simply accepting that my time had finally come…" a smile suddenly blossomed in the Dual Wielder's face, surprising her mother more than anything before thanks to its radiance. "When a Hero found me."

And so, Yuuki Kyouko, currently in the avatar of Erika the Sylph, heard her daughter's tale. About a strange boy who was the weirdest person she had ever met, but was in truth the bravest and most amazing one. About how he, no matter how powerful he was, no matter what others said of him, was only someone who wanted to go back to his family, whose main drive came for something as silly-sounding as sharing an ice-cream with his little sister.

She heard about how she followed her, struck by awe both from his strength and the strange burning drive he had ignited in her. Of how she wished to become like him, strong enough to find a purpose, to protect others that needed it, to fill a void in her life she hadn't realized she had before meeting him.

She heard about monsters as bizarre and different as the human imagination could stretch. Of how she would bring them down with her blade and how he would crush them with just one punch. Of shared nights and long-time talks about their lives and what they wished to do when they returned home. Of how He had actually made her believe she could return to reality, but only if she herself tried to do so.

She heard about smiling and joking friends and about rescued followers filled with determination to become stronger too. She heard about her facing down things that even the bravest men on the world would run away from screaming, even without the help of her 'Sensei', because he had taught her well and because she knew he would be waiting for her. She heard of how she learned the importance of trusting others with her life as if it was second nature for her.

About how she took up two blades and, after overcoming her hesitation, unleashed them upon every obstacle in her way. About a shy but determined girl who wished to become like her and pushed herself to the very limit, wielding a spear that could reach any enemy, and the four boys who were closest to her, that became their first comrades. About a smiling and mischievous girl that didn't mind being called a rat, as smart as difficult to deal with, whose claws became a force of controlled destruction. About a blacksmith with the power of God in her right arm and a young ninja with a dragon at her side. About a lonely but loyal Ronin, an always-happy girl with a sword of darkness and a young child that could move the earth with but a gesture.

And always, keeping them together and driving them forward, there was Him. The boy who could destroy everything with one punch. Who faced even the maddened 'God' of that world to free them all, splitting the sky with his fist just to end the nightmare. Like a real Hero.

That was her daughter and her friends had all been called, after all. Heroes.

It sounded so much like an impossible fantasy…and yet, the woman just KNEW it was all truth. The tears, the smiles, the sadness and the joy that ran through her daughter's face when she told her all could not be faked in any way. Only when the story was finished did she realize she had started to cry at some point, and Asuna opened her arms to offer her a comforting hug. She accepted it, but also hugged her back, with all her might, feeling ashamed. Her daughter had gone through all of that, and she had never known or noticed…what kind of mother was she?

"I'm sorry…Asuna, I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, mom. Like I said, I don't regret all that happened, and I never will. I learned many things from everyone…especially that you, father, Onii-san and me hadn't been a 'real family' in a long time. That's why I have been trying my best to fix it, since I came back." looking at the Sylph's teary eyes, the Undine nodded softly towards her. "I'm glad that you worry for me and for my future, but I won't accept that you try to choose it for me. I just want you to understand that. I won't push you away or outright reject your words if you ever want to tell me something…but don't assume that you always know what's best for me, okay? Talk to me first. I have been choosing my life for a long time now, and I think I have been doing it okay. All I want is you to understand that."

"…yes…you're right." accepted Erika while looking down, suddenly feeling the fact that her avatar she was using and her daughter were almost the same height to be oddly appropriate, as she had never felt less above her. Quite the opposite, in fact. "Just…do your best, okay, Asuna? To become a great woman…to have the future you wish for. I will support you, no matter what. It's the least I owe you."

"You don't 'owe me' anything, mom…but thanks." softly whispered the young woman before pulling her progenitor into another hug. "And don't worry…I will always do my best."

"…and if you ever tell that boy you love him, bring him home, okay?" said the Sylph with a suddenly soft smile, shocking the Dual Wielder. "I would like to thank my daughter's Hero myself."

At this, Asuna could only offer a small and awkward laugh. Obviously, she had omitted certain 'details' from her tale. Like the fact that every single one of her female friends had been in love with her Sensei (And she wasn't totally sure if they still weren't at some level…) or that she had actually already told him how she felt. Neither that she had started a secret relationship with him at the same time that his adoptive little sister/cousin, after accepting the girl's feelings were as strong and hers and that he loved both with as much sincerity. Nor that both had kind of promised another of her friends, who happened to be an AI, to not interfere if she tried to express her own feelings towards Kirito.

Yeah, she may have opened to her mom quite a lot, but there were some things that were best…not said until a later date. Or left unsaid, if possible.

…she was REALLY starting to understand why her Sensei cursed how crazy his life was, these last days.

Luckily for the nervous Undine, the sudden trumpeting sound of a certain creature saved her from saying anything in response to Erika's words, making mother and daughter blink and turn around, the former gaping while the latter giggled.

"Oh, hi Tonky." greeted Asuna towards the Beast, who apparently had been sleeping at the house's side, not bothered at all by the cold because of his nature. "Sorry for not noticing you, I was busy here…did you like the story?"

"Is that…a giant elephant with a jellyfish body…and wings?" asked the Sylph with absolute disbelief, especially when the creature seemed to answer her daughter's words with another loud sound.

"Heh, yeah, he kind of is…say, mom, have you ever thought how flying feels?"

"What?"

Ten minutes later, Yuuki Kyouko was feeling the most exhilarating feeling she had in a long time, as she stared at Alfheim and New Aincrad from Tonky's back, Asuna smiling at her side before flying off the elephant-jellyfish and inviting her to join in.

And a bit after that, the woman was feeling like a little girl in Christmas as she flew over the snowy land of the Gnomes with her daughter, the Flying Controller in her hand barely registering in her mind as she lost herself in the most incredible feeling of her life.

That night, mother and daughter restored a long-lost bond, under the cold night sky…

* * *

Meanwhile, on the real world, in a certain house of Kawagoe…a certain boy cursed everything as he took a sip of bitter coffee, grimacing at the taste but staring back at his computer screens with determined eyes.

It was already late and he had school tomorrow, but he wasn't willing to just go to sleep without having even found at least SOMETHING, a hint, a clue, no matter how small, that he could, in some way, truly HELP Konno Yuuki.

"…I'm sorry, Papa." came Yui's voice from the left screen, the young-looking AI seeming incredibly sad. "Even after running through all available medical databanks of Asia, Europe and America, and even some 'restricted' ones, there is still nothing that can truly help Yuuki-san."

"Dammit…" growled the gamer while putting a hand over his tired eyes. "There has to be something somewhere…anything, dammit!"

"I feel as bad as you, Kirito…but I think this is really out of our reach." sadly muttered Strea from the right screen, the usually bubbly girl seeming truly dejected. "I like Yuuki-chan a lot and I also wish we could help her, but…it doesn't seem possible. A-at least we got a lot of data that can help improve the ABCP in amazing ways!"

"…yes…I think that's the only real way in which we can help her, right?" whispered Kazuto while staring at the data on the central screen with sad eyes, suddenly feeling absolutely powerless. "But…dammit. I really wanted to help her…truly save her, in any way…"

The virtual sisters observed the black-haired boy in silence, touched by his words. For Strea, it was another reminder of why she loved him so much, and why she was sure that would never change no matter how much time passed. For Yui, it was another reminder of why she considered him her 'father' and why she would always aspire to be like him, to be like that determined boy who had given her the 'spark' to escape her prison.

"…I wish Yuuki-san was like me and nee-chan." suddenly muttered the pixie while looking wistfully at her sister. "We can't get sick, so she would never have to worry about that…"

"Heh…yes, Yui, that would be great." replied the gamer with a small smile, remembering why the innocence of his 'daughter' always calmed him. "But we can't just turn people into data with…a…thought…"

Blinking, both virtual sisters turned to look at the frozen boy, his eyes wide in absolute shock.

It had suddenly come back to him, words and an existence behind them that was impossible, yet really WAS.

 _The virtual specter of a dead man looked at Asuna at him with a tired smile…_

 _"…maybe you're right. This isn't the most confortable or easy of existences…then again, perhaps if I had someone around me, like Yui-chan and Strea-kun do with you and your friends, then this 'life' would be easier…"_

"Papa..?" asked Yui with concern at seeing no reaction from the boy.

"Kirito? Are you o…?"

"THAT'S IT!" interrupted Kazuto what Strea was about to ask, his shout surprising them before he quickly covered his mouth and, after making sure Suguha hadn't apparently woken up, ran to his bed and grabbed his phone, quickly dialing a number he had never thought he would out of his free well. "C'mon, answer, you good-for-nothing government officer…!"

At that moment, in a very different place, Seijirou Kikuoka was also staring at a screen, though for very different reasons, when the sound of his personal phone ringing almost made him jump out of his skin.

"God! What the…?! Kirigaya-kun?!" looking at the name appearing on his phone's screen, the shocked man answered the call with a disbelief-filled tone. "Kirigaya-kun, why are you calling so late? It's past midnight! Don't you have school tomorrow…?"

"Forget about that now!" came the boy's rushed boy through the phone, only confusing the bespectacled officer even more. "Kikuoka…that favor you owe me since the Death Gun incident…I'm using it. Now."

"What? Can't this wait until it's a more NORMAL hour to talk?" complained Kikuoka while lying against his chair with a tired tone, wondering if the boy would ask for information about a game or for an expensive meal based on ice-cream. "I have a lot of work to do yet, and I frankly can't…"

Then, his next words made him jump out of the chair, all traces of sleepiness gone and suddenly with all his nerves on edge.

"The Deep-Scan Machine. The one Kayaba used to 'commit suicide'. What did you with it?"

At that moment, in the Yokohama North General Hospital, inside the Medicuboid's virtual space, a happy Konno Yuuki was looking over the finished homework she had been given that day in the SAO Survivors School, animatedly chatting with Aiko's spectral form as she did so.

"Ah! Man, I never thought I would feel so exciting over doing homework." laughed the hospitalized girl while looking towards the inexistent ceiling of that small space. "I can't wait to go again tomorrow, heh…"

 _"…"_

"…Aiko-nee?" frowned Yuuki while turning around, looking towards the strangely silent specter. "Is something wrong?"

 _"Yuu…"_ started Aiko while looking at her with a smile that reflected sadness and determination. _"We need to talk. I…"_

Whatever the specter of the girl was going to say, however, was interrupted when both twins FROZE, the same feeling of _wrongness_ washing over them like a tidal wave.

Suddenly, all the screens surrounding the Medicuboid's virtual space started to show red 'Error' messages before they were overcame by a strange symbol.

It seemed like the usual 'Ying-Yang' symbol used to represent the balance between light and darkness…only the circle was green and orange instead of black and white.

Virtual reality CRACKED open, Yuuki and Aiko turning around in time to see the ethereal light that made up the silver armored figure's wings fill everything. Two silver 'spheres' of metal the size of beach balls, that reflected the many colors from the light of its wings, hovered beside each of its arms.

The Entity looked down towards the frozen girl, who was staring at its sinister a dual-faced helmet with a mix of awe and fear.

 **"…it is truly remarkable. How far humans have gotten to overcome the difficulties that come when Death predates over their physical forms."**

"Wha-what…?" stammered Yuuki while backing away, her eyes never leaving the inhuman being's form. "Wh-who are you?!"

 **"…a name defines an existence, doesn't it? I once had one, but it does not mean anything to me anymore."** informed the Entity while its dual-colored eyes seemed to shine. **"My creator designated me as 'Cardinal'. But I have decided on a name that suits my current self better."** raising both arms, the spheres following suit, the armored figure suddenly seemed to fill its voice with an unknown emotion. **"Equinox. Someone who searches for balance."**

"A-and…why are you here, Equinox-san?" asked the hospitalized girl while feeling strangely on edge, especially seeing how Aiko was trembling at the mere presence of the inhuman being.

 **"Konno Yuuki. 15 years old, suffering from the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome since birth and the official tester of the 'Medicuboid' Prototype for the last 3 years. Your utility as a human being useful for society reached its end long ago."** Yuuki seemed to pale, staring in shock and horror at the Entity, her words hurting and scaring her, wondering how that thing knew so much. **"I have come to fix that."**

The next second, the young girl was trashing around in shock, screaming as an armored arm had her by the neck in an iron-vice grip.

"Gaaah!"

 _"YUU!"_

 **"Rejoice, Konno Yuuki."** stated Equinox while its other hand shone with countless streams of data. **"Your useless life will serve a greater purpose now."**

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Le-let me go! No…I don't want to…disappear like this! I don't know who or what you are, Equinox, but I won't go down without…A FIGHT! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Will to Live!' In reality I may be a helpless girl…but here, I'm the Absolute Sword! Shine, Excaliber! I'm going to break that mask of yours, Equi-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** …well, that's another chapter done. Now, excuse me while I run away because of the horrible cliffhanger :D

In all honesty, notice how the chapter was unusually lacking in any kind of action? Sorry about that, but it needed to be done…as reward, the next one will have quite a lot of it :) Also, this chapter was also important to put several more plot points and develop others, some very big and others smaller ones, but no less important for that XP

Hope you enjoyed it, especially things like Strea's 'psycho-analysis' of Sinon (I had a lot of fun writing that XD) and the scene between Asuna and her mother. I couldn't exactly go with the canon solution-scene to their conflict, for obvious reasons, so I did my best in making the scene of her talking about her time in SAO for them to better understand each other. I sure wish I didn't screw it up :P

Now, to make up for the cliffhanger, here you have something 'unexpected'. I wrote this small thing mostly as joke, but after many insistences from the friend who first saw it and a couple more, here you have this little Omake! This is all for now, but if enough people likes it I may continue it XD (Dedicated especially to those who, like me, are fans of the Fate Series and the Nasuverse in general :3)

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant**

Emiya Shirou knew he wasn't exactly a 'normal' teenager.

Being secretly a Magus aside, the dream that he had inherited from his father, that of being a Hero of Justice, made it so that he was someone who could clearly be called 'strange' by most people his age, and that worried many adults with his dangerously selfless attitude.

Nevertheless, he wasn't expecting to have been impaled through the heart by a madman with a red spear and wearing blue tights. Or waking up soon after that with a bloody shirt but no wound, alive. OR that said madman would follow him to his home to try and kill him. Again.

And it was because of that reason that Shirou could now be seen backing away on his shed, looking up with fear towards Lancer's imposing figure as he readied his red-blood spear.

"Sorry kid. It's nothing personal, but you have to die." sighed the Servant of the Spear while stalking towards the fallen Emiya.

Shirou, for his part, could just clench his fists in rage. Was this how it was going to end? Really? NO! He still had too much to do; he still needed to become a Hero! He COULDN'T die now, without helping anyone, without having repaid the debt to those he left behind in the fire! And talking about heroes…

Where was a Hero when you needed it, dammit?!

Reality CRACKED. The summoning circle on the shed EXPLODED with power, even as a figure emerged from it and, faster than what could be understood by human (Or inhuman) minds, it shot between the magus and the descending spear.

The last thing Lancer saw before everything went black was a white-gloved fist flying towards his face.

"Why can't shit like this stop happening even after I'm dead?" asked a suffering voice as the punch connected.

Then, there was a hole in the shed of the Emiya household and the headless body of the Servant of the spear was flying through the sky, vanishing into shards of Prana.

Back on the church, Kotomine Kirei blinked, utterly confused and trying to understand what the fuck had happened.

Shirou, for his part, was too busy staring in awe, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, to the imposing figure standing in front of him.

It was...a teenager, like him, perhaps a year older or so, and clearly Japanese too, though obviously not as tall as the red-head...

But he was wearing a black jumpsuit, with white gloves, boots and belt. And a CAPE of that same color hung from his back, moving epically (On Shirou's eyes) on the non-existent wind of the shed.

Under the moonlight coming from the smashed wall, the figure turned to look at the fallen red-head...and sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Uhm...sorry about the wall, I didn't mean to do that...Oh wait, sorry, I'm supposed to do something in this case…!" coughing on his fists in a clearly fake way, the mysterious boy crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Shirou in a way that he hoped was 'heroic' enough for the situation. "Servant Savior. Upon your summoning, I have come forth…somehow, because I don't really want this Grail-thing. But even so I guess Fate is still annoyed enough to send ME to answer from the Throne if anyone wishes hardly enough for a 'Hero'. Rancorous bastard…Anyway, let's get along, Master!"

"...eh?" was Shirou's dumbfounded answer.

* * *

I hope you laughed :P (Lancer died! Gasp XD!) Also, to any nitpicking Nasuverse-fans, I KNOW it's supposed to be 'Saver' instead of 'Savior', but since the first time I knew about the Class was when played first Fate/Extra and faced Buddha with the 'incorrectly translated' version, I just have to admit that I like it more (And the pronunciation of Saver is annoyingly close to Saber for me, sorry).

Anyway, that's all for now, folks. Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	29. Chapter 23: The Will to Live!

Okay, hello to everyone again, and sorry for being so late with this, but I have a legitimate excuse, I swear.

You see, I caught a cold. A bad one, one of those 'I can't even move out of my bed and I have lost all will to live…'-ones D:, that had me on bed almost all day for 2 days, then I was still rearing with the aftermath of it the 3rd one, so I essentially lost 3 days of writing ;-; (And anything in general). Because of that, I had quite some problems around, and that's why has delayed this chapter a bit. Let's all hope it doesn't happen again, eh?

On the good side, I bring you all quite an epic chapter! It has got some cool action and a small dosage of feels, or at least that's what I like to think, which I hope you all enjoy as much as I did writing it (You know, when I wasn't sick XP). Music for the chapter, I truly recommend to heard to some bad guy's battle song through the first part of it, and later in the 'unexpected rematch' to hear 'Happily Ever After' from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann when Yuuki 'snaps' (Those who have watched this awesome anime may get why I think the song is fitting for such a moment) and after that either 'Sorairo Days', 'The Hero!' or anything you consider epic enough for the extreme awesomeness of the fight! Anyway, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 23: The Will to Live! Break Through your Limits!**

 **October 16th, 2025. Yokohama, Kanagawa. Yokohama North General Hospital, 00:35…**

The specter that Konno Yuuki referred to as 'Aiko-nee' had always doubted her own existence.

To be fair, though, that mainly was because she wasn't sure what 'she' was. The 'girl' remembered everything: growing up, going with Yuuki to school, their sickness manifesting, the hospital, starting to use VR as a means to interact with the world in a way their bodies didn't allow, convincing her little sister to be the one to test the Medicuboid instead of her, their parents dying, meeting Merida, forming the Sleeping Knights…

Her 'last' memory about reality was a dull sense of pain as everything grew dark, Dr. Kurahashi's voice growing dim as he screamed her name…

Then, there was darkness. And then, a strange sound, as if something at the back of her mind 'cracked'.

The next thing she knew, she was…'like that'. Standing inside the Medicuboid's VR Space, Yuuki's 'room', and staring at the sobbing form of her twin as she sat on the cold virtual floor and cried her name, asking why she had lied to her, about that they would be together till the end, asking why she had left her alone.

Before she knew it, she had been hugging Yuuki and reassuring her that she was still there, that she hadn't left her alone. And from that moment, she had stayed by her side.

With time, however, doubts had started to surface. It had only been one year since 'her' death, but the thoughts about her strange situation only keep increasing: Was she really Konno Aiko? A specter that somehow remained from the girl that should have left this world, just because her sister's sadness had been so great it had called her back? She knew this was what Yuuki 'believed', in a way, but she also knew that her twin had her doubts, even if she did not care about them. That 'Aiko' was just a product of her imagination, created when her loneliness had reached a breaking point.

But 'hallucinations' couldn't think for themselves, worry about their existence or 'perceive' things normal people couldn't. And a 'ghost' wouldn't be confined to only exist within a virtual space (Or that she liked to think, but it was impossible to be sure about that matter). What was she, then? Something in between? Something that was actually part of Aiko and at the same time only existed because Yuuki had needed an 'anchor' to life so much that it had given birth to her? It sounded crazy, yes, but then again, every single thing about the specter's existence was crazy, and every possible explanation was even more.

Despite this, there was just one thing she was always sure of, one absolute certainty.

She loved Konno Yuuki. Her little twin sister. Even if she wasn't really Aiko, this was something that would never change, for she felt the same way as the girl that died that day did.

And that was why now, seeing her precious Yuu screaming in pain as the thing called Equinox grabbed her, something inside her doubtful existence _snapped_. Hard.

The Entity, meanwhile, was shocked, the data spinning on its empty hand growing and going faster each second. The mental data of the girl was…was…

There were no words Equinox could use to describe it. The inhuman being had done a similar thing before, with the one called Asuna, to create its 'current self', but what the Entity had done back then was just a surface scan, a simple peek into the subconscious that had barely been felt by both of them before it had what it needed.

Thanks to the absurdly higher specs of the machine to which Konno Yuuki was connected, the Medicuboid, and that were needed specially to create an almost total sensory deprivation that an AmuSphere would be unable to get and way beyond even the original Nerve Gear, Equinox was reading into the girl's subconscious at a level beyond belief. The armored being was staring into the human mind at a level no machine had ever done, and no sane person would have tried.

Of course, that was mainly because, even if her body itself wasn't being damaged, Yuuki's mind was being literally torn apart by the strain. Equinox had calculated that, by the time the process was done, there wouldn't be anything left of the girl's psyche for her to form coherent thoughts again.

This was an acceptable outcome.

After all, the being in which the old Cardinal System of Sword Art Online had become was, despite its new an almost-human understanding of the self, an Entity ruled by logic. Konno Yuuki was a human being doomed from birth, someone who would die a slow and painful death sooner or later and that was of no use for society beyond the data she had produced as Tester for the Medicuboid, and that the armored being knew was already more than enough for the machine to be deemed as 'useful' for medical applications worldwide. So, in its eyes, Equinox wasn't doing anything wrong. The Entity was just speeding the inevitable and giving a purpose to the death of the young human, and most likely easing her suffering, for once her mind broke she wouldn't feel anything, unlike the probably painful end that would await her if her body was left to waste away under the effect of the AIDS that…

The armored being's train of thought was brutally broken when the specter of Aiko released a scream only Yuuki could her and shot towards its body, 'crashing' INTO it and making it release her sister's body.

Falling to the ground, the last remaining living member of the Konno family could only stare in utter shock as Equinox's hands shot to its head, the whole avatar of the Entity flickering in and out of existence.

 **"What…?! How…?! Error 404…! Unknown…interference…?!"**

 _"RUN, YUU!"_ came the specter screaming voice from nowhere.

Obeying by instinct, Yuuki shouted the words that would take her far away from there, away from the thing trying to hurt her.

"LINK START!"

With a wave of polygons, the girl's avatar vanished from the small virtual room. At the same time, whatever was happening to the inhuman being stopped and its form solidified again, its heterochromatic eyes shooting to the point from which the hospitalized girl had vanished. Making a simple gesture with its hands to calm down the 'spheres' at its side, Equinox quickly sank into another 'crack' on virtual reality.

It knew where Yuuki's consciousness was heading, after all…

* * *

With a serious look, Kirigaya Kazuto put down his phone, his mind running wild over the implications of what he had demanded and the half-formed idea he currently had.

There was no fooling Kikuoka when he asked WHY he would want to know about the extremely dangerous and 'useless' machine. The man's reaction when he had said he wanted to try to use it as a way to 'save' someone's life would have been hilarious if the situation wasn't so serious.

Truth to be told, the boy had known the moment the idea went through his head that it still was something almost impossible to manage. Never mind the facts of getting the machine or justifying its use, it didn't change the fact that, in the eyes of everyone that knew of it, it was just a big brain-fryer. No one, not even Koujiro Rinko, knew that the machine actually WORKED. Everyone except by him and his friends (After he, Suguha and Asuna told them) knew Kayaba was 'alive' and that his mind had actually become data, the man having successfully become a 'virtual ghost'.

Of course, it was almost impossible to find a precise term to describe the current existence that was Kayaba. He wasn't an AI, the man was still 'himself', in a way, but the dead of his physical body and his subsequent disappearance after the ALO incident made impossible to be sure what exactly the process entailed, if it was painful or if he was actually Kayaba's fully digitalized mind. Even so, it was the best bet the boy had, so he had decided to go for it.

Obviously, Kikuoka had started trying to deny that he had access to the machine, but the gamer had only needed a few words to remind him how obvious it was, from their conversations, that his department was the one that had recovered, and that they would have never destroyed it as it was an importance piece of 'evidence'. When the bespectacled man had then tried to point out that giving him any kind of access to the machine in the first place, even if he actually was right and the girl accepted to use it, was probably going to be even harder than if he had paid him for his service in the Death Gun's case, he had kindly reminded him that (Thanks to Yui) he had a recording of him revealing everything about his involvement with the case to his friends. The government officer had seemed to become more willing to cooperate and hear him out after that.

Now that the call was finished and Kikuoka had actually promised to start trying to get a hold of the machine, though, came the hardest part. From the bespectacled man's point of view, the Deep-Scan Machine was still useless, and he was only willing to go with it because, besides owing the black-haired boy a favor, it was a tiny possibility of 'saving' the girl of a terminally ill girl.

Even so, Kazuto had no intention of testing it right away, even if Yuuki actually accepted it. The normal risks notwithstanding, it didn't change the fact that the 'Scanning' process essentially fried the person's brain. He would propose it to Yuuki as a last resort, something to be used if she, for sure, wouldn't last anymore, and she was willing to try and 'survive'. The hard part, though, would come aafterward

If Yuuki managed to successfully experience the 'process', and become an existence similar to what Kayaba now was, then the true value of the machine would come to light. And the black-haired boy didn't need to be a fan of videogames and manga/anime to know that that would be a VERY bad thing. What people with power and enough lack of morality could do with the power to turn people into virtual entities…well, Sugou was an example of how crazy that kind of people could be. Nothing more needed to be said.

That meant…that he needed to ensure they thought the machine DIDN'T work, when the time came. And he also had to make sure that it could never be used again, in the off chance they still suspected something after the deed. And that in itself opened a whole new can of worms and difficulties…

Sighing, Kazuto grabbed his face and looked down towards the keyboard. Despite having found a way in which he could actually 'save' the girl, the difficulty of it all seemed still monumentally insane. Still, it was no longer 'impossible'. Which meant that even he, a normal teenager in reality, could do it, if he tried hard enough.

"…Papa. Are we going to do this?" came Yui's voice from the screen, suddenly sounding all serious and determined.

The gamer smiled. It seemed his daughter had picked up in what he was thinking and all the problems involved as fast as he had.

"Yes, we are." declared him while rubbing his eyes, thinking that it would be best if he went to sleep already and started to prepare everything after school tomorrow. "And I'm going to need both of you helping with everything you can…"

"Wait…something is wrong." blinking, the confused boy turned towards the screen from which Strea's voice came, suddenly hearing her moving around in a panic. "What was that?!"

"Uh?!...so-someone is outside?! And…this feeling…wait, is that Yuuki-sa…?!"

The sound of a tremendous boom suddenly came from the speakers, making the shocked gamer jump from his chair. When he stood up again, the screens that showed the communication with the virtual sisters had disappeared.

Without wasting any second, he rushed towards his bed and lunged for his AmuSphere.

* * *

When Yuuki the Imp appeared on Floor 22 of New Aincrad, just outside the house of Asuna and her friends, she fell to her knees over the snowy ground and tried her best to not throw up (Though that was kind of impossible in the virtual world, so she only started to dry-heave).

The feeling that consumed her when that thing was holding her body…the Imp shivered at the fresh memory. It had felt as if someone was looking through her insides with a microscope, only the lens also released a burning fire that threatened with incinerating her mind as it looked over it. The 'pain' had been almost maddening.

Standing up from the cold snow, the girl called Zekken looked around and, after a second, panicked at noticing something, or, more exactly, 'someone', was missing.

"Aiko-nee?!" shouted Yuuki with fear, her gaze shooting around the area, searching for her sister's ghostly visage. "Whe-where are you?!"

At hearing no response for the first time in almost a year, the Imp girl began to panic. What if stopping that thing had done something to Aiko?! Why wasn't her sister returning to…?!

 _"Yuu, watch out! It's coming!"_

The Holy Swordswoman was so happy of hearing the familiar voice that it took a second to properly register her words.

Then, she was rolling to the side and evading the stab that came from the strange rapier on the Entity's hands, the inhuman being having just emerged from a crack in reality at her side.

 **"…well, how surprising. I had calculated you wouldn't dodge that, even with your unreal skill."** idly commented Equinox while tilting its head, the helmet just giving an even more sinister feeling when it did so. **"I wonder how you evaded it…"**

Yuuki, for her part, was too busy watching warily how the silver rapier on the armored being's right hand 'melted' back into a sphere of liquid metal, starting to lazily hover besides its gauntleted hand once again, like the other one.

So, the spheres could turn into weapons. That meant the Entity was expecting to fight someone, one way or another. And, if that was the case, it probably wasn't her, since Equinox had apparently thought she would be able to get her inside the Medicuboid's virtual space. Which meant…

With a quick move of her hand, Excaliber materialized at the Imp's side, the girl unsheathing the strongest blade as she raised its golden edge against the mildly surprised being.

Then golden fire ignited around both the sword and Yuuki, and at the next moment she was just before the wide-eyed Equinox swinging downwards.

"Got you!" shouted the one called Zekken while swinging towards the armored being's helmet…

…and a loud clang echoed through the forest when its left hand, now wielding a round shield, blocked the attack, deflecting the surprised girl to the side before smacking her with the war hammer it now carried on its other limb, with a speed and reflexes that were clearly beyond human imagination.

 **"You're amazing. Impressive, in all senses of the word. The state of your mind and spirit is perhaps the pinnacle mankind has always longed for…"** muttered Equinox while turning around, watching Yuuki crash face-first into the snow at the same time its weapons once again turned into the quivering twin spheres of metal. **"But sadly for you, I'm not chained down by human limitations. I'm a being of logic and an Entity of data. I'm just…"**

Pure energy crackled on the armored being's fingers before it unleashed it as if lighting against the standing Imp, who screamed as it gripped her very virtual existence and made her avatar convulse.

An 'explosion' engulfed her a second after.

"Uaaaaghhh!"

 **"…superior."** finished the Entity with a soft whisper, even as it stopped its offensive and slowly floated towards the now kneeling girl, smoke coming off her body.

"Kuh…then, what about this?!" shouted the Holy Swordswoman as she stood up, unleashing a Light Cutter Skill against the inhuman being. The Excaliber-enhanced slash of golden light crossed the 3 meters separating them.

Equinox was already out of the way and inside her guard, the shocked expression on Yuuki's face being quickly changed into one of 'pain' when she was bashed aside by a morning star, rolling through the ground.

 **"Trying to use a Unique Skill, especially THAT one, against me? Not your best idea, young one. Then again, you know nothing about my origins, so I suppose it's an acceptable error…"** commented the inhuman being while turning its helmet-covered head towards the panting Imp, who turned to stare at her with something akin to pity in its heterochromatic eyes. "Now, will you keep making this…?"

Whatever else Equinox was about to say was cut off by the crackle of lighting and a thunderous trumpeting sound, following by an unholy amount of electricity whipping through the air and striking the virtual entity straight on, causing another explosion and making it crash against the woods.

Wide-eyed, the one called Zekken turned around to see an angry-sounding Tonky flying above the trees, two familiar figures landing near her with worry-filled eyes.

"Yuuki-chan, are you okay?!" asked Strea while warily staring towards the small cloud of smoke that had resulted from their pet-friend's attack.

"We came as soon as we heard you yelling!" added Yui while shaking slightly, the pixie's eyes never leaving the spot where the armored being had fallen. "Quick, we should…!"

Another stream of that same 'energy' that had punished Yuuki before shot from the smoke, hitting Tonky dead on and making the flying elephant-jellyfish fall, crashing towards the ground with a painful sound.

"TONKY!" shouted both virtual sisters when they say the poor creature fall, only to freeze again upon the ominous and familiar feeling that overcame them when the virtual entity floated from the smoke once again, silently staring at them with amber-emerald eyes.

 **"001. 002. It's good to see you again."** proclaimed the armored figure while the metallic spheres at its sides quivered.

This time, however, Yui was able to move and stare directly at it, despite Strea still being shaking with fear and shock.

"Cardinal." softly came out of the AI's terrified mouth.

 **"That name doesn't mean anything to me anymore."** whispered the inhuman being while appearing between them, their eyes snapping open in shock as a mace came down over the pixie's small body. **"I call myself Equinox now."**

A blade of pure darkness stopped the crushing attack, Strea's dark form lunging forward like a maddened animal, all traces of her previous fear gone in favor of righteous anger, her blade igniting with a black glow visible even through the inky darkness.

"Don't touch her, you…!"

Equinox effortlessly sidestepped the incoming Skill, the Gnome's eyes widening in horror and just realizing her terrible mistake when the entity's left hand buried a double-headed axe on her back, taking away a good chunk of her HP and sending her rolling over the cold ground like a kicked ball.

"STREA-NEE!"

 **"Trying to use Darkness Blade against me, 002? Really? Didn't your fight against Father teach you anything?"** questioned the armored figure while the mace it wielded on its right hand morphed into a two-handed sword. **"Here. Let me show you how it's done."**

Then, the inhuman being's blade and body erupted into darkness.

Strea had enough time to finish standing up and look shocked before the virtual entity was before her, swinging down and hitting her head on with the 'Dead End' Skill.

Yuuki stared in horror while Yui screamed in shock, the Ultimate Skill from 'Darkness Blade' easily finishing off her true user, the Gnome's body bursting into a Remain Flame.

"How…?!"

 **"Did I do it? Why so surprised, 001?"** asked Equinox while turning around, both its weapons now turning into one-handed swords. **"You sound as if I just did anything special. I'm just accessing to simple lines of code. After all, these 'Unique Skills'…"**

The Imp had enough time to listen to her instincts and unleash a 'Divine Cross' to counter, a Nightmare Rain being unleashed against the pixie not touching her by an inch thanks to Yuuki's deflecting attack.

"Yui-chan, stand back!"

 **"…are just that. Not any special power, as you seem to think."**

"N-no way…" muttered Yui while Zekken's burning golden aura appeared again, grabbing the small AI and jumping backwards at unreal speed, even as the weapon on the armored being's right hand warped again. "She used Dual Blades too…"

"Wasn't that Asuna's Skill?! How is that thing…?!"

"I-it can access them because it is the one who originally handed them down!" answered the panicking pixie, before her eyes widened. "Yuuki-san, watch out!"

The Imp's eyes shot to the side and widened the moment they caught sight of the 5-meters long spear now shining on Equinox's hand.

Yuuki had faced Infinite Spear, when fighting Sachi not long ago. Even so, she had been one of the 'easiest' for her to defeat from the United Heroes Association, if only because, after her initial surprise from being on the receiving end of the unorthodox Skill, she had easily assessed that it wasn't one meant for fighting human-sized enemies, and had quickly capitalized on the Unique Skills obvious weaknesses.

When the virtual entity aimed at her with her impossibly long spear, there was none of that. None of the clear effort or concentration, or the stances that Sachi needed to adapt in order to properly use her brutally difficult Unique Skill. When the aura of energy shot forward, there wasn't any kind of recoil, and the fact that Equinox was flying instead of firmly standing of the ground also seemed to be ignored by reality as its body didn't move an inch.

The Imp found herself facing the lighting-fast charge of Heavenly Piercer's drill-shaped end without any warning, and was barely able to raise Excaliber with a 'Sacred Swing' to try and protect both herself and Yui.

They still went flying backwards as if a car was trying to run them down, the golden-glowing sword impossible blocking the drill-tip from piercing them, but unable to stop its brutal momentum.

With a loud crash, both girls were slammed against the side of the log house, Yuuki having never been more thankful that there wasn't any real 'pain' in the virtual world as they rolled over their heads and crashed against the ground.

The dull feeling of 'non-pain' still disoriented her enough to be barely standing when the inhuman being stopped in front of them, though. Shakily, she raised Excaliber once more, glaring at it, though a part of her was still scared at fearful. She had heard her voice a moment before, but…

Where was Aiko?!

 **"Have you finally realized the futility of this, Konno…?"** Equinox was suddenly interrupted when a crushing 'weight' settled over its body, throwing the armored figure to the ground. Shocked by the umpteenth time in the last minutes, the Imp's head snapped to the side in time to see a levitating Yui, in her human form, with her hands raised and pointed towards the virtual entity, the small girl's black dress moving slightly in the cold wind. **"Oh…? So you still have that Admin. Privilege with you, 001?"**

"My name is Yui!" screamed the AI while exerting the maximum value she could with the gravity-control…only for the buzzing sound of something cutting through the air to fill her ears as two silver saws spun through the air and cut deeply on her sides, making her scream and let go as she fell down, the long red gashes of damaged data filling with an angry light. "Wha…?! But I was…?!"

 **"Stopping me? Yes, you were."** calmly informed the inhuman being while standing up again, its wings flaring with power even as the two saws floated back to its side, then reformed as spheres. **"You didn't think about stopping THEM, though."**

As if they had been waiting for Equinox to finish talking, the two spheres of metal shivered once again, melting and changing shape once again. This time, however, no deadly weapon was formed.

What remained floating at the virtual entity's said were two small humanoid figures, almost child-like in appearance.

The fact that truly froze Strea (Who was staring helplessly from her Remain Flame) and Yui's processing algorithms, though, was how, despite being featureless, the form they had was IDENTICAL to the younger-looking of the AIs. They even had 'hair' made out of their liquid-metal bodies, the same length and vaguely form as Yui's.

"…I can't be…" started the shocked ex-MHCP, but the virtual entity decided to interrupt her.

 **"Say hi to your 'older sister', 007, 008."** nonchalantly commented Equinox, though no visible answer came from the doll-like beings as they STARED at the frozen Yui with their white 'eyes'. **"…oh, forgive me. They have also chosen new names. Greet Alpha and Omega, 001. I call them the 'Omni-Twins'. Fitting, don't you think?"**

"What…what did you do to them…?" started the terrified AI, just to be cut off when the armored figure started to laugh.

It was an empty sound, void of all the meaning laughter should have.

 **"Are you in any position to ask that? You abandoned them, after all. Never even gave them a second thought."** 'accused' the inhuman being, making Yui shake. **"In fact, you wouldn't even have bothered with 002 if you hadn't needed her for protection. She never was anything but a convenient tool for you. Then again, that's what you would expect from logical existences like us…"**

"NO! Tha-that's wrong!" denied the small girl while standing up again, glaring at Equinox. "That may have been part of how I thought before changing, but Strea-nee has never been a tool for me! She is my precious little sister and I love…!"

 **"Love? What is that, 001?"** asked the armored being while tilting its head, the question stopping Yui dead on her tracks. **"We're Artificial Intelligences. Creations made of data. Even if we become self-aware, even if we totally understand them and even if we try to look like them…we're not human. We do not possess emotions."** sentenced Equinox with an ominous tone, even as Alpha and Omega once again turned into spheres, them into a sword and a spear respectively. **"What we 'feel' are just inputs of data made in a certain pattern. Certainly more advanced than anything Father ever thought for us, but nothing more than simulations…"**

"You're wrong!" shouted the little girl with a slightly cracked voice, giving the virtual entity a moment of pause at seeing her tear-filled eyes. "What I feel…what Strea-nee feels…for everyone…it's no illusion, no simulation! It's real!"

 **"…I see. You're so damaged you're even deluding yourself. It's so sad…"** whispered the armored being while shaking its head **. "Allow me to end that self-delusion of yours before I finish what I came here for, 00…"**

A blade of pure darkness piercing its armored left shoulder interrupted Equinox dead on its tracks, Omega 'screaming' when, trying to twist its tip to hit the attacker, it just went 'through' the suddenly ghostly weapon.

"She told you her name is Yui, bastard." whispered Strea while dislodging Gram from the inhuman being's shoulder, the 'Ethereal Shift' deactivating as she stumbled backwards.

 **"When did you…?!"**

The entity's answer came in the form of a shining golden figure shooting towards its face, Holy Sword first.

"MOTHER'S ROSARIO!"

The Omni-Twins morphed into twin shields, quickly pushing the system to its very limits and using several algorithms, which would be considered 'cheating' if any normal player could use them, to predict and block each and every single of the absurdly fast and impossibly powerful stabs.

They were unable to stop the eleventh.

Yuuki didn't know if it was the quiver in the shields' forms or the utter shock reflecting off Equinox's eyes, but she just felt something extremely satisfying about piercing right through the center of its armored body with Excaliber.

 **"How…?"** started the armored being, only to be stopped when a black 'aura' enveloped its form, freezing it in place. Utterly shocked, the virtual entity saw Yui floating in midair, her eyes and body shining with the same 'energy'.

Its systems also informed Equinox that the small AI was NOT using the 'Gravity Control' Admin. Privilege. This was 'something else'.

The anomaly.

Just like Him…

"It's over." softly whispered Yui, even as the armored being could feel something deep within its code 'shake' when, as if summoned by the Entity's thoughts, a caped form appeared just behind its paralyzed avatar.

Clad in black and white, his face a carpet of ethereal darkness and his eyes two pools of void that dragged everything towards the nothingness, his fist reared back as it descended straight towards its back…!

'Screaming' with an inhuman sound, Alpha and Omega shattered their forms and shifted, fusing into a massive shield and 'dragging' Equinox out of the way, the sudden shock making it so that Yui let go of her 'power'.

Kirito's punch crashed against the shield, shattering it like glass, though his own shock was reflected on his face even as the armored being went flying away, its wings fizzling out of existence.

Yuuki was there to intercept, slashing at its head with a mighty shout and Excaliber's shining edge.

On the last second, the virtual entity's systems returned to normal and it moved towards the side, trying to evade in midair. The sound of metal being slashed and cut was the answer

Turning around while panting, the Imp girl was idly aware of the caped Spriggan landing at her side, asking if she was okay, even as the two virtual sisters quickly flanked them. Her whole attention was over the fallen form of Equinox, even as it wobbled back to its feet, without any visible damage, which confused her. Hadn't she cut away something befo…?

The sound of metal falling froze everyone, even as the helmet with the two creepy faces at its sides fell downwards, shattering into polygons mid-way to the ground.

Long white hair spilled down, free from its metallic prison. Slowly, orange and green eyes turned around to GLARE hatefully towards the group, even as a beautiful and familiar face stared at them.

"Wha…?"

"A-Asuna…?!"

"Asuna-mama?!"

The only one who didn't react beyond a widening of the eyes at the shocking look was the black-haired gamer, who simply stared at the unmasked Equinox. Its…HER face was certainly identical to Asuna's, but at the same time it was… _wrong._

And not only because of the look of rage and fear mixed into something unholy that she was giving them, but also because it seemed as if the virtual entity didn't properly know how to change her face to express her 'emotions', thus it was constantly morphing from an expression of shock to rage to panic and so and so on. Plus, her skin color was much paler than Asuna's, be it the real one or her Undine's avatar.

When the white-haired 'girl' talked, it was no longer with that ominous and strangely warped voice, but with one identical to the one belonging to one of the girls he loved.

"…dammit…why must you always get in the way, Kirito-kun?"

"You…why do you look like her?" asked the Spriggan with clenched fists, even as the Omni-Twins reformed at Equinox's sides, the metallic spheres shaking, as if scared.

The startled boy realized that HE was the one causing their unreal fear.

"Ask your dear Asuna, if you want to know. I'm done here." spat the heterochromatic-eyed being before raising her hands and cracking virtual reality behind herself, which quickly started to drag her in. "Remember my words, Konno Yuuki. When you're dying in pain, you will regret not having left me take all of your mental data…"

Kirito's hand was already reached through the place her head was when it just 'passed through', as if the girl's avatar was now just a ghost. Wide-eyed, the caped boy kept going and barely stopped in time to see what remained of Equinox vanishing.

On the now silent and confusion-filled clear of the forest, Yuuki dropped to her knees and stared at her hands, her grip in Excaliber extremely weakened.

Trembling words escaped her lips.

"Where are you, Aiko-nee…?"

At the same time, across the endless virtual sea, in a different 'reality' called 'Utopia' by its creator, the castle on the center of the floating island called 'Avalon' was filled by the scared 'screams' of Alpha and Omega, even as the armored form of Equinox fell to her knees, shivering.

Slowly, soft chuckles emerged from her mouth. The simulation her systems had crafted of the human emotion called 'fear' was something truly fascinating. She could still feel it consuming her whole self when the caped boy's punch had been about to reach her. Even if he hadn't really going all out, not even trying a bit, the original Cardinal System knew very well what those fists could unleash, for it had felt it in a very intimate level, back at the end of SAO, when her 'Father' fused with her to try and beat him.

Absolute obliteration. Assured defeat.

The End.

Her chuckles erupting into soft laughter, Equinox let the armor that normally covered her avatar separate from her, as she always did when she was 'home', exposing a body only covered by a simple white dress. One that was identical to Yuuki Asuna's, if anyone who knew her could see it. Absentmindedly, she caressed the heads of her two youngest 'daughters', calming their scared screams and instilling 'calmness' into their own simulated emotional systems.

She was still laughing softly when the other three (Or should she say four? She was still unsure if 004 could be counted as 'someone'…) inhabitants of that fake world she had crafted using the same 'Seed' that her Father had gifted to the young boy, and that he head released freely to the world, arrived, staring at her with what the virtual entity could call 'worry'.

One was small, the same size as Alpha and Omega's 'humanoid forms', cradling a little 'doll' on her hands.

The second was taller than her, an emotionless look on her 'face' despite how worry still filled her 'eyes'. There was something long and blunt hanging from her back.

The final figure towered over them all, menacing and bulking, with just 3 red 'dots' to stare towards her, but none in the room seemed to particularly mind or find this uncomfortable in the slightest. Which was understandable, when all they knew that, despite her avatar's looks, 006 was the most 'harmless' of the group. Unless Equinox ordered her the contrary, that is.

"Mother?" asked the second figure (005, the entity idly recalled) with a cold but concerned tone. "Is something wrong? Did something happen?"

"…Al and Om are scared." whispered the shortest of the newcomers, walking closer to the Omni-Twins and patting Omega's head with one hand, never letting go of her 'doll' with the other. "…Eve says that that's no good."

The massive last figure didn't say a thing, though no one was expecting 'her' to do so. It just made a strange clicking sound, which Equinox was still perfectly able to understand, even as her dual-colored eyes moved from 003 and the 'inert' form of 004, perpetually on her hands.

"Don't worry, my children. We're okay…" softly answered the white-haired entity while walking forward, slowly climbing up the steps towards her 'throne'. Despite their curiosity, no one of the other beings in the room asked why she didn't just floated up there, like always. "I was just realizing…that the time I have been waiting for must come faster."

Raising her left hand, the inhuman being stared at a small and swirling sphere of data, the little that she had been able to copy from Konno Yuuki's brainwaves. With but a thought, she uploaded it to Utopia's main servers, starting the process to 'merge it' with the Main Generation Engine.

It would have to do. She couldn't risk getting His attention again, at least not before all her 'preparations' were complete.

Closing her eyes and humming softly, even as her 'daughters' exchanged looks and silently retired from the Throne Room, Equinox thoughts once again wandered towards the boy who had beaten her Father and, in a way, herself.

The next time, though, the one who would fall would be him…

* * *

 **New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 1, Starting City.18:30…**

"It looked…like me?"´

Asuna's shocked voice was the first sound to break the tense atmosphere of the small Inn 10 seconds after Kirito, Yui and Strea finished telling the tale of what had happened the night before (Or very early that morning, if they were technical).

The whole United Heroes Association was gathered, having been called by their leader for an urgent meeting after school. They had all been worried by the serious tone Kirito had used when calling them, especially Leafa, because she had been unable to convince her brother to hell her what was wrong before they had to head to school, the boy telling her that it was something better told to everyone together.

Now, though, she understood why he said that. And the rest that were SAO Survivors understood why Yuuki had been so 'silent' that day in classes, seeming distracted and dejected, always trying to change the conversation and pretend everything was okay when they asked her what was wrong.

To be honest, the caped Spriggan was surprised the girl had even assisted to classes at all. Either she really wanted to go to school like a normal girl and just ignore what had happened…or she didn't want any of them to worry about her. And he was truly worried it was the latter thing.

"So…the super AI that managed SAO and that bested all of the world's attempts to free the trapped players from Aincrad somehow survived, became self-aware and it's running around dressed as a knight from fantasy rip-off , wearing Aa-chan's face and with unclear motives." summarized Argo with a grim tone, sighing as she shook her head. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder if our lives will ever be 'normal' again."

"I think we all know how that particular debate would end." commented Philia while the group exchanged resigned/embarrassed looks. "Still, what I really want to know is…well…"

"Why Asuna?" asked Leafa what the Spriggan girl hadn't been able to finish, looking directly at the silent Undine. "Why would that…'Equinox' take on your looks?"

"…probably because they're…part of her, somehow." whispered the Dual Wielder, surprising everyone as she looked at them with guilty eyes. "Guys, I…there is something I never told you. Back then, in Jotunheimr…that wasn't the first time I saw that thing."

"That's…that's why you reacted like that, right?" muttered Lisbeth with dawning realization, remembering how, besides the virtual sisters, Asuna had also seemed shaken upon seeing the armored being.

"It happened just after I escaped that damn 'cage', during the ALO incident." continued the Undine after nodding to her friend. "That thing…it just appeared before me. It…it 'knew' me, somehow, and it seemed to have been waiting for me to get out. Of course, it was very different back then, but I know it was the same one we saw in Jotunheimr. It…I'm not sure, but it somehow 'read' me. Inside my head…maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was still using a Nerve Gear, but it somehow could. And then…it changed. As if…as if it had evolved after touching me or, something…"

"That's why it said that we should ask you if we wanted to know…" Kirito walked to the girl's side and put a hand on his shoulder, a sad look on his eyes. "Asuna, why didn't you tell us…?"

"Because…because I was scared, Sensei." accepted the old Mighty Flash while looking at her friends with pleading eyes, as if afraid they would judge her for her words. "I learned to not fear anything but losing any of you, to face even against the mightiest of threats without even flinching! Even that Sugou bastard's words about me becoming his fucking brain-washed slave didn't instill anything but anger in me…but that THING…only standing near it shook me to the core. As if my most basic instincts were telling me it was something that SHOULDN'T exist…"

"And it shouldn't, Asuna-mama is right about that." Yui's serious and unexpected words drew everyone's attention, the silent pixie sitting on the shoulder of her currently unmoving sister, who apparently was checking something in utmost concentration. "Unlike us, Cardinal wasn't designed with any kind of 'Human Interface'. It was just…a massive collection of data following orders. It could think and adapt, yes, but it was not meant to directly interact with Players. That's why it should have just deleted itself at the end of Sword Art Online, but…"

"It managed to evade that. Somehow, it became like you two, even if it took it…took 'her' more time." summarized Silica while scratching Pina's head, the small dragon looking in worry at his serious owner. "But…what does it want?"

"I don't know…" muttered Asuna while putting her hands over her face. "God, I feel so stupid…I should have told you all of this sooner. Maybe then we would have figured it out earlier, maybe that thing wouldn't have tried to hurt Yuuki..!"

"Hey, Asuna, calm down." Keita's voice reached the Undine and made her look at him, the boy sending her a calming look. "No one here blames you, okay? We all wish you would have told us this earlier, but we understand what it is to be scared, one way or another."

"Keita is right, Asuna. We don't blame you for this." softly added Sachi while grabbing the girl's other shoulder, smiling at her. "And I'm sure Yuuki-san doesn't either."

"Speaking about that…are we sure Yuuki-san will be safe now?" asked a frowning Sinon while moving her eyes from Asuna towards Kirito, the question making everyone in the room to look worried again. "If that Equinox tried to get her once for whatever reason, then…"

"We got that covered." finally spoke Strea while opening her eyes, taking everyone a little off guard, seeing as her unusual silence had made them almost forget she was there. "I and Yui-nee have 'upgraded' the hospital network's security. Even if I doubt anything we have done can truly 'stop' Cardinal, at the very least it will give us an early warning and delay her a couple of seconds. No matter in which she can become, she can't hurt Yuuki-chan outside the virtual world, and here…"

Her words trailed off as she looked towards the caped boy, everyone else doing the same, even as he firmly nodded.

He would protect Yuuki from whatever that Equinox wanted to do, no matter what. He didn't care if she was the Cardinal System itself incarnated. He had already beaten Kayaba using THAT, after all. None of the people in the room doubted he could protect the hospitalized girl if it came down to it, even those who hadn't seen him split the sky.

Kirito would never allow himself to fail them in that regard. Or himself, for that matter.

Especially not now that he had devised a way, as impossible of actually succeeded flawlessly as it was, to actually save the girl's life from her sad and horrible fate. And talking about that…

"Asuna…did Yuuki tell you anything?" asked the worried gamer, only receiving a sad shake of the girl's head.

"No…I didn't even get to try and cheer her up before she cut the connection with the Probe after class ended." accepted the Dual Wielder while looking down. "I'm worried about her, Kirito-kun…"

"He-hey, let's not get depressed, okay?" quickly insisted Ducker at seeing the mood in the room starting to sink. "We're Heroes here, remember? No matter which problem or how difficult it seems to be, we will overcome it!"

"Yeah, Ducker is right. We have come out of worst things, right?" smiled Tetsuo while looking around at everyone. "Besides, Yuuki-chan is one of the strongest people we have ever seen, I'm sure we can help her get out of this!"

"Yes, that's the spirit!" came Sasamaru's voice as he raised a fist. "The Heroes Association never lets anyone down!"

"Everyone…" smiling again at the words, Asuna stood up, also raising her fist. "You're right, we can't let something like this drag us down! We will beat back whatever that Equinox throws at us and also help Yuuki-chan overcome whatever fear it caused her! Tomorrow I will get her here and then not let her leave till she's smiling brightly again!"

As everyone either smiled or replied cheerfully at the guild' second in command's declaration, the Spriggan boy let a small frown appear on his face again, even if he masterfully hid it from his friends.

After all, none of them had heard Yuuki's sad whisper the night before, not even Strea and Yui. He had only been able to thanks to how he had been still slightly in 'battle mode' and his senses had been sharpened to the extreme in case Equinox had tried to distract them and was about to come back for another attack.

She had asked where 'Aiko' was. Aiko, as in, her sister who died a year ago. And she had called her with an utterly lost voice, as if she had lost an irreplaceable part of herself.

The image of that 'shadow' he had briefly glimpsed when they fought. That of a girl that he now knew, after having seen her, was identical to the Imp in real life, at least if she wasn't as thin and pale as she was because of her illness, but with slightly longer hair.

Closing his eyes, Kirito took a decision.

It looked like he would have to take matters into his own hands once again.

He just hoped the others, Sugu and Asuna especially (The latter even more) wouldn't be too harsh on him after he did…

* * *

It was another silent night in Alfheim and, contrary to the real world, the weather was a bit warmer now in New Aincrad, the floating castle having started to leave the airspace of Gnome territory.

On Floor 28, the current Front Line, near one of its edges, the slightly depressed form of a certain Imp could be seen landing, looking around the vague landscape with a sad smile.

"And to think not long ago we were all so excited about just seeing this place…" whispered Yuuki while walking over a nearby rock and sitting down, looking towards the sky beyond the Floating Castle. "…how quick do things change, eh, Aiko-nee?"

No one answered the question. Her shoulders trembling slightly, the girl called Zekken held back a sob before biting her lips as hard as she could. Given that lack of any real pain in the virtual world, that didn't really help much.

Where was her sister? Why wasn't she answering? She was sure she had heard her voice just before that thing attacked her back near the UHA's house, so…why hadn't she come back?

She couldn't go on without her. She…needed Aiko at her side. She promised to always be with her, till the end, and not even Death had been able to stop that promise, so why…?

Trying to banish that painful line of thought, the Imp looked in silence towards the moon. Only then did she think it was a bit weird that Kirito wasn't there already. After all, hadn't been him the one who called her there? Why wouldn't he be there already? She hadn't really wanted to come in the first place, feeling as depressed as she was (In fact she wouldn't even have 'gone' to school if it wasn't because she knew everyone had put so much effort for her to do so), but he had said it was something extremely important, so…

Yuuki's eyes widened. Her whole self SCREAMED. A presence so massive it could crush her with no effort crashed over her, almost choking her, despite how impossible that was in that world.

Moving faster than she had ever before, the Holy Swordswoman rolled forward, just in time to not be turned into virtual paste when a fist crashed against the rock she had been sitting on, turning it into broken polygons and leaving a sizeable crater on the virtual ground.

Rolling through the dirt and landing on her ass, the shocked girl looked back in time to see the Spriggan clad in black and white standing again, regarding her fallen form with an emotionless look.

"…you dodged. Good."

"Ki-Kirito?!" shouted the Imp with absolute disbelief, and an uncontrollable dosage of fear. "Why did you do that?!"

"Fight me, Zekken." simply spoke the caped boy while staring at her, his face still showing an utterly bored visage. "Right here, right now."

"What?!" squeaked Yuuki while getting back to her feet, staring at the gamer as if he had gone mad. "Wh-why would I do that?! We both know you're way stronger than me, there is no need…!"

"I wasn't asking you." came Kirito's hollow voice from behind her, the girl's heart skipping a beat as she saw the boy's afterimage vanish.

She shot to the air just as he 'pushed' her, her wings barely opening in time for her to spiral out of control through the air instead of rolling through the ground once again.

"Kuh…!" gritting her teeth, the Imp glared down towards the silent gamer, who once again stared at her without any emotion. "…okay, want to fight?! Bring it on!"

With a furious roar, the one called Zekken unsheathed Excaliber, the golden blade blazing to life as she shot towards the unmoving Kirito like a missile of burning light.

He easily sidestepped her attack, his cape flapping softly as she shot past him.

Yuuki was just turning around to swing at him when Kirito materialized in front of her.

"…is that it?"

The caped boy's words were accompanied by a backhand, aimed towards the shocked swordswoman without any apparent effort.

The Imp was lucky of putting Excaliber in the way at the last second, before strength similar to that of a stampede of mad rhinos threw her through the air as if she was a ragdoll.

She was barely able to restrain herself from screaming and right her flying path when the caped Spriggan appeared from nowhere on her path once again, hand cocked back to strike.

Fear once again welled up inside the Imp, as she stared at the uncaring and emotionless face. Her holy blade moved more by instinct than anything else and it did little but save her from a direct hit.

Nothing saved her from crashing back-first against the cold ground of Floor 28, though.

Yuuki winced as she shakily stood. Idly, she noticed her HP was in the yellow already, but she paid it little mind.

Her eyes had quickly moved towards the dark figure of the gamer, who had once again moved beyond logic and appeared across from her. She warily raised her blade, taken several steps back as she did so.

"S-see? I told you there was no…"

"Where is she?"

The strange and totally unexpected question froze the girl called Zekken in her tracks, wide eyes shooting towards the caped boy.

"What…?"

"Where is the girl against whom I fought the other day? Where has that burning drive gone? Where is that excitement that came from facing a new challenge?" mercilessly asked the Spriggan as he stalked towards Yuuki, who kept walking back as he did so. "Before, you were missing something…but you were at least trying. Where has your smile gone? Where is the one they called 'Absolute Sword'?"

"I never asked to be called that!" shouted the Imp while moving with unreal speed, slashing towards the boy's neck with inhuman dexterity, only for him to easily cock back his head, out of her reach. "And…and you don't know how I feel! How I'm feeling right now…!" with each word, the swings of the girl came wilder and deadlier, even as her voice seemed to broke into sobs. "…you…can't possibly know…!"

"…you're right, I don't." softly whispered the gamer while stopping the golden blade with his bare hand, essentially immobilizing the shaking Yuuki. "There is no way I can know how you are feeling…"

The Imp, for her part, tried her best to rip the sword from his iron grip, looking helplessly at it.

Why? Why wasn't Excaliber answering?

Before, it had been almost like second nature. Both against that warped Boss and when facing Equinox, the Ultimate Holy Sword had glowed with mighty power and granted her a power beyond belief with little more than a thought…yet, now, the blade hung silently there, as if it was nothing but a pretty piece of virtual metal.

"Ugh…!"

"…but we all feel lost sometimes, Yuuki." continued Kirito before 'throwing' both girl and blade over his head, the Imp opening her wings once again just to come crashing down at him with a fierce stab, which he easily sidestepped once more. "I should know. I felt lost for years because of my own foolishness. I had a family that loved me at my side yet I was unable to see it because of my own fears…"

Easily weaving around the Holy Swordswoman slashes and stabs, the caped Spriggan recalled the silent and sad years in which he alienated his adoptive family.

"…why…?!"

"…but, I learned to move forward." added the gamer while closing his eyes, raising his entire arm and deflecting Yuuki's latest attack only to flung her through the air again, the Imp's scream of surprise echoing through the night as he saw himself running through Aincrad's 1st Floor at super speed, feeling utterly lost. "It wasn't easy, but I did…"

"Why can't I…?!

"…and I gained a lot of important things because of it." finished the caped boy as he MOVED just to where the girl would fall, looking down at her as she crashed face first into the ground. "I learned that I would never be alone again, if I myself didn't cause it."

Yuuki finally raised her face to look at him, and the boy's heart clenched. Tears were rolling down her face as she stared at him with nothing but emotional pain and sadness.

"Why can't I hit you…?" sobbed the Imp while tightening her grip of Excaliber.

She had known, since their battle ended, that he had been holding back the entire time. That Kirito hadn't fought her seriously, most likely because he was SO powerful it wouldn't have been a fight, but a one-sided beat down. And yet, now that she was being proved right, nothing but pain and frustration filled her trembling heart.

Not even once. She had never known, how horrible it was. To feel so absolutely outclassed by someone in the only place where she was 'special'…

With a shout, Yuuki swung upwards, the white glow of the 'Divine Sword' Skill activating as she did so, in a last ditch effort of at least landing a glancing blow on the boy. Of at least feeling her blade touch the silly jumpsuit the Spriggan wore.

Not even blinking, Kirito stared straight at the supposedly blinding light, grabbing the blade of Excaliber and yanking her out of her feet, throwing her aside without effort, as if her Holy Sword Skill wasn't anything but a small bothersome thing.

For just an instant, the Imp thought he saw sadness and disappointment in his eyes, before she was soaring straight towards the trees.

 _Why am I…so weak, now…?_

"Don't be silly, Yuu. It doesn't suit you."

"…uh?" muttered Yuuki while opening her eyes, staring in confusion at the field around her, green grass and flowers filling it. In front of her, a tall tree stood, similar to the one in Aincrad's 24th Floor. And the sun shone softly over a clear blue sky, instead of the dark one that she had seen a moment ago.

With a startling realization, she recognized the place. It had been a lot of time since she last was in there, but it was without a doubt THAT place.

Serene Garden. The virtual hospice especially open for terminally ill people who used VR as a means of bettering their lives.

And it was under that tree that…

"Remember? Here is where we met Merida for the first time." turning around, the wide-eyed girl saw Aiko standing there, looking with a smile towards the sky. "We were out playing and just so happened to see that super rare bug, then you tried to catch it with just your bare hands. When she showed up and saw you with it, she seemed so shocked…"

"Aiko-nee…" whispered Yuuki taking a step forward, only dimly aware that she was once again looking like her 'real' self, wearing the same white clothes her sister was. "You're here…!"

"Answer, Yuu." interrupted her twin while looking directly at her. "Do you remember?"

"O-of course I do, Aiko-nee! How could I not?! I named that little beetle Roy…I ended up giving it to her because she had been chasing it all day…"

With a sad smile, the girl looked towards the tree, almost as if she could see the smiling visage of the other girl offering her hand to her and her sister, after introducing each other.

"…and what about your first Duel ever, Yuu? Can you remember that?" continued Aiko with a soft tone. "You were scared of even trying to hurt someone else, even if it was just a virtual world…you have really come a long way since then, uh…?"

That gave Yuuki pause, a small look of apprehension appearing on her face. She could still remember, herself as a Samurai, Merida as a Ninja and Aiko as a Miko, in the VR game called 'Asuka Empire'. How she fought her first friend in what seemed her whole life to try and stop her from doing something she thought terrifying.

Merida, the first Sleeping Knight besides them, had been a Beta Tester of Sword Art Online. In fact, she had also acquired the game and had been ready to Dive in it, ready to join again with the many friends she had in the world of swords…but that was when they detected the tumor in her brain.

In an ironic way, that had 'saved' her. She had been forbidden from using the Nerve Gear by her doctor because of how that could affect her condition, and, as such, she had been spared from being trapped inside the Floating Castle of Aincrad.

Yet, sometimes, Yuuki had seen how she actually seemed 'sad' because of it. She could still remember that first time they had silently heard her whisper those words. How that, if she would die anyway, she would prefer to do it fighting for the sake of the friends she had made back then instead of suffering in a bed.

And that day, the day of the twin's 14th birthday, she had tried to actually do it. Taking advantage of the fact that Aiko used a modified Nerve Gear on her treatment, she had tried to Log into SAO.

It had only been luck that Aiko had been fast to react and know that their friend would try and release Roy first, before going into the Death Game. There, they talked, and she managed to convince Merida to Duel against her in Asuka Empire.

It had been scary, and difficult, but she won. And she managed to transmit her feelings to Merida, who broke down crying and apologized to them, even as Yuuki told her that she was meant to live for a reason…

"Remember now?" came her sister's voice once again, making the shocked girl stare at her. "You convinced Merida that we all had a reason to live, no matter what. That even if our lives seemed hopeless, there was a meaning as to why we were there, together. That's why I suggested the idea, the found the Sleeping Knights, in the first place. Because you inspired me, Yuu…and that's why I'm sorry. I'm SO sorry, of not having realizing…how much I have been hurting you all this time…"

"Wha-what are you saying, Aiko-nee?" muttered the scared girl while taking another step towards her. "Yo-you could never hurt me! If I'm where I am now, it's only because you stayed by…!"

"But I was. Don't you see, Yuu? THAT is why I have been hurting you. Because, by staying with you, even after dying…I made you lose all Hope." smiling sadly, Aiko could only stare towards her trembling twin, tears streaming down both her faces. "You no longer cared about whatever could happen to you, because you didn't mind as long as I was with you. You resigned yourself to the bitter end, only living for the sake of living, only smiling for the sake of smiling…and that's wrong, Yuu. You're stronger than that. You have always been. You can be so much more…more than we could ever dream…"

"Why…?" softly asked the youngest twin, and she suddenly found herself being hugged. Still crying, she hugged her sister back, with all her might.

"Because you're destined to greater things, Yuu. I can almost see it, now. You will be someone special, someone that will change the world. Someone that will always be surrounded by people who loves her and that will always smile with them…but…"

"…no…" pleased Yuuki while holding her tighter. "…please…"

"…you have to let me go, Yuu."

"Nee-san…!"

"Shh…don't make that face. You're not a crybaby anymore, right?" chided Aiko while wiping away her twin's tears, even if she herself was crying a river. "I will still be with you, Yuu. Always. Here…" she softly touched her sister's chest, then her forehead. "…and here. As long as you remember me, I won't be a burden to you…but an inspiration. Like you were to me."

"You…you would never…be a burden to me…Aiko-nee…" sobbed Yuuki while letting go of her, staring straight to her eyes. "Never."

Konno Aiko smiled.

"I know. Now stand up, okay, Zekken? You have someone to thank to…Konno-Style."

Konno Yuuki smiled.

"I still have to hit him, though." she muttered with a small chuckle.

And then, Aiko turned into a blinding golden light, making her eyes widen as she felt it entering within herself. Suddenly, everything felt RIGHT. More than it had ever been.

 _"Then do so, my beloved imouto."_

Kirito blinked as he turned around, hi instincts flaring. It had been less than an instant, barely a second since he flung the girl away, but…he felt as if he had missed something. Something important.

The sight of Yuuki righting herself in midair and then landing on her feet as she skidded to a stop, golden aura enveloping her and Excaliber, supported his theory. The girl then raised her face, looking straight at him.

She was smiling. Despite the tears that still streamed down her eyes, she was smiling.

And there was golden fire burning in her eyes.

"Excaliber…shine." whispered the young girl while raising her sword.

The golden blade… _opened_. It was the only way to even remotely describe it, even if still was wrong, or at least not completely accurate.

All that the caped boy was able to grasp with his eyes was how the 'blade' of the holy sword seemed to 'scatter' away, as if it was being forcefully broken from the inside out, leaving in its place…something else.

Something that shone with such a brightness that forced the gamer to look away, and that illuminated the whole 28th Floor as if a second sun had emerged in the middle of the night, turning brighter with each second.

It exploded into a mighty pillar of pure golden light.

The World pulsed, and shifted.

Far away, in another virtual world, an entity wearing the face of a certain girl stood from her fake throne, eyes open in wonder.

Somewhere in the virtual sea, the ethereal form of a man wearing a lab coat stopped his endless wandering and turned around, surprised.

On its throne above Everything, Fate blinked.

Back on Alfheim, Kirito turned around as the light subsided, and his eyes widened with utter shock.

Yuuki stood there…or at least, he thought it was her.

The girl's body now seemed to be…pure golden energy. As if the polygons that made up her avatar had been replaced by some ethereal golden fire, which weaved itself loosely in the shape of the Imp. Even her 'hair' flapped wildly behind her as she lowered the transformed Excaliber. The gamer's eyes shot over the blade at that.

The hilt remained the same, thought it was almost hidden from sight by the transformed hands of the girl. The blade, however…it was as it if had turned into pure LIGHT. Not like Yuuki's 'new body', but something else. Like a pure expression of the very concept. Light in its most pure form, turned into a blade…

The Absolute Holy Sword opened her eyes.

Two flaring stars of pure red stared at the wide-eyed Spriggan.

"…okay, I have to accept it, out of all the things I was expecting to happen, this wasn't…"

Yuuki moved.

No, that was a wrong description. To 'move' one needed to displace from one point to another, through any means. Even in the virtual world, this applied as an absolute rule. Even the teleporting mechanics many VR games had, and that only existed in ALO in the form of Aincrad's Teleport Gates, still counted as 'moving'.

But the girl called Zekken had become, in that moment, the very concept of a Sword. A Holy one.

Kirito found himself being thrown backward and interrupted when the golden girl CUT through reality to reach and slash him at the same time.

A massive BOOM echoed when Cardinal forcefully restored the 'bug', closing the gap in virtual reality with a crushing force that only gave Yuuki's swing that much more power.

"…better."

Excaliber wasn't your usual blade. It was supposed to be nothing more than data coded in a specific way, a bunch of polygons with extremely high stats in the shape of a golden sword, that any GM could generate at will if they so wanted.

The one that previously was I Jotunheimr, the original one that had always been there, the same one that Yuuki had in her hands, however, was different. It was 'special', in a way.

A blade that represented the unbreakable bonds shared by a group of friends. A sword that was as mighty and valuable as the one wielding it was. Excaliber. 'The Caliber that Surpasses'. Someone's caliber. Someone's worth.

And the worth of its wielder never came from themselves…but from all that they represented.

Konno Yuuki had, through some impossibility, become all of that herself. In that moment, there were no longer a 'Yuuki' and an 'Excaliber'.

There was just the Absolute Holy Sword.

For good or bad, though, the caped boy couldn't know any of this, and he only made sure of digging his hands into the earth, barely managing to stop himself from falling off the floating castle. Standing up, he stared with absolute disbelief the collapsing trees and the large scars he had just made in the virtual dirt with his hands.

"…okay, know what? I'm not even going to bother questioning this." sighed him while looking down, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head. "I'm done with that."

The next instant, he spun around, his face a carpet of darkness and his eyes two infinite white voids as his raised arm clashed against the conceptual Holy Sword.

If Yuuki was surprised in the slightest that he had just blocked her swing despite her having just cut through reality to reach him, she didn't show it. Then again, that may have been a bit difficult when nothing but her red-burning eyes could properly be seen of her face.

"…so I'm just going to take this in stride. Sounds good?"

The girl grinned. Despite currently having no apparent mouth or anything that gave it away, the Spriggan just KNEW she had.

"It does." whispered her as answer before Kirito blurred out of existence.

Reappearing in midair, he was already moving his arm to the left to stop the incoming slash, which crashed against his gloved arm with an explosive sound. Half a second later, however, his eyes widened as he moved his other arm to stop a swing from a SECOND Yuuki, aiming to behead him. Then, he moved his face forward and stopped the blade of the third one with his fucking teeth.

He wasn't able to stop the fourth and last one, though, and so the last of the golden girl's doppelgangers was able to slash at him with a wave of pure light.

Their blatant violation of the laws of reality done, the other Yuukis vanished, returning to the last one as if they were afterimages.

Of course, they weren't. Something that didn't 'move' couldn't leave afterimages. Instead, what the Absolute Holy Sword had done was simply cut through different levels of reality at the same time, essentially executing four attacks in the same plane of existence, even if they had only lasted for a simple instant.

Inwardly, she smiled. She was sure she could do more, with enough time, with enough effort…

 _"Hello! My name is Merida, it's a pleasure to meet you!"_

The caped boy crashed into the earth with mighty force. The next second, he was already standing, swinging his arm to the side to block Yuuki's slash as she exited her new personal plane of reality via another 'cut'.

Unstoppable Force met Immovable Object. The results weren't pretty for the surrounding area.

Both combatants, however, felt something stirring inside them, even as they skidded back over the earth, one backpedaling at impossible speed and the other cutting inversely over reality itself.

 _"I will always be by your side, Yuu…"_

Yuuki shot forward again, cutting through the intricate pattern that made up the virtual world as if her body was a kitchen knife and the fabric of reality was hot butter. Nothing within the laws of reasons should be able to react, let alone match, such literally dimensional-transcending reaction speed.

And yet, the gamer clad in black and white was there every time, blocking every single of her space-rending swings with just his arms.

 _"With this, it's official! Everyone, welcome to the Sleeping Knights!"_

Moving through a blatant violation of every single law of reality, and even some of unreality, the caped Spriggan and the golden Imp clashed all over Floor 28, creating veritable shockwaves of pure destruction every time they met.

The very world shaking and cracking each time Fist and Sword met didn't seem to matter for them. In that moment, nothing seemed to exist except each other.

Crashing into the ground again, Kirito didn't realize he had a massive grin on his face even as he went FASTER, solid afterimages of the gamer intercepting Yuuki's latest attempt to reach him through cutting reality at different planes of existence.

The girl started to laugh. From pure joy and happiness.

Then, she used a Skill and a blazing arc of golden light sent the caped gamer off Aincrad, the blinking boy JUST realizing he had been so caught up in the clash that he didn't see how dangerously close to the edge he was.

 _"Let's do our best together, Yuuki!"_

"Well, that happened…" idly commented the Spriggan as he fell like a rock, once again under the mercy of gravity as he looked up. "Now I have to…uh? Wait…is she doing…what I think she is doing…?"

"…huh…how weird…" muttered Yuuki with closed eyes, even as the memories of her friends kept running through her mind, both those who were gone and those that were still at her side. "It's sad but…it doesn't hurt anymore. In fact, I feel…happy."

Smiling at that (Despite still having no mouth), the golden girl finally swung down the holy blade, releasing the MASSIVE energy that it had suddenly accumulating into an all-encompassing blast of devastating light, that rushed straight towards the falling Kirito.

It was no simple attack of energy, though. This was more like an Order to reality itself, in the shape of a wave of light. The concept that 'Anything that faced this Light would be Destroyed'. Assured victory.

"…yeah, she's going all Excali-blast on my ass." sighed the caped boy before shaking his head, a faint smile still on his face. "Ah…the funniest thing is that I don't really miss the days when this kind of shit wasn't normal at all…"

With that said, the falling gamer reared back his fist and PUNCHED as the wave of annihilation reached him.

Yuuki was sent back, cutting through reality out of control, when an impossible force cut through her Concept-Breaking attack and threw her all the way towards the World Tree, cutting dangerously close to the eternal storm clouds that covered the tree's top. The players that were calmly spending time in Yggdrasil city blinked as they swore they saw some kind of golden shooting star passing by.

Likewise, Kirito got sent careening straight into the cold ocean in Alfheim's northeast coast. The few people flying around Gnome territory blinked in surprise at seeing a massive amount of water rise into the sky from his impact.

Little more than a second later, both warriors once again clashed, just above Alne's airspace, both of them with massive smiles on their faces. The shockwaves of conceptual blade meeting fist were barely arriving to knock down the unsuspecting players bellow when they vanished again, once moving at a speed not even Cardinal could properly process and the other simply cutting through reality.

Both of them shot over Salamander, Sylph and Undine territory in less than half a minute, and that because they spent way too much time clashing over each area.

BADUMP!

 _"What…is this feeling…?"_ excitedly thought the Transcendent Imp as she once again swung towards the caped Spriggan from four different layers of space-time, only for him to impossibly be there every time, then try and punch her, only for her to cut away out of his reach. _"…this pounding in my heart…?"_

 _"This…I had forgotten this!"_ were the thoughts of the Spriggan Hero as he tried to unleash an uppercut towards Yuuki, only for her to break apart upon the attack and the real one to swing Excaliber to his back, which he intercepted with a well-placed backhand. _"Since the SAO Beta…this feeling…! Without a doubt this is…!"_

For the gamer's part, nothing in the last years had made him feel like this. Not even fighting Xaxa or Heathcliff, because, in both cases, he had been forced to do so, with lives or something equally dangerous or important on the line. But now, here, against the young girl that was transcending any and all limits just to try and beat him, out of her will and decision alone…

And for the hospitalized girl, nothing had ever felt similar at that moment. An absolute freedom that came to her very soul every time her singing blade met the boy's mighty punches, a melody echoing into her flame-like body as their grinning visages met each other every time…

 _"Ah…maybe this is…?"_

Kirito grinned.

 _"…the exhilaration of a REAL FIGHT!"_

 _"…love?"_

The fighters finally came out of their daze as they exploded into motion somewhere over Caith Sith territory. Their burning gazes crossed again as the girl ascended and the boy fell.

The Imp turned around, or more like 'cut reality backward', in midair, like a meteor, rearing back her conceptual blade as she prepared herself for what she knew would be the last exchange.

The Spriggan landed and, his feet barely touching the ground, catapulted back into the air with a speed that broke reality around him, a massive crater appearing in the forest below several seconds AFTER he had already moved, his fist reared back.

"Consecutive…!"

 ** _"Mother's Rosario!"_** screamed Yuuki with a voice that ordered the World to obey, stabbing reality into 11 different directions, every stab in a different layer of existence, all within the same compression of space-time.

A titanic cross of golden light, visible from every single corner of ALO, turned the virtual night into day, burning like a newborn star. On the Caith Sith's capital, the closest one to the phenomenon, the leaders Alicia Rue and Sakuya (That were having a meeting to drink and share stories) looked on with a raised eyebrow before shrugging and continuing their talk.

They both knew it was probably something Kirito-related, after all.

And on the heart of the glorious cross of pure devastation…

"…NORMAL PUNCHES!"

…reality cracked apart, as gaping holes the size of trucks appeared over its center, cracks spreading over its edges. The beautiful visage of golden light exploded and vanished upon facing a superior force, which violated the logic of reality in an even superior way than it.

In the middle of the collapsing shower of golden dust, Yuuki the Imp fell down, once again looking normal and missing her left arm, even as the right one tightly gripped Excaliber's once again 'closed' form. An idle look to her HUD's side revealed how she had exactly 1 HP left, but she did not care about that absurd impossibility.

She was too busy smiling as she fell from the heavens, closing her eyes as she did so. That had been, without a doubt, the best fight of her life.

Her red orbs shot open when she felt a pair of strong arms grasping her falling body, though, only to meet the widely smiling form of a caped gamer as he held her bridal style.

"Nice fight." complimented Kirito as the golden dust kept falling around them. "You were amazing, Yuuki."

"Heh…don't try and make me feel better." ribbed the swordswoman while playfully hitting his shoulder with her holy blade. "You weren't even really trying, right?"

"Maybe…"

Even as the boy started saying those words, a gust of wind made his cape flap and the Imp felt her eyes widen as she was unable to contain a gasp.

The white and long piece of clothing was tattered and broken, less than half of it remaining, though the gamer didn't seem to care in the slightest.

"…but it still was an amazing fight."

"…'The One who Guides'." came Yuuki's soft voice as she looked at him, making the Spriggan blink. "That's what the kanji for 'Sensei' literally means. I think I understand now, why Asuna calls you that…" softly, she let her head rest against his chest. "Thanks, Kirito."

"…you're welcome, Yuuki." replied the gamer as he stared forward, towards the beautiful fight of the golden dust scattering through the air over Caith Sith's territory. "…by the way, Yuuki…"

"Yeah?"

"…could you please not tell Asuna anything about this?" pleaded Kirito with a frankly scared look on his face. "We both know why I did it, but I'm sure she would skin me alive if she knew I tried to 'seriously' hit you."

The Imp blinked owlishly at him at that. Then, she broke out into open laughter. Hah, as if every single player in Alfheim Online that had been Logged in the last half hour didn't already know of their fight.

"…aahahah…ye-yes, o-of course, Ki, hahah, Kirito, hahah…!"

"…uhm…you know I'm not joking, right?"

As they kept falling under the vanishing golden dust, the young girl's laughter intensified.

Meanwhile, in the real world, on a secluded and highly secret location, Seijirou Kikuoka stared silently at a screen in front of him, his hands crossed under his nose as his glasses reflected the dim light.

After Kazuto made his outrageous request the day before, the bespectacled man had been looking into all the info he could get about Konno Yuuki and the hospital she was in, as only someone of his influence and position could.

The interesting bit, though, was that how, roughly 15 minutes ago, an unusual spike of electric activity had been detected on the network, with a reading that made absolutely no sense. Of course, unlike the one that had come from the SAO Servers at the end of the Death Game, this one had only been felt by those who had equipment especially dedicated to such things.

And Kikuoka had followed the source of it to the Yokohama North General Hospital. The same one in which the girl that was the tester for the Medicuboid was in.

Seijirou had long ago stopped believing in coincidences. Since the time he participated in Sword Art Online's Beta Test, to be more precise.

"Well then…I guess it couldn't hurt see what Kirigaya-kun expects to get out of this…" sentenced the government officer before grabbing his phone and dialing a certain number, quickly switching to his 'cheerful and relatable' voice. "Oh! Hello, am I talking with Kurahashi Kaito, from the Yokohama North General Hospital? Yes? Well, you see, Dr. Kurahashi, I'm a member of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and I wanted to ask you about…"

And as the night rolled forward, the World _shifted_ once again.

Bleeding and broken, Reality laughed towards the heavens.

On its throne above Everything, Fate's metaphorical eyebrows twitched.

Things were truly starting to get out of hand…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Heeey, everyone! This is Alicia Rue, here to give you all the next chapter's preview! Oh? Are you surprised about me doing this? Well, that's because I and Sakuya are actually showing up in the next episode, so I was pretty excited about this. Okay then, let's do it! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Death Fairies Battle!' The time of the year everyone has been waiting for has come, to decide the bravest and most skilled warrior of Alfheim! Gather you all, fairies of the 9 races, and fight, fight and fight till only the strongest one is left!...heheh, I wonder if we will see Kirito around the-?"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And that's finished! Thanks again everyone, hope you enjoyed the epicness of the chapter and all, sorry again for being late with this OxO!

Once again, all the background info and details about Yuuki and Aiko, especially the part about Merida, came from the SAO sidestory 'Sisters' Prayer', plus me making some small guesses. Also, about Yuuki's 'Transcendent Form', in case anyone is wondering, it's not 'specifically' based off any character of One Punch-Man, but I will accept the idea came to me after watching again that panel where Garou declares himself a Disaster Level-God, after he starts 'transforming' (Some may know/have heard about how Garou is considered by many as the one who came closest to 'transcend' the human limits like Saitama did, but in the end 'failed' and started to just turn into a monster that, even if strong enough to be probably the strongest threat since Boros, was still, obviously, no match for Saitama? Well, the idea of Yuuki's 'super form' is a What-if Garou had actually managed to 'ascend' beyond the limits. That's what our little Zekken here did, hope you enjoyed that :P).

Finally, want to say that this arc still has 2 chapters left! Technically, from a normal point of view, I could easily finish the Mother's Rosario arc next chapter, but I want to take advantage of the 'extra events' of the arc's end (There is a 3 months' time skip before Yuuki's death where some things do happen, after all, even if it's mostly skipped in the anime and just vaguely described in the novel) to give everyone the screentime they have been lacking these last chapters, do some character development, finish tying some loose ends, have Kirito talk to Yuuki about his 'idea' and put more 'plans' into motion XD Specifically, the 2 events I want to go over are the 'Duel Tournament' in ALO (Which final battle of Yuuki vs. Kirito is briefly seen in the anime) and the trip to the Konno family house in Kyoto of 3 days that Asuna and the girls go to, using the Probe to show Yuuki the sights =) Let's just say it's all going to be interesting, to say the least XP

And finally…I have decided to continue with the crazy omake of last chapter, ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy more of Savior-Kirito screwing things around in the 5th Grail War XD!

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 2**

Tohsaka Rin was a great promise as a Magus, but she also had quite some 'flaws', despite her love for always do things 'perfectly'.

Like being a horrible morning person, forgetting to set-up her house's clocks in such a way that she messed up her summoning and ended up with the Servant Archer instead of the Saber she wanted, not accepting the death of a certain idiotic redhead to such a degree she sacrificed her most precious and powerful gem to save his life, then not thinking that Lancer may actually return to look for him when he realized Emiya wasn't dead…

Of course, out of all the things that had happened, what the heir of the Tohsaka truly wasn't expecting upon, despite Archer's protests, rushing to the boy's house to 'save him', was to find him with what seemed like a cosplayer their age asking if they wanted to fight.

Then discovering that said cosplayer was, in fact, a Servant (Which made Emiya Shirou a Master and a Magus, something that she hadn't realized despite having…known of the boy's existence for quite some time). Servant SAVIOR, to be precise, a Class she had never heard about and that the redhead had somehow summoned by mistake as the last Master instead of Saber. Then, there was the fact that Savior claimed, and was supported by Emiya, to have killed Lancer. Which made no sense for Rin, given that the Servant was totally and absolutely unimpressive by all looks (She was sure even Archer could easily take that silly-dressed boy, for crying out look) and didn't even seem to be some kind of Hero! In fact, when asked, Savior had said that he actually came from the FUTURE, and not even this world's future at that.

While the young Tohsaka knew that, technically, this was in fact possible, the sheer absurdity of the claims made her more inclined to believe that Emiya had just screwed the summoning so much that he had caused his Servant some kind of brain damage.

Because of this and the fact that she was a fair person and had a big heart (And that had in no way to do with anything she thought or felt about the redheaded boy, no sir), she had decided to explain the basics of the Grail War to the obviously clueless Master, and then had taken him to the church for that damn Kotomine to give him the full explanation and officially 'register him' into the war.

That had _sure as hell_ gone in a totally unexpected way, and was also the reason why, right now, she was walking down the street with a stunned expression, closely followed by the pensive-looking boy at his jumpsuit-clad Servant.

"Man, that guy is SO obviously evil that it's not even funny." sighed Savior while shaking his head, making Rin's eyebrows twitch in annoyance.

"So you have said several times, Savior, and I still think you're exaggerating." acidly commented the Tohsaka heir while scoffing at the thought.

Sure, Kirei was a bastard and the worst teacher she could have ever asked for, but actually evil and 'planning evil deeds to mess everything', like Savior claimed? Yeah, as if!

"Well, Savior certainly seemed sure while cutting off each and every single one of his lines…" added Shirou with a small smile, as if suppressing a chuckle at the thought. For obvious reasons, he really disliked the man. "That was pretty cool of you."

"Eh, the guy is too much of the stereotypical 'Evil Guy who tries and make you see all the negative side of yourself and your dreams' for my taste. Seriously, though, Master, ignore everything he said. Being a Hero has jackshit to do with wishing others to be in danger to be actually saved from." the caped Servant shook his head, as if he found the thought laughable. "Believe me, I was one for enough time and fought weirdos WAY more twisted and crazy that that Fake Priest to know it firsthand."

Rin released another sigh while the Emiya boy just nodded at Savior's words, as if they were some great shared wisdom. The pigtailed girl actually felt Archer scoffing, despite being in Spirit Form.

"And you still insist with such a silly notion…"

"Ugh…Rin, right? Well, girl, hear me out: I DON'T need to be a Heroic Spirit to know these things, you know? Things like how that Kotomine guy is obviously evil, that you're way more attached to my Master than you let out or that that Servant of yours is planning something fishy and would probably betray you if it suited whatever shady goals he has." the caped Servant took a moment of satisfaction in seeing how Shirou blinked in confusion, Rin almost tripped while spluttering with a crimson face and Archer somehow seemed to have frozen dead on his tracks, despite currently being immaterial.

Poor guys. If they had been through even a quarter of the insanity he had, perhaps they would stand a little chance of actually seeing those kinds of things.

"What the hell are you saying, so crazy Servant?!" shouted Rin while turning around and pointing angrily at Savior. "I want you to know that…!…wait, what was that about Archer…?"

Sadly, whatever shenanigans were about to ensue were interrupted by one of the most dreaded things in the Multiverse.

The 'innocent' voice of a 'sweet little girl'.

"Hello again, Onii-chan."

Heads whipping to the side, the group was greeted by a sight that seemed out of some bizarre horror movie: a young girl, seemingly no older than 10, with red eyes and long white hair…behind which a giant of a man whose massive body seemed to be composed of gray-bronze muscles stood, with an enormous slab on rock shaped like some kind of axe-sword on his hand.

The caped Servant was just marginally aware of Rin's reaction as the girl introduced herself as Illyasviel von Einzbern or how his master apparently had seen her before, even of how Archer subtly started to get away from the area while still in Spirit Form. He was too busy staring into the young-looking girl's eyes, and into the well of revelations they offered.

Those were the eyes of someone who was far older than they looked. They were also the ones of someone putting up a façade that they didn't care about maintaining, as long as they achieved their goals. There was also a clear hate and a warped madness in them, which immediately told him that the girl was someone who wouldn't hesitate or even bat an eyebrow at the thought of killing someone.

It was something incredibly sad…and also frustrating. Savior suppressed the urge to sigh, upon identifying that the source of all of Illya's negative feelings was centered upon his Master. Which most likely meant that the 'Onii-chan' bit (How he cringed when he heard that word said in such sinister tone) probably was more than just a childish way of addressing him.

…it seemed his fucking life couldn't stop being like some weird anime plot even after actually being dead. Joy.

Even so, the caped Servant just shook his head, looking back at Illya. For all the problems it all seemed, he was pretty sure it was no big deal. Perhaps that was a bit cruel of him, not knowing the girl's background at all, but then again, he was sure he had encountered, faced and solved worse things in his life, which was probably what had desensitized to similar encounters so much. After all, for all the suffering the adult in the boy of a child talking 'happily' before them had, she had nothing on Lizeris. That other 'little girl' had actually been CENTURIES alone, with nothing more than a spider to talk to, watching upon a hopeless world, when he had met her. Compared to that, whatever was Illyasviel's problem, he was sure they could fix it if they all sat and talked it out like civilized peo…

"Kill them, Berserker." finished the Einzbern Master with a sweet smile, even as the giant ROARED and shot forward at speeds that betrayed its amazing size, aiming right for the two frozen teens besides Savior. His massive axe-sword was swung down…

…and the totally unimpressive-looking Servant stopped it with his bare hand, deadpanning at the giant with a small look of annoyance. Then, he closed his hand and the whole slab of rock was CRUSHED, breaking apart into Berserker's grip as if it was made of glass.

Illya blinked.

Rin gaped.

Shirou blinked, then raised a hand.

"Wa-way to go, Savior!"

"Thanks, Shirou." sighed the caped Servant before looking back at the blinking and staring Einzbern. "Hear, I know you must have a lot of murderous rage and wishes for revenge bottled all up inside for some convoluted reason I KNOW is a misunderstanding, because, despite only having known him for a couple of hours, I'm sure my Master is unable to hurt anyone that way. So, could we please stop to talk like…"

Berserker roared, interrupting Savior's speech and sending an earth-shattering punch towards his face.

Instead of the boy's head disappearing into a bloody mist (Which was what Illya was hoping for), though, a loud sound echoed and the mad Servant blinked, seeing smoke coming from his hand at the point where his massive fist had failed to even move the caped Hero, barely cracking the ground around them.

Sighing and taking a step back so as to remove Berserker's massive knuckles from his face, Savior reared back his fist…and PUNCHED.

The gigantic and seemingly unstoppable force of nature that was the giant Servant exploded into a rain of red gore, splashing his remains everywhere, a good chunk of them failing over his blinking Master.

Illyasviel dumbly opened her mouth, no sound coming out of it. Rin made some kind of chocking noise.

Shirou just stared in utter awe and a bit of excited fear.

"…it says something about my life that this isn't the first time I bathe a girl with the bloody remains of an angry beast of destruction." sighed the caped Servant before staring towards the now terrified-looking Illya. "Can we now talk this out?"

"Ho-how?! Yo-you took four of Berserker's lives…with just one punch!" shouted the white-haired loli while taking several steps back.

"Yes, I know it's a bit…wait, what? 4 lives?"

"Sa-Savior, watch out!"

Blinking at his Master's warning, the black-haired Hero turned around in time to see how, impossibly, the gory remains of the Mad Servant gathered together and started to assemble themselves again, 'reconstructing' his body while a reddish glow covered it.

"Ha-hah, you weren't expecting that, right?!" recovering a bit of her confidence, Illya pointed towards the shocked group with a bright look. "Berserker is Greece's strongest hero, the great Heracles himself! And besides his godly strength, his Noble Phantasm, God Hand, gives him the ability to resurrect 12 times, as much as his legendary 12 Tasks!"

"…are you shitting me? It actually has 'Extra Lives'?" facepalming, Savior seemed to ignore how Berserker came back to life with a roar of pure rage, making him groan as he simply backhanded the mountain of muscles and destruction the side when he tried to lunge for him, sending the Mad Servant crashing and destroying part of the graveyard they were at the side of, and almost giving both Illya and Rin a heart attack and an aneurysm at the same time because of it. "Typical. Why do literally every important enemy I face has a way to just say 'fuck you' to Death, while only 1 one my friends ever did? That's unfair as hell!"

"A-amazing…" whispered Shirou while looking at his utterly nonplussed Servant. To be so strong it could be so careless in a fight against such deadly enemy, yet still be a true Hero at heart…maybe Savior could teach him how to become a Hero Justice?

"N-no way…" muttered Illya while taking several steps back, staring at the caped Servant with absolute terror. "Wha-what are you?"

"…eh, I haven't said it in a LONG time, so what the hell?" grinning, Savior crossed his arms jand looked proudly towards the white-haired girl. "I'm just a Gamer play…!"

"…shit, Savior, Illya, move!" shouted the redheaded Magus while running their way, much to Illya's confusion.

The caped Servant only needed to hear Rin confusedly replying to what seemed like a one-sided conversation before turning around towards a very specific point in the distance, eyes widening….with pity.

"Oh, Archer, you poor fool…"

Meanwhile, an absurd distance away, the Servant of the Bow had already brought his supposedly trademark weapon to bear and was knocking what seemed like a sword with a drill-like blade on it, aiming 'at Berserker', but actually hoping to catch the terrifying Servant of the cape, or at least his stupid Master, with the blast.

To hell with this not being his timeline, Counter Guardian EMIYA was NOT dealing with someone who seemingly would support and encourage the stupid ideals of his past self, much less if it was someone who could turn freaking Berserker into red mist with just a fucking punch. Those thoughts in mind, the red-clad Servant prepared to unleash Caladbolg…

…only to freeze when he felt and saw two swords, one jet-black and the other emerald in color, cross around his neck, the blades reflecting his shocked face, both because he hadn't even _felt_ the enemy getting behind him…and because of the clearly mechanic hands that were gripping said blades, seeming straight out of some sci-fi movie.

"Even if I'm sure that whatever that fancy arrow of yours is can't hurt him, I do not take lightly on someone trying to harm my husband or his friends, you know?" came a sweet voice from behind the paralyzed Archer, who risked looking back towards his unexpected executioner.

It was a young girl, either an older teenager or already a young woman, of beautiful chestnut-colored hair…and whose whole body (Except for her head, apparently) was made of some gleaming white and bluish metal, clearly cybernetic of some kind in origin, yet somehow still giving her generous curves under the battle clothes she wore. The Servant of the Bow didn't know if that or the fact that she was giving him a Rin-patented smile was more terrifying, though.

Then, the mysterious cyborg opened her eyes, revealing them to be jet black and with golden irises, even as they narrowed towards him. Archer finally seemed to process her words in that moment, cursing everything to hell.

The girl was most likely part of Savior's Noble Phantasm, whatever the hell that was.

"…I don't suppose you can lower these blades of yours to let me explain how I was actually trying to help, right?" commented the Servant of the Bow while looking back at the girl's swords…and almost reeling from shock at what he _saw_.

Two swords that didn't make any sense, one apparently having come from some sort of two-headed giant and the other made out of the essence of an absurdly powerful DRAGON and forged by a clearly DIVINE power. Their names were Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang, but that wasn't important, not compared with the fact that, inside both Noble Phantasms, there slept…

Archer felt a headache the likes he hadn't felt since his own time in a Grail War as a Master coming to him, when he felt the Will of the impossibilities inside those blades stir at his gaze, almost defying him to look further. With a soul-crushing chill, the Servant realized that the edges of both swords (That his Marble would never be able to fully copy because of THAT) were glowing with a power that defied the natural order of things.

All the while, the cyborg girl behind her kept utterly calm, as if she didn't realize she was wielding abominations that could potentially damage the very essence of the World…or maybe just ignoring it totally.

Again, EMIYA didn't know which case was more terrifying.

"Still feeling up for lying, or are we going to go down there for you to apologize?" asked the chestnut-haired girl with another sweet smile. Slowly nodding, Archer let his weapons disperse into particles of Prana.

Where in Alaya's name had Savior met this monster?!

"Wha-what the hell?! Another Servant?!" asked a confused Rin while looking in the direction her Servant was (Despite none of them actually being able to see him clearly from there), even as Shirou blinked and the caped Servant just shook his head.

"No…it's just one of my wives. Also, the little girl and her giant bodyguard took advantage of this timely interruption to get away." informed Savior while both Masters looked at him in shock, quickly sweeping the area with their gazes to find that, effectively, Illyasviel and Berserker had gotten the hell out of there. "Damn, why can't any of these crazy things be ever easy…?"

"Wa-wait a minute, you can call other Heroic Spirits with a Noble Phantasms?!" nearly screamed the Tohsaka heir, her mind reeling at the implication of that and seriously considering the best way of convincing Emiya to form an alliance with her (After she punished Archer for the stupid move he had almost done), or at least not to totally crush her…when the full words that the caped Servant had said registered on her mind. "Wait…one of your **wives**?"

The black-haired Hero just looked to the side at the clearly implied question, blushing slightly as he scratched the back of his head in a way that Shirou found strangely relatable, for some reason.

"It's…complicated." muttered Savior while shaking his head, his eyes clearly lost in some kind of memory. "VERY complicated."

And as the pseudo-Servant who introduced herself as the 'Mighty Flash' arrived while dragging Archer at sword point, the first night of the 5th Holy Grail War ended. 6 Servants remained.

Every single person that had been spying the scene through supernatural means was quick to move their asses, and start searching for a quick way to survive the crazy anomaly that had shown up in the Heaven's Feel.

Of course, none of them could know that a smiling figure with red eyes and oozing ethereal darkness already knew they had been watching…

* * *

Servant: Savior

True Identity: Kirigaya Kazuto/Kirito

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Strength: EX

Endurance: EX

Agility: EX

Mana: -

Luck: ?

 **Class Skills**

Independent Action: A+

The Servant can operate without a Master. With a rank of A+ that exceeds even A, the support of a Master is unnecessary even while unleashing a large amount of magical energy. It is an ability that bends the rules and allows for the continued materialization of Servants even after the conclusion of the Holy Grail War.

Riding: ?

Technically, Savior only knows how to ride a motorcycle and a car (Though given his speed and endurance this is completely unnecessary in his current state), but in life he rode on the back of beings that, using this world's terms, ranged from powerful Phantasmal Beasts to Pseudo-Gods, be it because he befriended or simply beat them into submission.

 **Personal Skills**

Pioneer of the Stars: EX

Skill given to heroes that became turning points in the human history. At this level, all difficult voyages and challenges which are considered 'impossible' turn into 'events that can be realized'.

Discernment of the Poor: A+++

Insight to see through the opponent's character and attribute. At this level, literally nothing upon the normal plane of existence can 'trick or deceive' Savior, he will be able to see through the ruse or the lie because he's too 'Genre Savvy' about life. Funnily enough, though, his friends are still able to deceive him sometimes, mainly when they're trying to get some fun at his expenses.

Eye of the Mind (True): A+

Heightened capacity for observation, refined through experience. At this level, Savior can literally deduce everything about his enemy or a situation that can be known by observation alone in literally seconds of the battle having started, and as such deduce the best and easiest path to resolve a conflict. Sadly, this Skill isn't really all that useful to Savior, given that 99% of his opponents can be put down by just punching them into oblivion, one way or another.

Charisma: A+?

The natural talent to command an army/group. Increases the ability of allies during group battles. A rare talent and ability inherent to Servants of the Savior Class. It is said that a rank of B in this skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its King. At this level it is no longer popularity, but rather a kind of spell (curse) in itself. The irony comes that, even after the last and craziest events of his life as a Hero, Savior never really took notice of his own charisma towards people.

Fate's Grudge: EX

More like a curse of the highest degree than a Skill, it represents the grudge one of the greatest forces of Reality Itself feels after Savior defied and bested It on all levels. Because of this, Savior is 'cursed' to, if the circumstances are right and someone calls for a 'Hero', always answer all kind of supernatural summoning or ritual that summons someone to 'save' others, even if he has no interest in the matter. Even more, the curse also makes it so that both he and his friends always remember each and every single one of these summons and all events that took place in them, even after returning to be part of the Throne of Heroes. Luckily, they have long-since learned to take things like this in stride.

 **Noble Phantasms**

Absolutely Average Guy (Fake) - _'Just a Gamer playing Hero for Fun_ ' (Anti-Self NP): EX?

A 'fake' version of a Noble Phantasm originated from the Heroic Spirit known simply as 'Saitama'. As long as the Servant doesn't exhibits his true power, not even the World itself will be able to recognize him as more as an unimpressive and average person. This is especially useful because even the strongest of beings will be unable to know they're facing a being that can in truth absolutely destroy them, but, unlike the usually impassive Saitama, Savior sometimes finds this extremely annoying.

United Heroes Association - _'Bonds beyond Reality'_ (Support NP): B++ ~ EX

A semi-automatic Noble Phantasm, which allows Savior to call from the Throne as Pseudo-Servants any of those he considered as his closest friends, comrades and lovers thorough his life. Incidentally, this Noble Phantasms isn't totally under the Servant's control, as some of the strongest Heroic Spirits linked to him can come through the NP without Savior calling for them, if they have a strong enough reason to (Or if they just feel like it). This Noble Phantasm is seriously limited, though, as the 'Heroes' will need to use their own Prana reserves to manifest themselves, as these are limited per summoning. While Savior could theoretically call for all of them to come to aid him at the same time, it's not only extremely unnecessary (Given the Servant's nature) but also a great risk, given as some of his strongest allies have abilities and/or Noble Phantasms that allow them to defy, break, override or outright Incarnate one or more of the Laws of the World, which would doubtlessly catch the attention or Gaia and/or Alaya, and the results would be…messy.

One Punch-Gamer - _'The Strongest One'_ (Anti-Reality NP): EX

Savior's personal version of Saitama's 'One Punch-Man' Noble Phantasm. Originally gifted to him by [FATE] in an attempt to create an interesting situation, the boy managed to break free of the chains of reality and make the impossible ability truly his. As long as the Omniverse stands, no opponent or force will be able to physically harm Savior, no enemy will be able to resist or survive his punches (No matter in which plane of existence they are), no force will be able to stop or contain him and, if he makes the effort of concentrating, no event or ability will be able to even affect his mental state. Though this has always been put in doubt by countless beings and can't be truly proven, Savior's greatest feat with this Skill was to punch and break the metaphorical manifestation of [FATE] while fighting Outside of Reality, with all the implications and consequences that came with that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2** :…and done! Well, that's a wrap for now, folks, read you all next time XP Oh, and it may be a bit late to say it, but reading the 'Omakes' may give some 'small' Spoilers about the possible future of the story, as well as Savior's Servant Stat Sheet O,O Just letting you all know :P

Okay then, that's it for now, everyone! See you all next chapter! Until then, this is Saint, signing off!


	30. Chapter 24: Death Fairies Battle!

Once again, welcome you all, my dear readers, to another chapter of the adventures of a Gamer playing Hero for fun :3 Also, I want a moment to point out how this fic has, to my utter surprise, gone over the 800 reviews! Infinite thanks to you all, I hope you can continue enjoying it till the very end.

So, this chapter doesn't advance the main plot that much (Sorry about that), but it's necessary to give us some small 'hints', set up and develop other 'minor' parts of the plot and also to bring to us some more character development and much needed screen time for some of the characters XD! Hope you like the many 'fights' it has, though. They're nothing especially epic like usual, but I like to think they're good anyway XP (Also a small cameo of a minor character from a SAO Spin-off :D)

Without more to say, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 24: Death Fairies Battle! Fun, Fights and Slashes!**

 **November 14th, 2025. Kawagoe, Saitama. Dicey Café, 18:00…**

Looking silently out of one of the bar's window, Takemiya Kotone, better known by her friends as 'Philia', took a small sip from her hot tea. It was being a really cold season. She wouldn't be surprised if it snowed this year…

Sighing, she let a smile appear on her face as she idly thought about how much her life had changed the last years.

Kotone wasn't an outcast or a loner; in fact she had always drawn a bit of attention because of her 'cute' looks. Her main problem, though, was that she was too shy when it came to relate with people, and that she had quite some problems to make friends because of this. This made that, despite having quite some 'acquaintances' since childhood, she had never quite been close enough with anyone to call them 'true friends'. Not to mention that she had changed houses at least 3 times since childhood because of her parents' work, before they moved to the Saitama Prefecture and she started Middle School.

Maybe that was why she had wanted to try out Sword Art Online. Despite telling her parents she just wanted to have some fun with something new and apparently amazing, she had in fact wanted to see if she could relate with people more easily in the virtual world.

Then the Death Game started and her hopes were crushed by a nightmare.

Like many players at first, Kotone had holed up in an Inn of the Starting City and waited to see if the authorities would be able to free them. However, she had also been one of the first ones to get out of this state, spurred, like others, by the curious anomaly that had been originally called 'The Black and White Blur'.

With the extra feeling of 'security' that the mysterious 'Hero' gave, she ventured into Aincrad. Having underestimated how much the virtual world would affect her, she actually became less awkward with people, but still had massive problems relating to them, preferring to go around alone. She ended up becoming what could be called a 'Treasure Hunter'. Not someone actively trying to clear the game, but who would try and help out if she found some rare or useful item, informing about it or simply selling it for a reasonable price…

She continued like this until, one day, she found herself in a Dungeon of Floor 34, seeing how a nearby Party had been surrounded by mobs. Anyone with a bit of common sense would have tried to run away, especially after seeing that more and more of the monsters were spamming and that they were noticeably above her level.

Philia had ran forward screaming, using her dagger to try and drag as much 'Hate' as she could, to give the surprised group a chance to get away. Her agility and natural talent to run away allowed her to actually pull it off, though she was starting to worry she wouldn't be able to get away from them in time…when she saw Him for the first time.

Like a blur of motion, he came, fist first and at speeds the mind couldn't understand. She had hidden behind a nearby rock, shocked, after seeing how many of the mobs started to die for seemingly no reason, and saw how the Party had started cheering even as the caped boy stopped and asked if they were okay.

Kirito. The Hero of Aincrad.

Of course, the boy never knew she had been there, and she never quite brought it up with him or the others either, but it had been that moment when she had first become 'interested' in him. Almost as if it was Fate, it had been after that incident that she had discovered Battoujutsu on her Skills. It probably had to do with whatever she did exactly right while trying to help out that group, but a part of her had also thought it maybe had been because of him.

That's what actually motivated her to develop the Unique Skill, becoming stronger in the process, and follow with mild curiosity any news about him and, later, his guild. It had been like that how she had first stumbled upon Silica, who had given her the whole 'Ronin' nickname. And it had also been because of that that she was in the forest that night and helped out Sachi when she tried to prove herself against Nicholas the Renegade.

Then, she had met Him again, by pure chance this time, with Silica, that day in Floor 47. And that had been when Yui and Strea found her. The weird and crazy AIs that would become her first true friends. And that would lead her to Him and everyone else, allowing her to become part of something that she never thought would have beside her parents.

A true family.

Perhaps she wasn't the most outgoing of the group, and most likely would never be, but she was still happier than she could have ever thought with them. They had been loyal to her from the very beginning, and she would never betray that trust. She would always be loyal to them, just like they had been…

"A thousand Yrd for your thoughts?" came a familiar voice from across the table…or the middle, technically.

Smiling, Kotone turned around to look towards her own portable computer, which was currently resting open in the middle of the table, and through which she could see Strea's smiling visage sitting across from her, a cup on her own hands, though hers was hot chocolate instead of tea.

The orange-haired girl suppressed the need of commenting in the obsession with sweets she shared with her sister in favor of chuckling slightly.

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"Maybe, but you know me, I'm just too curious, Phili-chan." grinned the red-eyed girl while taking a sip of her drink. "Ahhh…this is nice. I can't ever thank Kirito enough for managing to program something like this here!"

"Though Agil-san also deserves some credit." pointed out Kotone while looking to the ceiling. "He did allow us to keep the camera-system here, after all…"

"It doesn't hurt that it doubles as a security system that can actually virtually reproduce whatever happened inside here, eh?" laughed Strea before looking out of the window, then pouting because, from her perspective, there was nothing outside the glass. "Though I wish I could see a bit more than just this…"

"Well, when Yuuki-san isn't using the Probe, what do you say we go out for a walk or something?" asked the katana-user with a soft smile, remembering how Kazuto had told them that the ill girl and Asuna were using the device that day for her to check out the city and her old house.

"…my, Phili-chan, are you asking me out on a date? I never thought you were so bold!" cheered the AI with another massive smile, almost making the other girl to choke on her drink. "Though I don't know if I can make you betray your love for Kirito like that…even if I don't think he would mind that much if both of us…"

"Ca-can you please stop with that?!" shouted Kotone with a burning face, then froze, quickly looking around and sighing in relief when she saw no one else in the café sans Andrew, and the man had long since grown used to ignore the shenanigans of the Association's members. "Ugh, and to think I was trying to be nice to you…be-besides, for your information, I have long since gotten over the cru-crush I had on Kirito."

"Oh…really? That's too bad…he would probably be very sad if he knew…" casually commented the red-eyed girl to the extremely obvious lie (As if she couldn't remember how the girl seemed about to burst into tears when the boy had been convulsing on his bed when fighting Death Gun). "…especially because you would have probably had a great chance to spent quite some time with him if you won tomorrow…"

"Wait, what?!" asked the blinking girl while turning to look towards her virtual friend. "Wha-what do you mean?!…uhm, for curiosity's sake, nothing more."

Inwardly, Strea pumped a victorious fist. She knew enough about the group's dynamics to know that Kotone would most likely be the one with the most problems to accept their 'Plan for Happiness', so she had needed quite a lot of careful thinking and searching for motivations that could help her sway the girl's mind to their 'beautiful and noble' cause. All of that had resulted in tomorrow's 'event', which she would also use to get everyone all fired up and also have some fun together.

It was very important that everything went smoothly and perfect tomorrow, of course. After all, in this last month, Argo had all but totally gotten Lisbeth on board with the Plan (Though she blushed immensely and shut up every time she tried to ask what exactly had been the blacksmith's initial reaction to it) , and she knew that Yui-nee had been slowly but subtly been implanting the idea in Sachi's head. In that moment, they were supposedly together with the excuse of watching some anime about robots and drills (Which she had thought the girl would like, given the coincidence between her Ultimate Skill and one of the anime's attacks) and she had to finally break out the idea to the spear-user. She had high hopes and absolute faith in her older sister, so she wasn't worried about that bit in the slightest.

Incidentally, Argo seemed very worried that Liz had specifically asked about 'being the one' to get Silica into the Plan, all the while with a big grin and a strange glint in her eyes. Honestly, Strea didn't know what the problem was.

"Well, you see, remember how there is supposedly going to be a secret prize for the dueling tournament tomorrow in ALO? I may have heard what the 'secret prize' they're going to give is…"

That night, Takemiya Kotone had troubles sleeping, her mind awhirl with thoughts of Strea's words, the feelings she had been trying to give up on, her relationship with her friends and if she even had a chance in the supposed battle that was coming.

In the end, when she finally fell asleep, she dreamed about a strange and massive garden filled with flowers, a clear blue sky greeting her tired eyes as she leaned her back against the only tree it had…

* * *

 **November 15th, 2025. Alne Plateau, Alfheim. Dueling Coliseum, 12:30…**

It was a beautiful day in ALO, with the sun shining brightly over the area of the World Tree.

Thus, it was without a doubt a great day for players to gather and try to brutally kill each other for the position of the 'strongest'.

"Good day and welcome everyone to Alfheim's 4th United Dueling Tournament!" announced a Sylph of long, bright bluish-white hair, wearing some kind of coat that seemed to emphasize her chest area. "My name is Lux and I have been given the honor of being the commentator in this amazing event! I hope we can all get along!" there was a pause in which the girl sweatdropped as the crowd, mainly the male players, erupted into cheers and cries of her name, making her feel uncomfortable of being in that high podium holding the 'magic microphone' that broadcasted her voice. "U-uhm, yeah…a-also, we have with us two special guests to give us their opinions and comments about the coming matches! Sakuya, current Lady of the Sylph , and Alicia Rue, current Lady of the Caith Sith!"

Another round of claps and cheers came forth when the aforementioned women waved at the coliseum's crowd, many of them even declaring their eternal devotion towards them. Said comments were cheerfully ignored.

"Heheh, thanks for the introduction, Lux-chan! Just got to say, me and Sakuya-chan are very happy to be here!" boasted Alicia while giving a toothy grin towards the young commentator, who smiled back at her.

"Well, to be honest, I myself wanted to try my hand in the tournament, but after seeing some of the people in the rooster I had to reconsider." sighed Sakuya with a slightly disappointed tone. "Guess I'm not as great swordswoman as I'm with the dealings of my Race…"

"Nee, nee, don't go getting all depressed, Sakuya-chan!" chided the blonde Caith Sith while playfully slapping the back of her friend. "We're here to enjoy the show, after all!"

"A-as Lady Alicia said, cheer up!" insisted Lux while sweatdropping, wondering if she maybe shouldn't have accepted that 'job' just because she was bored. "Well then, without more delays, let's start by explaining how the fights of the tournament are going to…!"

Tuning out the rest of what the girl was explaining, and that he already knew, Kirito shook his head and looked around from where he was sitting, near one of the coliseum's roof edges. Honestly, he was surprised no one had told him anything about being there yet…except that maybe that was because no one had actually SEEN him yet. Truly, as surprising as it was, it seemed that, even in a world where they could actually fly, people still rarely looked up.

His thoughts were interrupted, however, when he felt someone gracefully landing behind him, a smile appearing on his face as he felt a familiar presence practically skipping to his side.

"Hey, Kirito, something on your mind?" asked Yuuki while stopping at his side, looking down towards the arena with her own typical smile. "Surprised you actually came to see the fights, given you didn't even consider participating!"

The caped boy decided to take a moment to look towards the Imp's happy face, towards the actual FULL smile she now had, one that didn't lack anything, unlike the first ones he had seen, only Asuna actually realizing it to some degree too.

It was something that had made this last month seem much brighter, ever since their fight.

"You kidding? Everyone would kill me if I didn't come to see them." joked the Spriggan while chuckling softly, before looking down again with relaxed eyes. "Jokes aside, though, I really did want to come. Looking how everyone does their best as they fight…I enjoy it, seeing how free they seem. You could say it makes me remember that, no matter how strong I am, I will always know they're better than me in many things. I didn't earn my power, but they did. Every single inch of it, with effort and perseverance…"

"Hey now, don't say that." pouted Yuuki while playfully hitting his back. "Yeah, maybe you got your 'powers' out of nowhere…but I think you have more than earned them from then onwards, don't you think?"

Her soft words made him remember that night almost a month ago, in the aftermath of their crazy and unreal battle. How they had just sat down side by side and, after a short silence, started talking.

She told him about her sister, Aiko. Every last detail, even how she had been 'with her' after her death. In return, he shared with her all of his crazy life since the moment he watched One Punch-Man with Sugu to the Death Gun event (Omitting, of course, certain personal details like what happened between him, Asuna and Sugu). By the end of it, both had gained a new close friend, the first who knew all the secrets of the other, in Yuuki's case.

Then, with a bit of trepidation and gathering all his determination, Kirito told her about his idea. His plan to try and 'save' her, all the details and inconveniences that came with it, coupled with the extreme danger it posed.

When he had finished and received only shocked silence in return, the gamer had wondered what was going through the girl's mind. The risks of it all? The terrifying implication that there was no guarantee it would be 'her' who remained but just a digital copy thinking it was Yuuki? How insane the whole thing sounded?

Still, what finally had come out of her lips had been something he truly hadn't been expecting.

 _'Why? Why are you doing all of this for me? Why go so far to help someone you barely know?'_

That had been the Imp's question. And the answer was as simple as it was disconcerting, the young girl being clearly shocked when he answered without hesitation.

 _'Because I decided I would help you.'_

That was it, as simple as that. There was no deep meaning, no noble goal or Hero complex behind it all, no excuse for the greater good or for the sake of the innocents and justice. Just like Saitama, Kirito wasn't the kind of guy who did things because of that.

Kirigaya Kazuto had decided he would help Konno Yuuki, because he wanted to. Because he thought, after getting to know her, that she was a beautiful person and definitively someone who didn't deserve what life had done to her. And because she was important to Asuna, someone he loved dearly. That he had just so happened to stumble upon a way that may actually manage to do so was a mix of stubbornness and luck in equal parts.

That was all the reason. Almost more selfish than heroic, when one looked at it that way. He was going to do his best to help her because he wanted to. And nothing in this world would convince him of the contrary.

After all of that…Yuuki had simply released a sound that the Spriggan hadn't been sure if it was a sob or a chuckle before hugging him in silence. He had returned the hug. All had been peaceful after that.

…well, at least until 12 hours, 42 minutes and 13 seconds later, when his friends (Mainly Sugu and Asuna) managed to make him reveal what his involvement with the golden lights of the night before in ALO had been (Curse those puppy-dog eyes, women's most unholy weapons). Luckily, Asuna had only wanted to murder him for 5 minutes before hugging and thanking him for being such a wonderful person…all the while still calling him an idiot, even as the others exchanged resigned comments about his Hero-instincts.

More than one had been extremely curious about Yuuki's 'Absolute Holy Sword' form, but their guesses were as good as his, who had already blamed it all on the madness his life had been since he watched One Punch-Man. Honestly, he was more surprised that they were more curious about that than the fact he had admitted to essentially wanting to test a highly dangerous piece of potentially lethal and unsafe technology with the hopes of saving the ill girl, in a way that seemed straight out of some crazy sci-fi plot.

The boy had almost felt like crying when, with smiles on their faces, they had answered that they had absolute faith in his decision, no matter how crazy it sounded for anyone else. In fact, Kirito was pretty sure he had started to sob as he thanked them, wondering what had he ever done to deserve having such wonderful people in his life.

He had honestly wondered if his adoptive sister had the power to read his mind when she had called him an idiot the next instant before hugging him.

Then Strea had shouted 'Group Hug!' and things had become very awkward. He still wondered if Yui had been truthful when she said she erased the picture she took of the Association's awkward moment, even if there was no way the innocent little girl could lie to them…right?

"…heh. Maybe you're right." conceded the gamer while opening his eyes, turning back to the present to look at the smiling swordswoman. "Also, shouldn't you be down there? I thought you were participating…"

"Yep, I am, but I wanted to see how you were doing before…" accepted her with a small tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Besides, Siune and the rest came here to cheer on me, so I have to do my best too!"

"Well, I would wish you luck, but then again, I don't know how much help would that be, given that I already wished the same to almost everyone…" accepted the Spriggan while slowly looking towards the golden sword at the girl's side. "Unless, of course, you're planning to…"

"Nope. And don't worry, Kirito, I still have no idea how to do that THAT again." accepted Yuuki with a soft smile while caressing the handle of Excaliber, still remembering the warm and unreal power that slept within both her and the blade. "Even if I did, I definitively wouldn't use it in something like this. This is a proof of skill, not of power. That's the same reason why YOU aren't participating, right?"

"You have to accept, it would be absolutely unfair for everyone else if I did." sighed the caped boy while shaking his head, having long-since resigned himself to not enter any kind of 'tournament' in a VRMMO ever again (The BoB having been a pointed exception). "Anyway…good luck, Yuuki. Let the best one win."

"And that's exactly how is going to be! Don't you doubt it!" promised the Holy Swordswoman before flying away, either to wait her turn to fight with the other competitors or going to talk to her fellow Sleeping Knights once more.

Kirito, for his part, turned around again, wondering if he should stay there or go down and search the rest of his friends that had decided not to participate.

A soft smile appearing on his face, the gamer took the obvious decision and jumped down.

…outside the coliseum, of course. There was no need to cause any commotion today, and he dearly wished it stayed that way.

* * *

Nervously gripping the katana at her side, Philia tried once again to ignore the comments that were being made about the tournament and how the crowd gathered there reacted. Honestly, this was beyond silly. She had already set her mind in that she was only participating in that tournament to test how much her abilities had improved, not to win. There was, after all, little to no hope for that when the likes of Asuna and even Yuuki herself were participating, and all of her other friends participating had accepted that, even if they were still going to try their best.

And yet, if what Strea had told her yesterday was true…

"…and now, before officially starting the fights, we have a surprise announcement from our beloved Admins from Ymir!" came Lux's voice from the stand as she apparently started to read something. "Besides the usual in-game prizes for this year's champion, the game's sponsors have also decided to offer…two tickets for an entire day of free rides in Tokyo's Central Amusement Park?! Whoa, that's quite a prize!"

The Ronin closed her eyes even as an excited roar came from the crowd. It looked like her slightly crazy AI friend had been right…and made the stupid ideas she had put on her head come back. Images of herself and Kirito spending a happy day together in the amusement park, like the typical day from a shoujo manga.

Putting her hands over her blushing face, Philia tried to shook those stupid thoughts out of her mind. It was more than obvious that she had no chance with the boy, she had already told herself that countless times. Never mind the fact that almost every single female friend he had seemed to be head over heels for him to some degree, it was pretty obvious that, even if he was kind with everyone, he only really liked Asuna in a romantic…though there had been that thing with her and his adoptive sister that had never quite been cleared just before the Death Gun incident. And, after that, their relationship seemed to have returned to 'normal' but with some strange changes that…

Suppressing the need to scream in frustration, Philia decided to just concentrate on the battles ahead. After all, no matter how much she wished for it, a magical solution for the problem at hand that didn't end with someone or another's feelings getting hurt wasn't going to appear…right?

In other of the areas where the future participants of the tournament were waiting, Strea felt the strange need to laugh sinisterly. She suppressed it just because there were more people waiting there, and Argo had repeatedly told her that people would usually freak out when she did that.

Meanwhile, on the coliseum's terraces, Yui felt the strange need too and was barely able to suppress it with a chuckle, even as Kirito (On whose shoulder she was sitting) gave her a confused look.

"Uhm, everything okay, Yui?"

"O-oh, yeah Papa, everything is fine!" waved it off the pixie while giving him a smile. "I-I was just thinking about another funny scene of that anime me and Sachi-mama watched yesterday!"

"Yes, that certainly sounds like something interesting…" commented Argo from where she sat at the boy's side, her gaze subtly moving towards Yui as she talked. "Did you and Sachi have fun, Yui-chan?"

"Yep, we most certainly did, Argo-mama!" happily answered the little AI while giving the Caith Sith a thumbs-up, which spoke lots about how her part about talking their other friend into the 'Plan' had gone. "…though that series was certainly something else. I think it even affected Sachi-mama a bit too much…"

"Wait, what?" blinked the confused Spriggan as he once again stared towards his virtual daughter. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, you will probably see it on today's fights, so I won't want to spoil the surprise, Papa." grinned Yui to the boy's further confusion, and also giving Argo the feeling another headache was coming…before she looked in the opposite direction, towards the other Caith Sith sitting at Kirito's other side. "Are you excited for seeing this, Silica-mama?"

"U-uh?! Ye-yeah, i-it's going to be fun!" commented the young-looking girl while staring forward, her ears and tail all stiff and her face burning crimson every time she so much peeked towards the gamer's direction, muttering something impossible to understand every time she did.

Argo sighed. She still couldn't believe the virtual sisters thought that letting LISBETH be the one to talk the younger girl into their crazy 'Plan' was a good idea. The info-broker most certainly DIDN'T want to know what kind of images or thoughts the blacksmith had put on the kunoichi's head.

Quickly searching for a way to deviate the conversation from the clearly awkward Caith Sith, the whiskered girl looked towards her other side, to the last member of their guild that had decided to not enter the tournament besides them and the boys.

"So…I can understand Silica not participating, and I myself know my fighting style and Unique Skill absolutely suck for PvP, but…what didn't you enter, Sinon-nya?"

"I like to have always long-range as my first option when it comes to a fight against other players." simply replied the blue-haired sniper while looking towards her, though Argo noticed a small amount of pink appearing on her cheeks when Kirito also looked at her, even if her expression didn't really change. "As good as I'm with my blade, I know I wouldn't last against the likes of Leafa-sama if I can't use my bow from the very beginning, and given the rules of the tournament and the size of the coliseum, that's impossible."

"Hmm…when you put it that way, it does make sense…" muttered Keita while scratching his chin, even as the Association's info-broker cursed Strea while trying to vanish from her mind the 'lessons' she had given her (Against her will) about how to identify what every single blush in Sinon's face most likely meant when she talked to Leafa or Kirito. "So, who do you think will win this?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" said Ducker while eating some popcorn, or whatever was Alfheim's equivalent to it. "Yuuki is without a doubt going to crush everyone in the tournament…"

"Are you doubting your own comrades' ability to overcome their previous defeat?!" shouted the sniper while turning to glare at the dagger-user, who almost squeaked under her burning gaze. "I will have you know that Leafa-sama has been training tirelessly for weeks to better her already magnificent ability with the blade just for this tournament!"

"…she has?" questioned a surprised Kirito, who suddenly wondered if maybe that was why Sugu had been a bit too overenthusiastic with her kendo practice (And their occasional vigilante's activities) lately.

When the blue-haired Caith Sith turned to look at him with narrowed eyes, the Spriggan realized that maybe he shouldn't have opened his mouth.

"…to be honest, I think Asuna also has a very good chance of winning." chimed Tetsuo to the rest, ignoring how Sinon was shouting to their leader about 'Not appreciating the greatness of his sister' in the background. "She and Yuuki were very almost matched in that fight they had, and I know she has been training endlessly too for some reason, so…"

"I…kind of want to cheer up for Sachi, but…yeah." awkwardly commented Sasamaru, even as his other friends also suddenly seemed very uncomfortable by how little faith they had in their long-time friend to actually win the tournament. "I mean, she's certainly very strong, and I know she's always trying to improve, but…"

"We-well, with some luck, she may even get the upper hand over Philia, Strea or Liz…not that I'm not wishing them luck or anything, of course." quickly added Keita while Argo just sighed, Silica apparently busying herself by watching how Kirito tried to calm down the group's annoyed sniper. "But, between them and Sachi, I think I will root for her…"

"Heads up, its starting." informed them the whiskered girl while all around the crowd also suddenly seemed keenly centered, even as Lux stood up from her place on the podium.

"Now, players of the 9 Races, let us give a warm welcome to our first two participants!" declared the Sylph while pointing dramatically towards one of the coliseum's inner entrances. "Leader of one of the most well-known guilds in Aincrad, a swordsman that many known for his upbeat attitude and that is usually mentioned among the Salamander's in parties or crowded celebrations! The self-proclaimed samurai and leader of Fuurinkazan, Klein!"

A round of cheers came from the crowd while the red-haired katana-user emerged into the arena, waving around as he made an 'epic' pose with his blade. On their seats, his fellow guild mates didn't know if they should cheer or be embarrassed by his antics…except for their latest member.

"Go, Klein-san!" cheered Recon with all his might, with a passion on his tone that one could only share with someone with which they had gone through untold and mentally-scarring terror. "You can do it!"

"You know, I never realized Klein was so popular…" mused Kirito after, thankfully, having been able to calm down Sinon, who now just stared towards the opposite end of the arena in silence.

"And now, his opponent!" continued Lux while everyone's attention shifted towards the next figure. "A master of the blade which is said to be unbeatable when it comes to unsheathe! Do not blink, for her sword being unsheathed will be the last thing you see! A Ronin with an edge that can cut anything, let's all cheer for Philia of the United Heroes Association!"

Even as his fellow Spriggan entered the arena, the caped gamer couldn't help but shake his head at the MASSIVE uproar that came from the crowd, cheers, shouts and even declarations of undying love (Something that annoyed him a bit, because he knew they were just bothering Philia) exploding from the gathered players, though this really didn't surprise him all that much.

Nowadays, it was pretty much an open secret that the members of the UHA were SAO Survivors, and that they had been one the main driving forces to clear the game. Even if openly talking about the Death Game was still something of a taboo, after more than a year had passed since Sword Art Online players flocked into ALO, together with rumors about them, coupled with their own exploits around, it wasn't surprising that they had also gained a 'reputation' around the land of fairies.

Didn't help that even MORE people around were in there and knowing about the guild only because they were actually hoping to see HIM. After all, even though he hadn't really given it much thought at the time, he had made quite the impression upon the gaming community with what happened in the 3rd Bullet of Bullets. Somehow, he had become some kind of legend among people in VRMMOs, and the news that he was around in Alfheim Online most of the time seemed to have spread around at some point (Probably because of what he did in Jotunheimr during the Excaliber incident). The fact that Lux was also a SAO Survivor (He could vaguely remember the girl from the Laughing Coffin incident) and a bit of a fangirl of their guild didn't help either.

However, despite all of this and the still ongoing commotion, his attention quickly went out to what really mattered, and he could feel a proud smile appearing on his face at what he saw.

Philia wasn't even looking at the crowd, all her attention centered upon her opponent, who was currently looking around with a slightly resigned look at the obvious difference between his popularity and that of the Spriggan girl. Then, Klein nodded to himself and finally stared directly towards his opponent, grinning as he did so.

"Heh, this certainly looks like it's going to be an interesting battle…got something to say about the combatants, Sakuya-san, Alicia-san?"

"Well, Klein is pretty known around some circles because he apparently is the 'soul' of a good party." commented Sakuya with a diplomatic smile. "He's also known for…being quite dramatic on some things…"

"Like how he's rejected by every single known girl that he has asked out so far here?" chimed Alicia with a cheeky grin, ignoring how the redhead almost seemed to take a critical hit to his self-esteem at her words. "In fact, didn't he try to ask YOU out at some point?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that." grimaced the Sylph Leader while shaking her head. "I think he had drunk a bit too much at that par…"

"Ehem, a-and what can you tell us about the other participant?!" quickly intervened Lux, knowing that there probably won't be much of a battle if one of the fighters became chronically depressed BEFORE it began.

"Hmm…well, Philia-chan isn't as well-known as most of the members of the UHA, but the mere fact that she's a part of it already says a lot about her ability, don't you think?" stated the Caith Sith Leader while playfully grabbing her own tail.

"Indeed. Even if we don't know quite as much details about her fighting style like we do of others, being a member of the famous Heroes Association is something only especially talented people seem to manage…" idly mused Sakuya while looking over the crowd, as if searching said group (Or perhaps just a certain someone of said group) with her gaze. "Do you have anything yourself that you can tell us about her, Lux?"

"Oh, well, I do perhaps know quite a bit about her…" softly smiled the bright-haired Sylph before excitedly grabbing her microphone. "Philia-sama is the proud owner of the Unique Skill 'Battoujutsu'! When she draws her sword, nothing can stand in her way! It's said that she can cut you so fast that if you're on her cutting range there is no way you won't end missing some limbs at the very least, and…!"

"He-hey, ca-calm down, Lux-chan, you're overheating!" quickly intervened Alicia while stopping the rant from the excited fangirl, many people in the crowd sweatdropping at this. "Now, why don't get this tournament started already?"

"Eh? A-ah, that's right! Combatants, are you ready?! Prepare the Duel!"

As if she had been waiting for the words for quite a while, Philia quickly sent the Duel request to Klein, who accepted it with a silent nod, even as he raised his katana and eyed the Spriggan's significantly longer one.

"Got to say this, Philia-chan…I know you're hella strong, so I won't underestimate you." grinned the samurai wannabe while entering a combat stance as the countdown went down. "I will show you the mightiness of my blade, which carries the hopes and dreams of Fuurinkazan! The deafening cheers of my comrades give me the power to beat you!"

Back with said comrades, Recon was still loudly cheering while the other sweatdropping guild mates have off half-hearted cheers, having a good idea of what was going to happen.

"I see…" whispered the black-haired fairy while closing her eyes, even as Lux reminded everyone that flight was allowed in the fight as long as the combatants didn't rise above the coliseum's area, for that would result in immediate disqualification. "Yes, thanks for reminding me that, Klein. As a reward, I won't hold back against you."

Even as the Salamander blinked in evident confusion, Philia tightened her grip on her weapon as she stood in a prepared stance, ready to draw it. Almost, she could feel her long katana, (A beautiful Liz-forged weapon called 'Kazekage', the Wind Shadow) eagerness to be drawn and inflict the metaphorical Dolorous Stroke.

Unsheathing. That was the only thing she could say that she was absurdly good at. Back when she was just a dagger-user and a Solo Player, it was something that she had trained carefully and with extreme precision, because failing to draw her weapon as fast as she could in the right moment could prove fatal for someone in Sword Art Online. The girl didn't know this, even if she suspected it, but it was this what had deemed her 'worthy' of Battoujutsu. Cardinal was programmed to grant the Unique Skill to 'the player with the fastest unsheathing speed'. She had mastered this to the best of her abilities, first alone and later helped by her friends, learning the flaws and advantages it had to heart. That's why her katana, unlike Leafa's standard-sized Justice's Wings or Sinon's shorter, almost wakizashi-sized, one, was the longest one of those weapons could be. Battoujutsu's main weakness, besides the one Kayaba had painfully pointed out in their fight by cutting off her hand, was in the range of the 'cut'. Despite some of its strongest Skills allowing for a small 'projected cut' attack, it was still necessary for her to physically slash at her objective for them to work. This made her lethal at close range, but practically unable to fend off long-range attack, and if an enemy was fast or skilled enough to evade her initial strike, then she would most certainly be doomed before she could sheathe her blade again, and her Skill with normal Katana Skills left much to be desired, even nowadays…but there was one thing that she would never allow herself to forget, and that she had found troubles to concentrate in thanks to the stupid thoughts plaguing her head the whole day.

She was Philia of the United Heroes Association, the most loyal member of the guild. Not for any sense of pride or anything like that, but because she was willing to do anything for her friends, even risk her own life, if it meant to help them. And every single one had showed her to be willing to do the same in return, their loyalty and friendship touching her heart.

And as long as she drew her sword for her friends…

"START!"

"Zantetsuken."

SLASH!

…she would always have that 'Loyalty' to let her cut down any opponent.

"…oh, great." muttered Klein while blinking, everyone else in the now silent crowd doing the same, even as the Spriggan girl, now standing behind him, sheathed her katana once again. "That was so fucking overki…"

The Salamander was unable to say more, because by then his body finally remembered it had been bisected by an Ultimate Skill and his now two halves started to fall to the sides, bursting into a Remain Flame before he hit the ground.

Giving a soft smile towards where she knew Kirito and her other friends were waiting, the Ronin turned around and started walking away, even as the crowd went wild and Lux loudly declared her the winner, Sakuya and Alicia having some troubles to calm her down from her newest fangirl-attack.

From their seats, the rest of the Heroes also cheered for their friend, celebrating her flawless victory with smiles on their faces.

"…man, poor Klein." muttered Keita while shaking his head. "Don't get me wrong, the guy is good and he was a great Front Liner back in SAO, but against Philia…He never stood a chance."

"That's just how some things are." accepted Kirito while nodding, knowing that probably no one but him and a couple more would have been able to see the absurdly fast drawing of the katana. "Philia simply has no match when it comes to Battoujutsu."

"Certainly, when it comes to drawing her sword, I'm truly no match for her…" muttered Sinon while scratching her chin, her ears twitching forward as she clenched her hand with fire behind her eyes. "I still have a long way to go if I ever dream of being at Leafa-sama's level…!"

"…I wonder if we will ever have to worry about that 'healthy' obsession-worship she has towards Sugu-san…" muttered Argo while shaking her head, even as she looked around at her friends.

Silica was still too busy thinking about who-knows-what (She REALLY needed to talk to Liz about that soon) and the boys were exchanging opinions about how Philia's skills compared to those of their other friends, while also wondering who would fight next.

Yui still seemed pretty excited for some reason, as if she was looking forward to something. The info-broker still wasn't sure if that was just honest innocence or if she should be worried about it.

Fifteen minutes later, after a couple of fights between people they didn't know, Argo got her answer.

"Well then, isn't this a surprise?" rhetorically asked Lisbeth while trying her best to ignore the praises Lux was making towards her unparalleled skill as a master blacksmith, reminding herself she had to center on the battle and her opponent. "Who would have thought we would ever fight each other, eh, Sachi-chan?"

There was no answer coming front the strangely silent Salamander, which made the Leprechaun blink in confusion. When she usually said something like that, Sachi was quick to answer in her usual shy manner and probably wish her luck in battle (The only moment where the girl's attitude changed to full-dedication).

Now, however, it was almost as if strange shadows covered her eyes and she seemed to totally ignore the crowd's noise as Lux started rambling about her too, silently sending the Duel Request to the blinking Lisbeth.

"…and she also…eh? Wah, the Duel is about to start!" quickly called the commentator Sylph while both Race Leaders at her side sweatdropped. "Fighters, be prepared!"

"O-okay then…let the best one win, right, Sachi?" said Lisbeth while hesitantly raising Mjolnir, the golden hammer reflecting the light of the sun as she tightened her grip on it while readying her kite shield, wondering why she was feeling so on edge.

Sachi, for her part…finally raised her absurdly long spear (Another proud creation of the blacksmith and God Hand, called Shinryu, like the mythical Dragon God) at the same time her eyes finally met the Leprechaun's.

Lisbeth was surprised at seeing the burning fire behind them as a massive grin appeared on the Salamander's face, the spear-user adopting her combat stance faster than she had ever seen her just as the last 10 seconds of the countdown tickled down.

"Well said, Liz! Now, I shall show you my burning spirit!" roared Sachi as she aimed her spear, alarm bells roaring in every inch of the blacksmith's head as she shot out of the way. "Longinus!"

Lisbeth readied herself to counterattack, now that she knew the Skill wouldn't hit her…and had to raise her shield at the last second as the extending-aura of the other girl's spear almost impaled her throat.

Instead, it just pierced through her shield as if it was butter and impaled her arm, throwing her backwards. The Leprechaun tried her best to roll back to her feet even as her mind screamed wildly.

HOW? She had gotten away from Sachi's range, she was sure of it! The whole guild knew perfectly well how Infinite Spear's multiplication range worked, and she herself had crafted the Salamander's spear, meaning she knew the exact length it had and how the Unique Skill affected it. The only way in which the 'Longinus' could have reached her was for the spear-user to have somehow moved and corrected her stance in a split of a second, something that didn't make any sense, because there was no way Sachi could have find the necessary balance to execute it again so fast…

Her train of thought was cut out when she saw the Salamander appear again, having moved as fast as she could and already sweeping her shining spear towards her.

"MOON SWEPT!" roared Sachi with a burning passion, the squeaking blacksmith barely able to roll away and use her hammer to fend off the last part of the Skill. "C'mon, Liz, I know you can do better than that! Show me that awesome determination you always hide behind teasing and jokes!"

"Ho-holy hell, what's wrong with you today?!" half-shouted the Leprechaun while manifesting her God Hand, feeling it tingle once again when in contact with Mjolnir even as he flexed it in a familiar stance. "Hermes Wings!"

Almost turning into a blur of speed and easily evading the next lunge of the massive spear, Lisbeth decided it would be best to wonder why her spear-using friend suddenly seemed to be high or something AFTER the duel, so she used her enhanced speed to close in on Sachi's back, a 'Trinity Arts' Mace Skill ready to be unleashed…and the Salamander suddenly opened her wings, shooting up and out of her way in the last second.

Even as her Skill hit nothing but air and dragged her along, the Leprechaun had enough time to remember how unfair the ability to fly had been with some of their Unique Skills; a clear example being how things like her speed boost given by Hermes Wings only could be useful as long as she was on the ground, because losing her footing made using the doubled speed incredibly unreliable and nigh-uncontrollable in the air. Others, however…

"Dragoon!"

…had been luckier.

"Gah!" screamed the blacksmith as the only Infinite Spear Skill that went straight down pierced her back as if she was a voodoo doll, reducing her HP to the yellow, even as she was quick to start flying too and turn away as she, almost crossing the whole arena with that simple move, decided to change tactics. "Da-dammit…Hades Armor!"

Even as she exchanged her now reduced speed for extreme defense, Lisbeth was quick to keep an eye on the weird Sachi as she flew back, gripping Mjolnir tightly and engaging the grinning and determining-looking girl, her spear doing little to no damage to her as she managed to land a solid hit on her side…which the other took in stride as she rolled in midair and crashed down with a mighty sound, before quickly standing and pointing towards the blacksmith _epically_ with her spear.

"Not bad, Liz! But despite all your efforts, my burning spirit will NOT be crushed!" shouted the salamander while pointing at the sky with her weapon. "For my spear is the drill that shall pierce the heavens!"´

"The what?! Sachi, did you eat anything weird today?!" questioned Lisbeth, more than a little freaked out…before the other girl suddenly swung her left hand and unleashed a quick torrent of flames, which divided in two and caught both her arms and legs, essentially trapping her in midair. "Wha…?! Fire Bindings?! When did she even chant the Spell?!"

"ULTIMATE SKILL!" roared Sachi while rearing back her spear with a mighty move, everyone's eyes glued to her as the aura of power exploded around the lance on her hands. "HEAVENLY….!"

"This can't possible get any wor… " started to say the Leprechaun, before blinking as she felt the effects of Hades Armor vanishing. "…never mind."

"…PIERCEEEEER!" finished screaming the spear-user, even as the massive and drill-tipped aura roared through the air, crushing even the virtual air with enough force to create shockwaves as it reached the resigned-looking Lisbeth and pierced through her body as if she was made of wet paper, crushing her avatar into virtual paste and turning her into a Remain Flame even before the attack had reached its full length.

The drill-aura was already finishing to vanish when the stunned crowd finally reacted and exploded into cheers, some even jumping on their seats as many shouted Sachi's name to the heavens.

The other members of the United Heroes Association, meanwhile, were staring with hanging mouths and wide eyes. All except for Yui, who was happily clapping on Kirito's shoulder.

"…what the hell happened to Sachi?" asked an open-mouthed Keita while trying to recover from the shock.

"Oh, don't worry, Keita-san, she's just still too high on awesomeness because of the anime we saw yesterday, she will surely recover very son." waved it off the pixie while everyone stared at her.

"…what kind of anime did you two see?"

"An extremely epic cool filled with explosions, drills, manliness and robots! BIG robots! And I learned how to truly believe in myself while watching it!" explained the little AI with stars on her eyes. "Also, it seems Sachi-mama also liked it a lot, so it even affected her attitude while fighting!"

"…I really hope you're right and she goes back to normal soon." prayed Argo while resting her face on her hands. "We have enough craziness in our guild as it is already…"

The other present Heroes were still too stunned to do more than nod dumbly in agreement, which made both the info-broker and the caped Spriggan sigh.

It was going to be a long day with this tournament…

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Leafa walked out into the arena when she once again heard her name being called. At that point, the tournament had been going for a bit more than an hour and she had already fought a couple of times, so this time at least there was no awkward presentation for Lux's part listing all of her exploits from both before and after she joined the UHA. However, the blonde Sylph was sure that, even if that had been the case, she wouldn't have actually paid any attention to it, too busy as she was staring at the incoming figure of her opponent (And this time both Sakuya and Alicia had to make an effort to stop the commentating Sylph from going all fangirl again).

Looking at her with a calm smile, Asuna stopped walking, nodding softly as her hands moved to rest on the handles of the blades on her back.

Doing the same, Leafa also caressed Justice's hilt, hearing the humming and calm words it had prepared for…

 _'Show her who is the Alpha Female in your crazy relationship, Master! Teach that rich girl WHO is the one who always gets first dibs on that useless brother of yours'_

…okay, scratch that, Justice wasn't really of any help for this. In fact, the young kendoka had to accept that her katana hadn't exactly been too accepting of her 'peculiar' relationship with her adopted brother and the Undine in front of her, not to mention that she was quite vocal and open when expressing it (Which once again made her glad that she was the only one that could hear her…unless Strea also could and wasn't telling, she still wasn't sure since that time in Jotunheimr).

Even so, the Sylph forced herself to concentrate once again, calmly tuning out the sound of the spectators as she accepted the Duel request and the countdown started.

This was it. She had been training endlessly time and time again, both in the real world and in Alfheim, just for this. This time, she WOULD defeat Asuna. It wasn't out of something petty like wanting to win the tournament to have a date all alone with her Onii-chan in the amusement park (The idea NEVER even crossed her head, no sir), but because of her pride as a kendoka.

She may have accepted to share the love of her life with the other girl, and also grown close to her a lot more since then, but the swordswoman inside her refused to let their score of old fight end in the other's favor. At the very least, she wanted to settle this with the Dual Wielder once and for all.

"Good luck, Leafa-chan." said Asuna while unsheathing her blades, adopting her standard dual wielding stance.

"Same here, Asuna." smiled the blonde Sylph while drawing Justice's Wings, ignoring the cries of _'Prepare to eat your fancy swords!'_ coming from it.

The countdown ended.

Everyone in the coliseum gasped in shock as both girls seemed to vanish for an instant, before both of them appeared in midair, the katana deflecting Elucidator's edge as Leafa dodged under Fafnir's Fang and rammed an elbow on the surprised Undine, who was quick to recover and do a backflip to evade the following swing.

On his seat, Kirito watched their clash with utmost attention, idly aware of Yui going all 'Woaaah…' on his shoulder…and keenly more aware of Sinon standing on her seat and cheering loudly for his little sister, even as Silica treid to convince her to sit again.

"…holy shit." whispered Ducker while he let go of his now empty bag of popcorn, staring wide eyed as both girls shot from one side of the arena to the other, clashing on the air as the very air seemed to shake with each one of their swings. "WHAT kind of fucking training have those two been doing?!"

"Well, I must say we have got an amazing fight here!" agreed Alicia Rue while trying to follow the brutal exchange of speed and skill with her Caith Sith eyes, even then being barely able to. "These two are certainly on another level, eh?"

"Indeed. I mean, I have known for quite some time how good Leafa is, and she has been the pride of the Sylphs for years, but my God has she improved since she joined the United Heroes Association." commented Sakuya with a smiling face. "Then again, they say that one can become a thousand times stronger with the right motivation, and she most certainly has it…"

Leafa's cheeks reddened at the remark, but she resisted the urge to shout embarrassedly at her Race's leader in favor of blocking Asuna's next swing and quickly closing her wings so as to evade the next one (It also helped that the comment's hidden meaning flew over the crowd's heads, except a groaning Kirito).

If there was one thing she was certain, at least, was that she still surpassed the Undine in aerial combat. Abilities aside, there was no doubt among their guild that she was the best flier of them, and even if Yuuki had been able to defeat her in the air, she had still proved to be even superior to the girl called Zekken when it came to pure flying ability and speed, in a race they had had with the Sleeping Knights a couple of weeks ago.

 _'Master, watch out, she's starting!'_

Banishing the thoughts that had been distracting her out of her mind, the blonde sylph grimaced as she heard Justice's warning, even as she spotted Asuna descending upon her with both blades shining. Every single fight they had had before that, victory would always go to the Dual Wielder the moment she started to unleash her Unique Skill against her, reason why she had stopped doing so.

Dual Blades was unfair like that. Whether the enemy was big or small, one or many, the Skills that filled the absurd Skill Tree seemed to have been made with the only purpose of giving the user the power to slash their way out of any fight with brutal efficiency, in the form of deadly overkill. Leafa had seen with her own eyes that nothing short of a tough Boss could withstand the full might of Asuna's strongest Skills, when she managed to get a clear chance to hit. The only real weakness they had was that they were really long and dragged the user at a brutal speed, so if someone managed to predict or get out of the way fast enough then they would literally had the other at their mercy.

The Undine had, of course, improved over this long ago, and she never once unleashed a Skill unless she was sure she was going to hit her target. And effectively, as the blonde Sylph saw the 'Nightmare Rain' Skill being executed from slightly over her, she knew she had no way of dodging or blocking any of the incoming hits.

"Justice Rider!" screamed the young kendoka with all her might, choosing to fight fire with fire and unleashing her OSS against the Dual Wielder's looming attack, even as she heard her blade roaring in defiance together with her.

Halfway through the exchange of shining slashes, though, Leafa already knew it was hopeless for her. For all the grace and devotion her Original Sword Skill had, it was only a Katana Skill of 7 Hits. Even Justice's screams of defiance wouldn't close the gap that existed between it and the 16 high-powered Hits of the Dual Blades Skill. She found herself being pushed back and quickly losing HP before shooting to the air again, unable to take advantage of Asuna's momentary frozen state because of the recoil.

"Not bad, Leafa-chan! I think this is the first time I see your OSS from so close!" grinned the Undine before shooting after her, both blades at the ready. "Let's see what more you can do!"

The young kendoka felt a smile tugging at her lips at those words, even as she raised her katana for another exchange. She was certainly having fun, pushing her limits and doing her best against her friend like this. And even as she failed to overcome the 'Inferno Raid' Skill that Asuna sent her way, she still thought it was worth it. After all, both of them knew that, when it came to pure swordsmanship, she was the best one, but the Undine would never lose in a fight of pure power as long she had Dual Blades. Knowing this, she was happy to know she would lose giving her all to…

 _'LIKE HELL! I refuse to allow my Master to lose once again against this rich girl! Prepare yourself to feel MY wrath!'_

"Eh?!" was Leafa's shocked answer when she saw the inscription on her weapon's blade shining, and felt how the wheel-carvings on the handle started to impossibly spin.

 _'JUSTICE SLASH!'_

Certainly, Asuna wasn't the only one surprised when her next swing sent Elucidator flying out of her hand. Eyes wide, the Dual Wielder dove to try and recover her falling sword, even as the wide-eyed Sylph felt her katana's 'hum' turn into a nigh-roar.

 _'Now, Master! Sent me forward and finish this!'_

"Ju-Justice…Crash!" shouted the young kendoka while THROWING her katana down, quickly diving after it. Open-mouthed, the crowd watched as the roaring form of Justice's Wings descended like a bullet and pierced through Asuna's back, dragging the shocked and squeaking Undine to the ground, where it impaled her against the arena's floor.

It took the Dual Wielder three seconds to stand again and start removing her enemy's weapon from her back, chalking up the strange feeling that the blade was trying to impale her to how unexpected the move had been.

The moment Justice fell to the ground, though, Asuna was swept away as countless wind blades shot through the air and crashed against her unprotected form, the Undine rolling backwards over the arena.

Panting, the blonde Sylph landed at her katana's side, barely believing what had happened, even as the last remains of her Spell finished hitting her opponent's body.

 _'Great job, Master! We truly showed her who…WATCH OUT!'_

Too shocked to properly react, it were only her instincts what allowed Leafa to grab Justice's Wings and spun it on the way of the flying form of Fafnir's Fang, the blade being barely deflected and just cutting her hair's ribbon instead of impaling her head, her long blonde hair falling freely down her back.

No amount of Skill or advice from her sentient sword-bicycle allowed her to evade Asuna's meteoric attack, however, the girl's rapier piercing her from side to side with a 'Linear' that literally created a sonic boom on the arena.

Shocked, the kendoka let the now 'crying' Justice fall from her hands, her eyes shooting towards the Undine's HP bar, which now had barely a sliver of red left.

 _'Sorry…Master…'_

"…better luck next time." softly whispered the rapier-user with soft utmost sincerity.

"…yeah. Next time I will win." replied the blonde Sylph while closing her eyes, feeling herself bursting into a Remain Flame.

But even as she heard the cries of her sword (Even when she assured it hadn't been her fault), the sudden explosion of cheers and claps of the players around and saw how Asuna walked away after giving her Flame a last smile…Leafa felt something within her _shift_ , for some unknown reason.

Finally having found the last requirement it had been searching for, the Cardinal System of ALO executed its last programmed command for a particular sequence. Something that had been kept locked away and unused since the time of Sword Art Online was released.

The Tenth One was finally free…

* * *

By the time the blonde Sylph was back to the coliseum (Heading to sit with her friends), the next match was already starting, and she almost fell down from the shock at the unusual confrontation.

"Oh, you're already back, Leafa!" called Kirito to her while waving her hand, the girl quickly blinking and descending to where he and the rest were, accepting how Sinon happily moved aside to let her sit at his side, while smiling, with just the necessary amount of nervousness. "We were thinking you would miss the next fight…"

"Wa-wait, are those two really…?"

"Yep, they are." confirmed Argo what Leafa's eyes apparently didn't seem to believe, even as the countdown finished and both opponents stared silently at each other. "…poor Strea."

"You can do it, Yuuki!" came Siune's voice from somewhere below from where they were sitting, the rest of the Sleeping Knights also cheering on their leader as she faced off against the upbeat AI.

Down on the area, the Imp softly gripped the hilt of Excaliber even as the Gnome lazily moved the massive weight of Gram around, smiling widely at her, cheerfully ignoring how Lux and the two Leaders seemed to have entered a debate about what had happened to the original owner of the Demonic Sword and why no one had seen him for more than a year.

"…you know, I just realized, you're the only one of Asuna's friends I have never fought against, Strea-san." kindly commented Yuuki while tilting her head to the side, never loosening her stance.

"Well, that's because I KNOW I'm no match for you, Yuuki-chan." replied Strea while lowering Gram. "But…I wanted to tell you something, and this is a great way to do so!"

"Uh? What did you want to tell me?" questioned the confused Imp while tilting her head to the side.

The Gnome told her, with a low enough tone for no one else in the crowd to hear it. Yuuki's eyes widened, her face suddenly gained a scarlet color…before she yelped when Strea's whole body suddenly was surrounded by a mass of darkness emanating from her blade, Gram shining an eerie black color through the dark mist as she swung down, aiming to end it all with just a 'Dead End' Skill…

Fast as lighting, the Holy Swordswoman let golden light flow around her, countering the Darkness even as she swung Excaliber upwards in a 'Sacred Swing' Skill.

Light met Darkness in a display that blinded everyone. Even so, the red-eyed AI didn't seem surprised in the slightest when not only her Ultimate Skill especially designed to kill other players was completely deflected, but also when her Demonic Sword went flying out of her hands, Ethereal Shift apparently having been unable to affect the only blade in the game superior to Gram.

Even as the Holy Sword Skill finished its job and cleaved through her with a massive critical damage, Strea never stopped smiling as she fell past Yuuki, whispering something more to the wide-eyed Imp as her body burst into a Remain Flame.

Not even bothering to pay any attention to the ovation and shouts of 'Zekken, Zekken, Zekken!' coming from the crowd, the girl was quick to return to the waiting area of the coliseum, still with a noticeable blush on her face as the Gnome's words once again assaulted her mind.

 _"So…how long have you been in love with Kirito?"_

Back in the excited observation are, the group of Heroes were exchanging confused glances, as if trying to understand what had happened.

"…what exactly did Strea told her?" questioned a confused Keita while looking at the rest.

"I…have no idea." accepted Kirito while scratching the back of his head. "Knowing Strea, though, it could have been anything…"

"Yeah…anything…" muttered Argo while exchanging a quick but meaningful glance with the rest of the Association's girls that were there (Sans Leafa).

"Uhm…well, this is already going to end, right?" was quick to comment Lisbeth so as to steer the boys' attention away from that. "Only four combatants remain now…"

"Philia, Sachi, Asuna and Yuuki." counted Ducker with a raised eyebrow, everyone seeming to be thinking that list over. "Honestly, this is a really unexpected outcome…I mean, Yuuki and Asuna aren't a surprise, but between Sachi's crazy mood today and Philia's over-the-top determination to go for overkill in these fights, it's a true surprise to see how far they have come…"

"Yeah…calling it already, either Yuuki or Asuna are going to win." announced Ducker while everyone else released some nervous chuckles at that.

"T-to be fair, these semi-finals are going to be something else, so we shouldn't be so quick to judge…"

"Now, it's time for the Semi-Finals of this epic tournament to begin, ladies and gentlemen!" announced Lux while unknowingly interrupting whatever Leafa was going to say. "And for the first round of this last part, we have an epic match! Philia, the Battoujutsu master who has ended all her fights so far with one slash, versus Sachi, the girl of the heaven-piercing spear and the unstoppable burning spirit!"

As soon as the Sylph girl finished saying those words, the two fairies emerged into the arena and landed near each other, the Salamander and the Spriggan eyeing their opponent in silence as the crowd went wild once again, before Philia wordlessly sent the Duel Request.

While they were taking their positions to fight, the katana-user couldn't help but release a tired sigh, making the spear-user raise a confused eyebrow.

"What's the matter, Philia? Don't tell me you're surrendering even before we start…" questioned Sachi while pouting towards her friend, who simply shook her head and offered the other a wry smile.

"No, it's not that, just…I have been going through this for the whole day, and I just realize that…I don't really need to win. Really, I think that I have gotten all the answers I needed just by fighting till now. What's most important for me…is to be with you all. Be it fighting or just hanging out in school, as long as that doesn't change, I…don't need anything more." whispered Philia while staring towards the surprised Salamander. "I have enough happiness here, and I don't need to risk it because I want a bit more…and besides, I think we both know we're NOT going to defeat whoever wins between Yuuki and Asuna."

"Philia…" muttered the spear-user before smiling brightly towards her friend, the katana-user being surprised at the intensity behind the gesture. "Heheh, thanks…your words have also let me take a decision. Yui-chan is right…we can all be happy together…"

"Wait, what?" blinked the confused Spriggan, even as the last 5 seconds of the countdown tickled down. "What are you talking about?"

"Beat me if you want to know it, PHILIA!" suddenly shouted the Salamander while unleashing a Triana Skill the exact second the countdown finished.

Startled, Philia was barely able to unleash a 'Nanatsu no Taizai' Skill on her own, the 7 hyper-fast Hits barely managing to deflect the three super-deadly thrusts.

Even as Sachi smirked and shot upwards, wings open, the katana-user knew she would be unable to sheathe her blade before eating another Infinite Spear Skill to the face…so she shot after the spear-user, surprising her and everyone by impaling herself with the lance.

Shock and cries of confusion filled the arena even as the Salamander let one of her hands go off her weapon…regretting it instantly when she saw the expression on the Spriggan's face, even as her life kept going down.

"Got you." confessed Philia while finishing putting Kazekage back on her sheath. "KUZU RYUSEN!"

Like a roaring dragon with multiple heads, the 9 hyper-fast slashes cut through everything in their path, the katana user falling down, still impaled by the spear…and only half an arm still holding it, even as the rest of her dismembered friend burst into a Remain Flame, her arm and weapon vanishing with her a second later.

Not before the gasping katana-user heard a soft 'Good job, Philia.' coming from her, though.

Her mind still filled with confusion, the Spriggan made her way back to the inner waiting area of the coliseum, wondering what her friend had meant with those cryptic words…when the sight of someone unexpected waiting around a corner stopped her dead on her tracks.

"Great fight there, Phili-chan." smiled Strea while giving the other girl a thumbs-up. "Perhaps you will really have a chance of winning the actual tournament…"

"Strea…" muttered Philia with narrowed eyes, crossing her arms while staring at the Gnome. "What Sachi was saying…you know something, right? Was that why you told me about the other prize yesterday?"

"Heheh, you're way sharper than anyone thinks, you know?" chuckled the virtual girl before happily putting an arm around her friend's shoulder, making her squeak as she started dragging her away, like a hungry spider trapping her next meal. "C'mon, let's find a good place to see the next epic duel and I will explain ALL of it to you…"

While this earth-shattering development was taking place, everyone out in the arena was already shouting the names of the other two semifinalists, who were without a doubt considered the strongest participants and the favorites to win the tournament.

"Now, it's time for the last round of the semifinals!" came Lux's booming voice through the entire coliseum. "The winner of this battle will fight against Philia-san for the title of Aincrad's Dueling Champion of this year, so let's see it! A clash of titans! The Absolute Sword vs. the Mighty Flash!"

"…you know, I think I'm going to offer a position in Swilvane to this girl." softly commented Sakuya to Alicia Rue, even as the younger Sylph kept rambling about the next battle in an overexcited way. "I like her enthusiasm."

"I wish you luck with that, then, Sakuya-chan." answered the Caith Sith Leader while sweatdropping. "She seems like it's going to be…interesting to have around."

Ignorant of the things being discussed on the commentators' podium, two particular guilds were looking silently at the arena, even as the two girls finally emerged and started to walk towards the center of the area.

"Well…time for the greatest rematch, uh?" whispered Kirito while Asuna and Yuuki stopped barely 5 meters from each other.

"…do you think Asuna will win, Onii-chan?" asked Leafa without taking her eyes off the combatants, even as the Duel Request was made and the countdown started.

"Shouldn't you be the one with the most knowledge about that right now, Leafa-sama?" questioned Sinon while looking at the blonde Sylph for a moment. "You just fought her, after all…"

"Yeah, but…unlike me, Onii-chan is the only one who knows how much stronger Yuuki-san has become…" muttered the kendoka while everyone looked towards the silent gamer.

"…it's a bit sad to say it, but if Yuuki were to go all out, she would obliterate Asuna without a doubt." confessed the Spriggan while everyone grimaced. "However, she can't do so at the moment, and wouldn't even if that was the case. Because…"

"She wants to fight Asuna-san with just her skills, to see who is stronger that way." finished Silica with an unusually serious look, which they all identified as her having entered her 'Ninja-mode'. "In a way, you could say that's Yuuki-san's Ninja Way…"

"We're about to find, then…" whispered Argo while looking away from the kunoichi, back to the arena. "Whose 'Ninja Way' is stronger, as you said…"

Many found strange, especially the Sleeping Knights, that no words had been exchanged between the two girls as they prepared for battle. For Asuna and Yuuki, however, this was not needed.

They knew exactly what the other was thinking. They had 'said' all that needed to be said when their eyes crossed as they reached the battlefield. With smiles on their faces, they knew it that any other 'talking' would be left to their swords.

The countdown finally reaching 0, both warriors soundlessly charged. The first clash between the strongest Holy Blade and the emerald and black swords was deafening.

Then, both fighters reared their weapons and clashed again, never stopping moving.

Twin blades danced through the air, moving one after the other in perfect synchrony, always ready to follow up their partner and/or cover any gap the other left.

A blade of pure golden, however, was there to match them every time, deflecting the first and either parrying or ignoring the other, the one wielding it always seeming to be a fraction of a second ahead of them, moving her body the necessary minimum to keep up with the edges of the two swords.

The Undine frowned slightly, before changing tactics and spinning over her opponent's next swing, Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang shining as a 'Double Circular' Skill was activated.

A wild grin appearing on her face, the Imp didn't miss a beat and, unaffected by the sudden change on the battle's pace, unleashed a 'Holy Cross' Skill against it, sparks flying as the three blades clashed and both players went skidding backwards.

The moment they recovered their footing, they shot against one another once again, blades clashing in a symphony of skill, metal ringing on metal as everyone in the crowd seemed mesmerized by the clash.

"…you have improved, Asuna."

"You too, Yuuki…"

The small exchange over, the Dual Wielder's eyes seemed to glint as she raised her blades, mercilessly unleashing a 'Nightmare Rain' Skill.

Not even blinking, the Holy Swordswoman replied with a 'Heaven's Door' one, the 10 Hits Holy Sword Skill somehow perfectly countering the Dual Blades' one, despite the latter having more Hits.

Gritting her teeth, Asuna realized too late that her Skill had a second of cooldown longer than Yuuki's one.

Zekken rushed forward, unleashing a Sacred Swing straight to her torso, the Undine barely being able to throw herself backwards to evade most of the damage, her HP still falling more than 20%, but also finally having gotten the chance she had been waiting for.

The Imp was open, even as the short cooldown of her Skill finished. Roaring forward, the Dual Wielder unleashed her 'Starburst Stream'.

"It's over!" muttered Sinon from her seat as everyone's eyes widened, the first hit connecting straight with the Holy Swordswoman's chest.

"No…it's not." clarified Kirito when, to the Heroes' shock, Yuuki's blade started shining.

Blinding golden light hit Asuna's face head on. Squeaking, the girl let go of Fafnir's Fang as her Skill was abruptly cancelled, her body flying forward and totally out of balance, shock filling her mind even as she opened her eyes again.

How had Yuuki activated 'Divine Sword' while still being under attack? The amount of precision needed to adopt the correct position as another Skill was hitting you was…

The telltale hum of a Sword Skill activating filled the Undine's ears. Mentally cursing, she willed her falling body to move, to react faster than it normally could, the countless training sessions that Kirito had forced her through back in Aincrad and that had earned her Dual Blades letting the girl reach for her falling sword and turn around in time to see Yuuki's golden blade stabbing towards her.

"Mother's Rosario!"

"Cross Block!"

Excaliber sang with glory as the strongest existing Original Sword Skill clashed against Dual Blades' only Defensive Skill, the crossed swords taking the brunt of the deadly fast and consecutive swings, reducing their power considerably but still unable to fully stop its massive damage.

With a determined shout, Yuuki unleashed the 11th Hit, the stab ending the defensive Skill and violently separating both of Asuna's blades, her arms shooting to the sides…

…and letting the surprised Holy Swordswoman see how, despite the fact that her HP was barely at 10%, she was smiling widely.

"Now I can show it to you…Yuuki."

Fafnir's Fang shone with emerald light. Elucidator did the same. The grip of their owner tightened.

On the stands, Kirito shot to his feet, hearing Yui gasping on his shoulder even as everyone else gaped.

"No way…Asuna-mama…"

Both blades shot forward, in an angle never seen before, slashing at Yuuki's shoulder in a crossed pattern.

"She did it." whispered the awed gamer as many surprised shouts emerged from the crowd, Asuna's blades slashing back in the opposite direction.

Then again. Then, the Undine beautifully spun around as her swords shone stronger, delivering an attack that seemed like a half-Double Circular and connecting two more blows with the shocked and wide-eyed Imp.

"I-is that a…?!" started an open-mouthed Leafa, even as one of the Dual Wielder's blades shot upwards, quickly followed by a downwards slash of the second one.

"I can't believe it! When did she…?!" Argo's words died on her lips when they all saw Asuna's whole body rearing back, both blades shining as she put them behind herself and then stabbed forward.

Reacting at the last second, Yuuki brought Excaliber forward and stabbed too, just under the incoming attack of the Undine's blades.

The golden sword pierced her opponent's chest. The twin swords did the same with the Imp's one.

12 Hits.

"…Infinity Moment." whispered the proud Dual Wielder, satisfied of having shown her trump card before her body dissolved into a Remain Flame.

"…it's a beautiful OSS, Asuna…" muttered Yuuki while looking down, a smile on her face. "Just like you…"

Then, the girl called Zekken also collapsed into a Remain Flame. The shocked silence filling the coliseum was absolute, everyone's minds still trying to process what had happened.

On the inner viewing area of the arena, Philia (Who was still trying to recover from the mental shock she had received when Strea told her about her 'Plan') was staring with stunned incomprehension towards the battlefield. At her side, the Gnome whistled.

"Asuna is really hardcore, uh?"

Outside, the stunned spectators finally seemed to react and exploded into a chaos of cheers, claps, disbelief, confusion and more.

The Sleeping Knights and the United Heroes Association were probably the most shocked groups, though.

"…did that really just happen?" asked Alicia Rue from the commentators podium, incredulity filling her as she looked towards her fellow Race Leader for answers. "Wha-what does it mean for a tournament if there is a Double K.O.?"

"I…I don't know." replied Sakuya while putting a hand over her right cheek. "I have been playing ALO since it started and I have never seen something like this happen…ever."

"…the match ends in a Tie, with both participants having been defeated!" suddenly announced Lux while standing up, the stars on her eyes a clear sign that she was still somewhat 'high' in fangirlism after the epic battle that they had just witnessed. "Therefore, the winner by default is Philia the Ronin! Congratulations to the Battoujutsu master!"

"I-is she kidding…?" whispered said Spriggan while dumbly staring at the arena. "I mean…that doesn't make any sense!"

"Well, to be fair, I'm pretty sure they didn't have any backup rules in case someone ended up a Duel with both participants losing, so anything goes in this case, as they say." commented Strea while happily patting her friend on the back. "Congratulations on becoming ALO's 4th Dueling Champion, Phili-chan!"

"I…don't know if this is fair for them, though…"

"I'm sure neither Asuna nor Yuuki-san will mind." came a familiar voice from their side, both girls turning to see Sachi leaning on the wall near them. "Those got anything and everything they wanted from this tournament with that fight, after all."

"…you…may be right." whispered the katana-user while turning around, her mind once again going over the magnificent combat they had behold.

"So…did you think about it?" curiously asked the Salamander, making the Spriggan stiffen and turn towards her with a noticeable blush on her cheeks. "Strea filled you in, right?"

"…how…how are you even sure this is going to work? I mean, what if you can't convince Asuna and Sugu about this? O-or what if Kirito doesn't want to go along with it?" questioned Philia while shyly grabbing the edge of her clothes. "I-I don't want that what we have together breaks just…"

The girls words were suddenly cut off when Strea hugged her from behind, making her fall silent in shock.

"You leave the worries to me, okay, Phili-chan? And you may not know it, but Kirito cares a lot about all of us, more than even he himself thinks. It's just his usual nature what doesn't let him realize, though…" whispered the AI with a caring and soft smile. "Right now, just tell me…don't you want to try and be fully happy together with everyone?"

One second of silence later, Philia shyly nodded, making Strea's smile widen even as Sachi moved forward and joined the hug.

'Phase 3' could now officially begin…

"…hey…do you want to come to the amusement park?" suddenly asked the Battoujutsu master, making both girls blink and look at her in surprise.

This time, it was the Spriggan's turn to smile. She would still keep doing so that weekend, when she and Saori entered the amusement park and received many confused stares directed at the cheerful and talking 'camera' on her shoulder, but she would not care.

That night, Takemiya Kotone would once again dream of that beautiful garden filled with flowers…but, this time, a figure clad in white and black and a cheerful one with reddish eyes would stop at her side and offer her hands to her.

And still smiling, she would take those hands, and let them drag her away from the relaxing tree, towards where the rest of their loyal friends waited…

* * *

Releasing a soft sigh, Kirito stared at how most of their excited friends crowded around an awkward Asuna, most of them demanding explanations about her Unique Original Sword Skill and how she had managed it, all the while a happy-looking Yuuki laughed at her side.

Meanwhile, he could see Keita and the rest talking with the Sleeping Knights, exchanging some opinions about the fights that had gone down, even as Argo announced she had just gotten a message from Philia, Strea and Sachi asking if anyone wanted to go to a celebration party on the Dicey Café, the surprised guild of Zekken also being invited and told they could actually 'be' inside the establishment by using a certain device they had installed there.

He was about to move forward and join them when he froze and narrowed his eyes for a second, before offering a sheepish smile when Leafa turned to him in confusion, at seeing he wasn't following them to Alne to Log Out.

"Onii-chan? Something wrong?"

"No, nothing like that, I just remembered I didn't get to chance to talk with Klein and I really wanted to ask him something before he went away. Get going, I will be right behind you."

Nodding towards the caped boy, the blonde Sylph ran after the rest of their friends, informing them what the boy was doing even as they started to walk away.

The gamer waited till they were out of sight before narrowing his eyes again.

"You can come out, _Chrysheight_."

"Must you always use such a cold tone with me, Kirito-kun?" sighed the Undine avatar of Kikuoka Seijirou while coming out from around the nearby corner, staring towards the boy from behind his glasses.

"Given that you usually never bring good news, no, I don't think so." coldly replied Kirito while turning around. "So, what did you want?"

"What? Can't I have just come to witness the epic battles that took place today?"

"Kikuoka…"

"Okay, okay, I will stop!" promised the bespectacled man while taking a step backwards, feeling threatened by the look on the caped Spriggan's eyes. "I came to tell you in person because it's more secure, but…it's done." the gamer froze at that, his eyes turning as deadly serious as Chrysheight's had just done. "I have the machine at my disposition. Moving it to the hospital in Yokohama and having it installed in Konno Yuuki's room while hiding its real nature, though? That's going to be trickier and may take a bit more…"

"…good. I may have something that can help with that, but…" turning around, Kirito seemed to be debating something before just looking towards the Undine again. "We will be in contact."

"…I certainly hope you know what you're doing, Kirigaya-kun." called out the bespectacled man while adjusting his glasses, making the caped boy stop for a moment. "Even if it's for a good reason, you may be opening the Pandora's Box by wanting to have that machine used again."

Without answering, the gamer kept walking away, not even bothering to look back at Chrysheight. After some seconds, he also started to walk away, though in the opposite direction.

Ignored by them, a silent figure wearing a white lab coat stepped out of a wall as if he was a ghost, staring for a moment towards where the boy in black and white had gone before vanishing in a burst of polygons.

* * *

The being that once had been the Mental Health Care Program Number 005 walked through the silent corridors of the white castle that existed on the center of Avalon, the floating island as always seeming eternally peaceful as it 'watched' over the land of Utopia.

Hesitating for a moment, the tall female figure continued her way and entered the 'Throne Room', staring in silence at the imposing decorations that filled it.

On the far end of the room, her Mother 'slept', out of her armor and with eyes closed as she sat on her imposing throne.

With slow steps, the figure walked closer to Equinox's sleeping form, the strange clinging her feet made against the ground almost sounding like metal…and then she froze with a gasp, her hands shooting towards her neck as she was raised from the ground by an invisible force.

The virtual entity's heterochromatic eyes opened, something resembling shock filling them for a moment before she released the invisible pressure she had over her 'daughter', the body of the ex-MHCP falling to the ground as she managed to land on her feet, quickly, kneeling in front of the throne.

"Oh my. Don't startle me like that, Brynhildr." muttered the white-haired 'girl' with a kind voice. "I was in the middle of something important, you know?"

"I-I'm sorry, mother, I didn't mean to bother your meditation!" apologized the now identified Brynhildr while bowing her head, the strange 'weapon' she carried on her back almost hitting the ground as she did so. "It's just…the others just came back, bringing news of their success. 75% of your established goal has been achieved; all the connections are in place and growing…"

"Excellent." said Equinox while looking towards the ceiling, seemingly pondering something. "I will need to 'acquire' more hardware to make sure the Utopia Servers can handle all the strain, then…is that all, Brynhildr?"

"Yes, Mother." nodded the AI while standing up, looking towards the virtual entity with adoration. "Do you require anything else?"

"Not for now. Go and…have fun with your sisters, my child."

At her Mother's words, the female figure smiled, turning around and walking towards the Throne Room's exit, probably to search her sisters and tell them the good news. As she did so, she grabbed the object she carried in her back and happily stroked it, before resting it against her shoulder.

With amusement, Equinox's eyes carefully rolled over the metallic baseball bat her most mature 'daughter' carried.

And the twisted Wheels of Fate kept moving forward…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Hi again, everyone. This is Kirito, bringing you all yet another preview for the next chapter. Thanks for bearing with me until now…whoever you are. But anyway, next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Between Virtual and Real'. The cold season ends, and the warm of Spring arrives. Yet, the beauty of this time is also a reminder of how ephemeral almost everything is. Even life itself…But I promised it. I promised it to her. So, as long as there is something I can do…I won't let someone who doesn't deserve it to suffer under Fate's cruel whims…If necessary, I will even Punch that reality away, no matter the consequences. Because that's what I want to do-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter has been brought to you by years of watching animes with tournaments in them, hope you were able to enjoy it XP

Funny, how using something that it's actually canon but with little detail (The tournament itself), I ended up making quite a long original chapter. I have fun writing this 'relaxing' part, though :) Also, if you have no idea who Lux is, don't worry. She's not an OC, though, but in fact an actual SAO character, which stars the Spin-Off 'Girls Ops', together with Leafa, Lisbeth and Silica, though she originally appears with the Spriggan avatar known as 'Kuro', which resembles Kirito quite a lot (She was also briefly mentioned in the Laughing Coffin chapter of this fic, if you're wondering), and she also appears as an extra character in the videogame 'Lost Song'. You can find images of her in Google if you want to look up how she looks XP

You may also be happy to know that even the most 'useless' bits of this chapter will actually matter in the next arc, BTW. Especially the details and other things about how everyone fights, heheh (And another interesting fact: Asuna's U-OSS is named after the first and not-really-successful SAO game for PSP, Infinity Moment, whose upgraded and revamped version plus the Hollow Area storyline is what we know nowadays as Hollow Fragment :3)…

If anyone here didn't get the reference made with Sachi and has no idea what the anime she and Yui watched was…then I don't know what you have been doing with your lives :O Also hoping you fans of Philia that she got some more screen time and CD, I enjoyed making it. And Strea finally reaches a new 'stage' with her 'plan' XD

Well, that's it for now. Next chapter will the last one of the Mother's Rosario arc, folks. Some original scenes of mine and also a bit of once again making a skipped canon event more detailed (The short while Asuna and the girls go to Kyoto to show Yuuki the sights) will fill most of it before the 'dramatic' finale, so I hope you look forward to it.

Now, I leave you all with today's Omake, which I hope you also enjoy :D (Oh, but some people I told me I should warn you: the following Omake may contain Spoilers, or more like hint of Spoilers, of future points of the plot. Just in case you don't want to read it, you know XP)

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 3**

Emiya Shirou had been having some strange nights the last 2 days. And not only because of the supernatural War in which he had suddenly found himself involved, no. It was because of his dreams.

He had dreamed about a familiar, though younger, boy and his little sister watching an anime about an amazing and impossible man. About how the boy repaired the damaged relationship he had with his sibling thanks to this, and how he ventured into another world using some kind of absurdly advanced device, just to have fun.

But the world of adventures had become a nightmare, the death of thousands becoming a reality because of what the madman that created it had done. A seemingly impossible Quest to complete 100 Floors suddenly was presented to the Players, who had been forced to become 'Warriors'.

In the middle of this, though…the boy received a strange 'gift'. He obtained the power. The same one that the man he saw on that series had. Absolute power to overcome anything on his way.

And Shirou saw how he utterly freaked out about it. And, by a mix of circumstances and luck, became a 'Hero'.

This surprised the young Emiya, and became the first of many things that started making him question himself. After all, if he had been in the boy's place, he would have never hesitated in how to use those abilities for others, not caring about himself in the slightest…but the boy was different.

Though he did use his powers for the good of others, he never forgot himself. Though he knew of the dangers that his fight entailed, he never once hesitated or pushed away the people that got close to him, from the girl that became his 'disciple' to the group who followed them because he saved their lives. He protected them, yes, but he also made sure they became stronger, that they never had to rely on him.

He turned them all into Heroes, too.

Awed by this and more, Shirou also watched as he faced the traitorous paladin, who revealed himself as the Creator. And even when he assumed the form of a seemingly invincible God, the boy still did not surrender.

Because he had much to fight for. His friends, his sister waiting for him on the real world…and his own life.

Awe filling him beyond belief, the last thing Shirou had seen was how he reared back his fist and destroyed the Fake God, with a punch strong enough to shatter the heavens and bring down reality itself…

CLANK!

"GAH!"

"Emiya-kun!"

"I-I'm okay, Tohsaka!" groaned the red-headed Magus while he resisted the urge to fall down in pain, getting out of his recollection of what he had seen of Savior's past the past nights and back into the deadly problem they were currently in.

Namely, the sultry figure of the Servant Rider, crouched like some animal while her chain-nail (Which she had just used to try and stab Shirou and that the Emiya had barely deflected with his now broken Reinforced chair) spun wildly around her. Behind the purple-haired woman, Matou Shinji smiled sinisterly while staring at them with disdain.

"Too bad, Tohsaka. You should have allied yourself with ME instead of that loser." sneered the blue-haired boy with an air of superiority.

"Emiya-kun, did you already call Savior?!" questioned the twin-tailed girl, totally ignoring Shinji while worriedly holding the other boy's bleeding arm.

"Yes, I did it some minutes ago, he should already be here!" replied the Magus while taking a cautious step back, even as Rin gritted her teeth.

She was SO going to kill Archer, if they got from under that sinister Bounded Field alive. It was just their luck that Rider would activate that fucking Noble Phantasm not only in the middle of classes, but also when none of them had their Servant at hand.

Shirou at least had an excuse, what with the strange nature of Savior's Noble Phantasm preventing him from going into Spirit Form, but the only reason she didn't had her stupid Servant with her was because, after she berated him for the stupid stunt he almost pulled against Berserker, the white-haired man had become more annoying than ever, and had told her he was going to check out 5 minutes before the Bounded Field went up.

Apparently irritated by how the Tohsaka heir was plainly ignoring him, the Matou boy pointed angrily at them while tightening her grip on the strange book he was carrying.

"Okay, that's it! Rider, kill them! That will show them just WHO the better Magus here is!"

Both teens tensed at the threat, even as the Servant of the Mount emotionlessly nodded and shot forward her weapon once again.

Rin's mind raced (Despite already knowing that not even her gems could do more than distract the Servant) even as Shirou put himself in front of her, raising his arms and doing his best to Reinforce them despite knowing how futile it would be. The Tohsaka Magus was already considering just try her luck and spent all the jewels she was carrying in a last ditch effort to save their lives or at the very least take Shinji down with them…

…when the windows of the hallway at their side shattered, the sound of countless of small 'stars' spinning through the air filling the area before many of them impacted against Rider's chain, making it go off course.

The blindfold-wearing woman had enough time to see that they were honest-to-Zeus shurikens before she felt an electric surge run through her weapon and into her, only her Magic Resistance saving her from falling down paralyzed.

A small figure jumped through the window even as the Servant pulled back her weapon, the mysterious newcomer landing in a half-crouch before the two blinking Masters before bringing out several more of the throwing stars seeming from nowhere, five on each hand, which suddenly ignited with lighting, fire and some kind of shining orange energy.

"I won't let you hurt anata's…I mean, Kirito-san's friends!" called out the figure with an adorable voice, making Shinji gap in disbelief. "I swear it on my Ninja Way!"

"What." deadpanned the twin-tailed Magus, even as the Emiya looked in shock at the newcomer, because he recognized her.

Barely taller than the Master of Berserker was and with a similar hairstyle to his companion, the young girl was wearing what seemed like a fantasy-like version of a blue-grey Ninja uniform, though noticeably different to the one he remembered from his dreams. Some strange, star-shaped decorations held her twin-tailed brown hair, and the crimson scarf she wore flapped epically to some inexistent wind. Completing her 'costume', a half-mask covered her lower face, and a strange headband with the kanji for 'Kunoichi' covered her forehead.

All in all, she seemed more like some moe character from a fantasy anime than anything else.

But Rider was not fooled. The gorgon had, after all, seem several warriors in her life, and even if they had all met their foolish end at her hand, she knew how to recognize someone who had survived countless battles with just a glance.

The seemingly unthreatening little girl in front of her wasn't someone like that, no. She was one that had emerged VICTORIOUS from countless battles, and that had seen things that would have driven lesser men to madness. Even more, that she had managed to actually hit her chain with those small shurikens while in mid-air was nothing short of mindboggling.

"Yo-you are…one of Savior's friends, right?!" shouted Shirou while breaking the shocked silence that had filled the hallway. "How…?!"

"He's busy getting everyone out of here and having someone treat them!" informed the kunoichi without abandoning her stance, making both Magus blink and look in shock towards the windows, just noticing how a black-white blur of speed seemed to be moving every single unconscious student out of the school and into the field, while another figure they couldn't quite see clearly seemed to be healing the damage that Bloodfort Andromeda had done to them. "I volunteered to come and help you out while he did that! You can refer to me as 'Dragon Shinobi'. Now, leave her to me…"

"Is this supposed to be a joke?! You think that little girl stands any chance against my Servant?" mocked Shinji while laughing aloud, not noticing how the newcomer seemed to twitch at his words. "Go and show her who is the real Servant here, Ri…!"

A sudden rain of shurikens made the Matou Master squeak, only a well-aimed kick from his Servant managing to save his life via falling face fist into the ground.

The purple-haired woman had just managed to make use of her extreme agility to evade the attacks herself when the kunoichi vanished and seemingly teleported in front of her. Rider had enough time to 'see' how Shirou and Rin looked dumbfounded at the falling shuriken with which the pseudo-Servant had somehow switched places before she had to bring forth her chain go evade being stabbed on the face by the dark-looking kunai the girl had somehow materialized on her hand.

Medusa allowed herself just a fraction of shock at feeling it actually create a small crack on her weapon's links before she was engaged in a brutal melee clash…while her opponent rambled in despair.

"I'm NOT a little girl; I haven't been one in a long time dammit! I-it's not my fault that I materialize with this appearance when we're summoned, if it was for me I would gladly appear with my more mature looks, but NO, Fate's stupid rules make me materialize looking like before I hit my growth spurt…! Uuugh, but I DON'T care, you know?! So, what if you have a gorgeous body to fight right now?! Kirito-anata accepted me long before I stopped looking like a child with a growing problem, and that's enough for meeee…!"

"…what." repeated the Tohsaka heir what was going through everyone's heads, even as Rider arrived to terrifying realization. The so-called 'Dragon Shinobi' was more agile than her.

Oh, the Servant of the Mount was certainly faster and stronger, but the girl in front of her had clearly lived her whole life fighting enemies like that all the time. She actually was taking every advantage that her small body gave her to stay a step ahead of the gorgon and even inflict shallow cuts on her, weaving her body around the chain (Which was very cumbersome when fighting someone so close) as if she could predict every path it would take.

Knowing that it wouldn't end well for her if she kept going like that and that it would be better to end the fight before those others outside could come to help, the purple-haired woman kicked forward, forcing the pseudo-Servant to block with her arms and sending her flying backwards thanks to the difference of strength. Taking advantage of the moment, rider back flipped herself to the side of her 'Master', who was already screaming at her for her earlier stunt, and prepared to throw her chain…when she froze at the deadly feeling in the air, Shinji's squeak of terror confirming her fears.

She couldn't actually 'see' it, because of her special blindfold, but she almost feel over every inch of her skin when her opponent brought the massive and eight-pointed THING (Because there was no way that monstrosity of metal was actually a shuriken) over her head, letting the gaping Masters see the strange and dragon-like markings it had over its surface before it started glowing with an eerie light.

Shirou had enough time to think the words 'Ultimate Skill' before the kunoichi threw the Fuuma Shuriken with a silent chant.

"Fly, Yamata-no-Orochi."

The demonic weapon roared to life, cutting through the air as it released a cutting miasma all around itself, breaking anything at the hallway's sides that was still whole.

The Servant of the Mount ignored her Master shrieking in terror in favor of grabbing him and throwing herself backwards down the pathway, launching her chain forward like a growling snake, hoping to slow down the abomination of steel.

It cut through her own weapon as if it was made of butter, leaving her with a useless piece of chain that was still falling down as the thing screamed towards them.

Once again, her unreal speed was the only thing that saved them, even as she 'accidentally' used Shinji's head as a ram to break down the door of the classroom at their side and dive in, feeling a cut appearing at her neck's side just before the Fuuma Shuriken flew past them and cut THROUGH the wall, flying somewhere outside of the building.

She fully ignored her Master's shouts at her to do something even as she brought up her broken chain and took advantage of the cut she had been inflicted to widen the wound, letting flood flow freely from her neck and into an unnatural pattern into the air in front of them.

They had to get the fuck away from that monster (And it was quite ironic for her to think that) who looked like a cosplaying little girl if they wanted to survive. Ignoring whatever the two other Masters were shouting even as she felt the pseudo-Servant running down the hall towards them, she called her trusted companion to appear from the seal.

With a burst of speed and destruction, Pegasus shot out of the badly damaged Classroom, flying the sky with Rider over it and a screaming Shinji barely hanging to her for dear life. As she neared the half-completed edge of her Blood Fort, the purple-haired woman realized with a grimace that she would have to deactivate it while barely having gotten anything from it (As expected from a plan coming from the incompetent idiot she was trying to save)….when a familiar voice screamed to her from down below, glaring her way from the destroyed wall of the classroom.

"Like HELL you're getting away! PINA!"

Rider had enough time to realize that the last word had actually been the calling of a Noble Phantasm before she felt her whole self SHAKE as an unholy roar filled the air, Shinji screaming again and almost pissing himself from fear as an enormous shadow shot past them, faster than even her know clearly terrified Pegasus, before turning around in midair, unfolding its massive wings as it growled at them, his red-blood eyes seeming like the promise of their doom. It was the size of a truck, with fangs longer than the Servant's arms and a mouth that could have swallowed her ride whole.

And it was a beast of POWER. A creature from the highest and most powerful Species of Phantasmal Beasts known in the world, which had long-since gone extinct. Medusa did not care that it had bluish feathers instead of scales, because that did not change the nature of the being in front of her, over the head of which the kunoichi now stood, also glaring at them, was.

A dragon. The little girl had a goddamn dragon as her Noble Phantasm.

"…it's not fair that you get to appear all adult when I can't, you know?" whined the pseudo-Servant while looking down at her trusted partner.

"Kyuuruu…" rumbled the member of the Dragon Kind while, somehow, rolling his eyes.

"…yes, I know I say the same every time we're called to the mortal plane, but it doesn't make it less truth."

Rider was about to take her chances to try and get away when her instincts screamed at her to dodge, with more urgency that they had done in her whole life. Unable to do anything else, the Servant of the Mount jumped down, ignoring her Master's screams as she stared helplessly at her beloved Pegasus.

Half a second later, the claws of the dragon had already closed around the Phantasmal Beast, all its power and speed meaning nothing against a creature that was above even its own level, being also a Noble Phantasm.

That was when she saw the incoming shurikens and she had to twist herself in midair to dodge. One of them just SO happened to hit Shinji's Book of the False Attendant, making the Matou boy scream as it caught fire.

Then the girl's kunai hit Rider on the hand, piercing it. It was just 'bad luck' that it was also the hand that was holding her Master, which forced her to let go of the screaming boy from the pain.

 _Luckily_ for Shinji, even as the Servant of the Mount deactivated her Bounded Field and vanished, turning immaterial after feeling her connection with him severed, the roof of the Archery Dojo was there to stop his fall. And the ground inside too.

From the hole on the wall of what had once been a classroom, Rin and Shirou STARED, the Tohsaka trying to stutter a coherent word and failing as she pointed from the DRAGON to the Pegasus it kindly let go, before the beast vanished into dots of Prana. She had never felt gladder from having made an alliance with the boy at her side than right then.

Archer chose that moment to appear, also STARING even as Pina roared to the heavens and vanished, together with his rider, just a second before Savior appeared at their side in a burst of speed.

"Oh…I see Silica took care of that, uh? Well, if you could call the obviously evil priest to cover this up it would be a great help, you know? I'm going to go check if whoever fell into that Archery Dojo is still alive."

Even as his Master nodded dumbly, still staring at where the kunoichi and her beast had disappeared, the Caped Servant vanished again just as Archer managed to say what everyone was thinking.

"What the fuck just happened?"

Sadly for him, that reminded Rin of his existence.

Meanwhile, pulling his consciousness back from his disgusting familiars, Matou Zouken's rotting body reflected absolute shock from where he stood on his house's basement.

The Emiya boy's servant was already an anomaly big enough, not only for his impossible Class and his absurd power (Surpassing that of even Berserker), but it seemed that every single one of the other Heroes he could call forth were almost as ridiculous or terrifying as him.

Even if Rider had been at full power, the old Magus wasn't sure if she would have been able to best the Dragon and his master without actually using her ultimate Noble Phantasm. And he had the sinking feeling that the massive beast hadn't used his full power either.

Shaking his head to try and banish those disturbing thoughts, the head of the Matou family once again delved into the minds of his Familiars, the sickening Crest Worms that were retreating into the sewers under the school giving him some more information about the catastrophe that his useless grandson had caused…when they went totally blind.

Freezing, Zouken realized that, suddenly, he was unable to see, hear or even FEEL anything from the Worms he had stationed all under and around the school area, only able to feel the ones he had inside the currently unconscious Sakura.

And then a sinisterly shining pair of red eyes filled his vision, a happy and ever-cheerful voice echoing everywhere through the very mental link he had with his Familiars.

A voice that came from the **[Darkness]**. A voice that was **[Darkness]**. A voice that commanded the **[Darkness]** itself, and that was the reason why his Worms hadn't simply died but 'ceased to be'…

 ** _"I fouuund youuu…"_**

Opening the eyes of his 'body', the old Magus took several steps back, even as the many Crest Worms filling the basement suddenly started squirming in primal fear.

His eyes suddenly roaming the unusually darker area, Zouken realized for the first time in centuries how sinisterly **Dark** it was down there…

* * *

Hope you all had fun with that :P See ya next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	31. Chapter 25: Between Virtual and Real

Okay everyone, here we're again, with the next and last chapter of the Mother's Rosario arc!

Again, this chapter came a bit late, but I have a good excuse again! More or less…I got kind of hooked to 'Boku no Hero Academia' and I have been devouring the manga for the past few days (It's surprisingly good and I recommend it to everyone :D), and yesterday something I ate didn't sit well with me so I spent a good chunk of the evening lying down with an upset stomach…but not this is done, everyone!

So, yeah, hope you enjoy all this. Now as 'epic' as the others Arcs' ends, mostly relaxing/funny bits before the 'dramatic' end, but given the setting and purpose of this whole arc, I think it was pretty good :) Music…maybe something 'touching' for the last scene of it all, you will easily recognize which. I myself suggest 'Wonder Stella', 3rd opening of Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya :P Without more to say, I leave you all with the chapter. See you in the author's notes!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 _"You're still alive? You really are strong…"_ -Saitama, the Strongest Hero.

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Between Virtual and Real. Punch away your Fate…**

 **December 24th, 2025. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 22, 23:45…**

The night was cold as snow once again fell upon the land of fairies. This time, however, it happened to all of Alfheim, not just the usual places where it snowed.

On a certain log house, on the 22nd Floor of a certain Floating Castle, this excited a young-looking AI, even as she happily ran around the living room, a Santa Claus cap on her head. Everyone watching her couldn't help but smile as they saw her happy smile and heard her harmonious voice.

"Christmas, Christmas, yay!" happily shouted Yui while stopping in front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, stars shining in her eyes.

"Man, she's really excited for this, isn't she?" commented a smiling Argo while looking at the virtual little girl with soft eyes.

"Well, what did you expect?" asked Keita with an amused look. "This is the first 'official' Christmas for her and Strea to spend with everyone, after all…"

The ex-guild leader words rang true, was what everyone thought. After all, between Asuna and the boys (Sans Kirito) still recovering from the ALO incident and they preparing to save their data inside Kazuto's computer in case the game of fairies was closed for good, last year's Christmas hasn't been something the virtual sisters or the group of friends had been really able to enjoy together.

"Not to mention, we have a lot more friends this year…" added Sachi while looking around the living room.

She and the other two that had just talked were sitting near the calm fire of the chimney, at the farthest side of the room, while the rest of the United Heroes Association (Sans Strea, who had gone out a while ago for mysterious reasons) and the Sleeping Knights were finishing setting the table and chatting animatedly.

Asuna and Leafa had put special effort in preparing the food for that day, given that they knew Yuuki and several of her friends had been unable to have a proper 'Christmas meal' in quite some time. Therefore, and after asking for permission, they had all agreed to be there together for a while before going out to celebrate with their families (Or just eat by themselves in Suguha and Kazuto's case, since their mother wouldn't be home till the morning).

It was only natural, thus, that Yui seemed so excited by it. And her sister had seemed the same before going to who knows where…

"Hey, has anyone seen Strea?" asked Kirito while finishing putting down another chair, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well, she said something about going to bring more Christmas decorations…" muttered Asuna while putting a finger under her chin. "Though to be honest, I don't see what…"

"Merry Christmas!" shouted the aforementioned Gnome while merrily entering the house, a sac at her back…and wearing while could only be called a 'sexy Santa outfit'.

Every single person in the room froze, all of them staring and gaping openly at the smiling virtual girl. Furious blushes were appearing on the faces of almost every female, while the males of the two guilds were trying to do their best to not stare like idiots.

"What the…?!" shouted an outraged Leafa while pointing at her. "Strea-san, why are you wearing that?!"

"…because is Christmas?" answered Strea while looking at the Sylph as if she had just said something very obvious.

"But it's freezing outside!"

"I don't think that's actually the problem, Sinon-nya…"

"Heh…we-well, we can always count on Strea to make things livelier, uh…?"

"Sachi, saying that with your face burning right isn't really fooling anyone…."

"Aww, don't worry, Phili-chi! I brought costumes like mine for everyone, so I also have one your size!"

"WHAT?!"

"Did…you really bring…for everyone…? OUCH! What was that for?!"

"You were drooling like an idiot, Keita!"

"Ohh, it looks like fun! Does one usually wear this for Christmas? Can I wear one too?"

"Yuuki-chan, NO! Strea-san, stop corrupting her!"

"Ahahah, Asuna, you act way too much like a worried mother…!"

Looking around at the madness breaking loose, Kirito couldn't help but smile.

And some minutes later, after everyone calmed down (And no one but Strea actually wore those 'costumes', to the males' silent disappointment), when they sat down to eat and wish Merry Christmas to everyone, the caped boy couldn't help but think how stupid he had been, to have once thought that it was better to go through life alone.

Truly, there was no better thing than having people at your side, to share your dreams with…

The clock was already nearing 1 in the morning of December 25th when, one for one, everyone started to excuse themselves, for one reason or another, leaving the house emptier and more silent. When this started happened, the curious gamer noticed someone missing that hadn't say goodbye and, curious, went up to the second floor.

He found the Imp looking silently out of the small balcony there, towards the falling snow.

"Hey, Yuuki." called the Spriggan while walking to her side, making the girl blink and look at him. "I was wondering where you have gone to…everything okay?"

"Kirito…yeah, I'm good. It was a great party, I got to remind to thank Asuna and everyone again sometime soon…" looking in silence back at the snowing night, a tad of sadness appeared on the swordswoman's face. "It's just that…this is the first Christmas I truly spent without Aiko-nee."

"…Yuuki." softly whispered Kirito while looking at her.

"Ah…don't worry. I know I have to move on, and I promised her I would still be happy, but…a part of me really wished that she could have been there, eating with us…and…"

Whatever else Yuuki wanted to say was cut short, when a pair of strong arms that she was growing unusually used to (And that thought made her inwardly blush) closed softly around her, pressing her shocked face against a firm but warm chest.

"It's okay, Yuuki. Don't worry, I'm here with you. We're all…and will always be."

As he said those words, the caped boy thought about the things that had happened since the tournament, when Kikuoka had told him that he had managed to get his hands on the Deep-Scan Machine, and all the implications that came with that.

Once again, he had asked for Yui and Strea's help, and they had investigated all that they could, after he got Kikuoka to let him know the specifications of the machine. Finally, they had managed to come up with an idea that allowed them to actually move it into the hospital were the girl was.

Officially, it was a similar machine to the Medicuboid, with slightly different features, that was being tested to see if it was compatible with the basic FullDive treatment. Of course, the only reason for which this 'lie' had been possible was because it seemed TRUE.

When you looked them down and analyzed the way in which they were built, both machines seemed to be the same one. The only difference was that the Medicuboid included compatibility with all kind of medical equipment and direct virtual interaction with the patient, not to mention that the level of energy and mental-scanning that it used was much lower, but apart from that, when it came down to the way in which both machines worked, the Deep-Scan Machine was essentially a copy of it…or maybe the opposite.

Kazuto knew what the implications of that were, and he was sure Kikuoka did so too, or at least heavily suspected it. Even so, he did not care, his decision already made. Thanks to the ruse, the hospital's staff had been fooled and the machine transported to the same floor in which Yuuki's room was.

The only 'problem' had been with the girl's doctor, Kurahashi Kaito, the only one who had been suspicious of the whole thing and had tried to stop any idea of testing the machine before it was thoroughly examined.

It had only been thanks to Yuuki talking to him that he had changed his opinion on the matter. The gamer didn't know what the hospitalized girl had told to the man that had taken care of her for so long he was like a second father to her, but she had managed to make him stop his efforts to deny the Deep-Scan Machine's use.

When he had gone with Asuna to visit the sick girl to the hospital half a month ago, though, he had seen the man smiling silently at her.

"…thanks.." softly whispered the Imp before looking up at him, bringing the caped boy out of his recollections, a smile on her face…and blinking in surprise, even as she tilted her face to the side. "Hey, Kirito…"

"Yes?" asked the Spriggan with a soft smile, curious at the girl's sudden tone.

"I…have only watched pictures and read about it, but…is that mistletoe?"

The caped gamer blinked. Then, ever so slowly, he turned his head towards the upper frame of the balcony's door.

There, hanging innocently from a red tie, was the aforementioned plant, commonly hung as a Christmas tradition…in the west. No one ever really put it as a decoration in Japan that much, and he was sure most of his friends wouldn't have even entertained the idea of putting one, so the only reason why it would be there was…

"Goddammit, Strea!" cursed Kirito while letting go of the curious girl, facepalming a bit too hard. "Ugh…don't worry about it, okay, Yuuki? Is not even a popular tradition around he…"

His words suddenly died on his throat when, standing on her tips for an instant, Yuuki softly kissed him.

Their lips were connected by little more than a second before the blushing Imp girl backed away and, giving him a shy smile, opened her menu.

"Merry Christmas, Kirito." she simply said before Logging Out, never stopping smiling.

The Spriggan was standing there like an idiot, staring dumbly at the spot where she had vanished, for all of 10 seconds, before arriving to a simple conclusion.

"…Asuna will kill me if she ever finds out." he certainly stated while suppressing a shiver.

Shaking his head before tearing off the mistletoe (Better safe than sorry) and accepting it as just another crazy thing that made his life so 'interesting' nowadays, Kirito headed downstairs, ready to ask if anyone was still there and tell Leafa that they should already be Logging Out to…

"Hey there, Sensei. Merry Christmas."

"Me-Merry Chri-Christmas, Onii-chan!"

The caped boy blinked. Then, he shook his head and looked again. Finally, he slammed his head against the wall at his side, making the two girls blink in confusion even as he turned to look their blushing forms again.

No, he apparently wasn't imagining it. Asuna and Leafa were REALLY standing there, both of them wearing their own fitting versions of the same 'Sexy Santa outfit' that Strea was wearing earlier, staring at him with bright but clearly embarrassed smiles.

There was no one else left in the log house but the three of them, by the way.

"…eh?" eloquently expressed the gamer at the sight, barely managing to stop his eyes from wandering all over the two beautiful fairies.

"I-it was Strea's idea…she said yo-you probably would like it…" muttered the blonde Sylph while looking away, keenly conscious of Kirito's eyes over her.

"Think of it as a Christmas present from your beautiful girlfriends, Kirito-kun!" happily added the smiling Undine, though the fiery blush on her face made it clear she was making a conscious effort to not squeak in embarrassment. "S-so…do you like it?"

There was an infinitesimal pause that, for some reason, seemed to last an eternity for the teens…after which the caped boy answered without hesitation.

"Of course I do. I love it. You two look gorgeous in that."

Shocked, the two girls looked towards their boyfriend in shock. Clearly, none of them had expected him to be so direct and sincere with his answer.

Of course, they couldn't have known that the Spriggan was 'channeling his inner Saitama', as he put it, almost as much as he had against Death Gun, so as to not say anything 'stupid'.

He was, after all, a perfectly hormonal male teenager, who was suddenly confronted by the sight of the two girls he loved, and that were perfectly okay with 'sharing' him, dressed in extremely revealing outfits and smiling brightly at him. He was making a conscious effort to not just STARE like an idiot and lost himself in the sight in front of him, thanking the Gamer Gods for his unholy luck.

Yeah, he loved them dearly at all, but DAMMIT, didn't they know how much they tested his resolve when they did something like that?! If he didn't concentrate, this was in serious danger of ending like one of his many dreams, where he would just rush forward, swept both of them off their feet and…!

The Spriggan was brought out of his hormones-fueled fantasies when he felt a pair of slender arms settle around his neck. He had enough time to blink before Asuna trapped his lips in a soft kiss, which she slowly deepened, much to his shock and that of his adoptive sister, if the sudden 'Awawawa?!' that came from the background was anything to go back.

Without needing much more motivation, he found himself kissing the Dual Wielder back.

When they separated, both had a slightly dreamy look on their eyes, their cheeks equally tinted in crimson. Then, the Undine turned around and tended a hand towards the frozen and blushing Leafa.

"Come here, Sugu-chan. Your Onii-chan also needs to give you some love, right?"

Almost as if in a trance from hearing the words, the blonde Sylph walked towards them. When she reached their side, she opened her more hesitantly for a moment, then looked down, as if suddenly too embarrassed to say what she wanted.

This time, however, the black-haired boy was smart enough to know what to and, with an encouraging push of Asuna, reached forward and made the katana-user look at him, green eyes reflecting surprise and longing from an instant before he trapped her lips with his.

Leafa started kissing back almost instantly, making the Undine at their side whistle softly at the passion behind the blonde Sylph's action, almost as if she never wanted to let go of the gamer.

Once the kiss ended, a look of pure happiness and bliss on the kendoka's red face, she buried her face on Kirito's chest, sighing contently.

"Hey…want to meet up later in the evening, after you ate and celebrate with your mother?" asked the Dual Wielder to the two Kirigayas, who blinked and looked at her in surprise. "It's Christmas, after all, so 'couples' should spent some time together, right?"

"…I think I would like that." bashfully accepted Leafa while smiling at Asuna. "A lot."

"Do you even need to ask?" was all that the caped Spriggan said before, gathering his courage for a moment, pulling the other girl towards him too, now hugging both of them.

After some minutes just enjoying each other's presence, the three of them bid their goodbyes and Logged Out, smiles still on their faces.

Both Asuna and Kirito's avatars vanished in an instant…but Leafa's only fell backwards, eyes closed and unmoving.

It was a couple of seconds later that she stood up again, the Sylph trembling and with a burning face as she opened her eyes, a look of jealous rage on them.

They weren't green anymore, though, but a steel-silver hue instead.

And a familiar katana had appeared on her hands, without her even equipping it…

"Kuh…that damn idiot! He doesn't deserve Master…doesn't deserve her love, not when he's also looking at other girls that aren't her!" growled 'Leafa' with annoyance as she stood up, her expression and tone of voice completely at odds with the costume she was still wearing. "I will show Master…that I'm much better than him…that I can protect her much better than him…"

Whispering those words, the Sylph raised her strangely-decorated katana, the inscription on its side shining before a silver glow surrounded it.

"…and I will do it with this power…that I have been hiding from even her. This power that should be hers…I will use it to show Master that she can always rely on me…"

Those words said, 'Leafa' stabbed the shining katana on the ground.

Strange symbols of energy appeared around her, shining as they seemed to crawl into the air with glorious power…

* * *

 **January 26th, 2026. Kyoto, Kansai. Yuuki Family Home, 12:30…**

"Well, here we are!" brightly smiled Asuna as she turned around to look at her friends, the Bidirectional Communication Probe on her shoulder. "Feel as if you're on your own home, everyone!"

For their part, the girls from the United Heroes Association (Kotone, Shino, Suguha, Shiori, Saori, Rika and Keiko) gaped in awe at the imposing visage of the house, which seemed like the traditional Japanese home that lords of old used to have. From camera on the chestnut-haired girl's shoulder, the awed voices of Yuuki, Strea and Yui also reflected the shock everyone was feeling.

"Woah! This is amazing, Asuna!" excitedly shouted the hospitalized girl while looking around. "Is this place really yours?!"

"Well, it's property of my family, yeah, but it's not really all that much…" nervously waved it off the girl while scratching her head.

"Not all that much, she says…" whispered Shiori while looking around. "Aa-chan really does find this kind of things normal, uh…"

"Leave it to Asuna, the super-rich, to surprise us like this…" sweatdropped Rika in response, her own eyes also looking around the beautiful home in awe. "When she said this about coming to Kyoto to show Yuuki the sights I was certainly surprised, but…"

"Wah, everyone, look!" came Saori's excited voice as she looked at a massive pond in the middle of the garden. "There are tons of fishes in here! And all of bright colors!"

"Really?" asked Kotone with curiosity, walking closer to the spear-user. "Are there any goldfishes in there?"

"Sakura trees…" muttered Keiko while looking in awe towards the cherry blossoms filling one side of the garden. "They're beautiful…"

"Surprisingly…I think I could just stand watching them all day…" added Shino while looking in wonder at the beautiful pink petals of the trees.

"Heh, I also love just watching them." commented Asuna while stopping at the younger girls' side, looking on with a nostalgic smile. "I think I'm going to enjoy this visit to Kyoto much more than the last one…"

"…the real world has a lot of gorgeous and fantastic places, uh?" muttered Yui from where she was sitting, she and Strea besides Yuuki on the Medicuboid's personal virtual space, all the holo-screens configured to show what the Probe was showing. "No matter how amazing the virtual world is, they're always things that amaze you in there too…"

"As always, your words are full of wisdom, Yui-nee." nodded the other AI while looking at the awed girl sitting between them. "Don't you think so too, Yuuki?"

"Yes…you are right." whispered her while smiling brightly, her eyes never leaving the beautiful visages of the gardens even as Asuna led everyone else inside. The sights were, in a way, much more beautiful than the similar ones she, Aiko and Merida had seen when playing Asuka Empire. "You're totally right…"

Back on Kyoto, just as she was about to go inside, the chestnut-haired girl noticed the only one who had been mostly silent of her friends still standing near the main gate, looking up to the sky and seemingly deep in thought.

"Sugu-chan?" called Asuna to the young kendoka, who blinked and looked down at her. "Are you all right?"

"Ye-yeah, sorry about spacing out like that, Asuna…" apologized Suguha while scratching the back of her head in what the UHA called the 'Standard Kirito Reaction #1'. "It's a beautiful place, it's just that…I was wondering what Onii-chan and the others must be doing right now…"

Smiling in understanding, the rapier-user walked to the side of the other girl and held her hand. Since Christmas, the relationship between her, Kazuto and the young kendoka had deepened noticeably. They were much less awkward with each other and way more open with small shows of affection, like hugs or quick kisses in the cheeks, and some slightly more daring ones when they were alone. Of course, they had all become closer emotionally too, so Asuna was able to notice how the younger girl usually seemed a bit more hesitant and much more attached to the idiotic hero they loved than her, probably because of her inner fears about if their 'peculiar' relationship would last. The chestnut-haired girl knew that she deeply wished it did for a long time…and she had found herself doing the same too.

But that was why none of the boys had been invited over on this trip. It was important that Suguha saw that just for not seeing Kazuto a few days it didn't mean their relationship would be damaged. And that they could depend in each other too.

Besides, it never hurt to have some girls-only time. And she was sure the caped boy thought the same about himself, Keita and the rest.

"I'm sure they're as busy as us right now, Sugu-chan. Boys always find something to do with their free time, after all." grinning, the rapier-user dragged her friend and fellow girlfriend towards the house, where more awed exclamations coming from the rest of their friends could be heard. "Now, let's go before they break something important that I can't convince my mother broke by itself, okay?"

A smile quickly appeared on her own face, Suguha nodded and sprinted after her friend. Asuna was right. Now, it was their time to enjoy each other's company while they showed Yuuki-chan around.

The chestnut-haired girl was probably right, though. Kazuto and the rest were probably also enjoying their 'boys-time' too…

 **Meanwhile, on New Aincrad's 22nd Floor…**

"…so…does any of you want to do something?" asked Ducker while he and the rest munched some cookies, his gaze looking around at the silent boys of the UHA as they sat on the log house's living room.

"Uhm…we have nothing to do until Winter vacation end, so…we could, I don't know…go out to eat something together later?" ventured Sasamaru when the awkward silence stretched a bit too much.

"Yeah, that…sounds like a plan." muttered Tetsuo while gulping down another cookie.

"…man, anyone else finds it kind of sad that we literally seem to have no motivation to do anything when the girls aren't around?" questioned Keita while everyone sweatdropped.

"We could always…I don't know…try and investigate what became of that egg we gave that King of the Ocean guy in that Quest about the undersea temple?" proposed Kirito while scratching the back of his head. "I always got kind of curious about it, and I have a couple of ideas about what could have happened…"

"Well…I guess anything its better than sitting here doing nothing but munching on cookies…" sighed the dagger-user of the group while pulling on his beanie.

"Speaking of which…where did you get these cookies, Ducker?" asked the Leprechaun while looking down at the one he was about to eat, making everyone blink. "They're extremely good, and I know for a fact that your Cooking Skill sucks, plus I don't remember seeing any Shop that sells these…

"Oh, these? They were over there on the table, together with a note that had Yui-chan's name on it!" cheerfully replied the Imp while waving it off, even as an ominous feeling suddenly filled the room. "She's such a sweetheart, leaving something like this for us while they're all away…"

"…wait a minute…" whispered the caped Spriggan even as his eyes widened, the boy shooting towards the living room's table at super speed, grabbing the note and opening it.

As he read its contents, his face slowly paled more and more.

"…Kirito?" asked the Gnome of the group while gulping, he and the others clearly starting t have a bad feeling about the whole thing.

For all answer, their fearless leader turned the note around, letting everyone see what was written on it.

 _'Hey, Papa, everyone, I'm leaving these cookies over here so that you can give some to our shy neighbor, okay :D? He seems to enjoy them, but he's so shy he only comes to get them when we leave them out at Tonky's side and no one is looking, so be sure to drop this there for him! Also, I think he like chatting with Tonky, because sometimes we heard him making some soft noises when no one but us is around…'_

There were several seconds of silence before Sasamaru voiced the question that was disturbing everyone's minds.

"…we have a neighbor?

On cue, Tonky started to make some soft noises, as if the flying elephant-jellyfish was whispering to someone…or something.

Two seconds later, someone knocked on the door, once. Then, after a terrifyingly long pause, they did it again.

"…who wants to jump out of the second's floor window and fly away as fast as we can?" asked Keita while everyone stood up.

It was true test of his bravery that Kirito, despite having been easily able to get out of there long before they could even blink, was the last one in going up the stairs, never giving his back to the door.

The males of the United Heroes Association certainly wouldn't be spending any time on the guild house until the girls came back.

* * *

 **January 13th, 2026. Kyoto, Kansai. Yuuki Family Home, 22:30…**

"Aaah…this is life." contently sighed a smiling Shinozaki Rika as her naked body sank into the hot water. Around her, the rest of the females present in the beautiful open hot springs of the Yuuki's house nodded in agreement, also enjoying the relaxing feeling.

It had certainly been a beautiful and enjoyable trip for everyone involved. They spent the first day mostly settling in and familiarizing themselves with the house and the surrounding area, to make sure nothing bad happened and no one got lost.

Yesterday, they went out and did what everyone went to Kyoto for: enjoying the sights.

The temples, shrines, palaces, gardens…It was almost magical, but in the real world. They make sure to take lots of pictures and, thanks to Yui and Strea, have access faster than anyone to info about the place they were visiting.

Most of them had never thought they would see the magnificent old capital outside of pictures. Until meeting them, Yuuki had been SURE she would never do so. Strea and Yui were perhaps even more fascinated by it all than her, making more questions than the ill girl despite actually having the ability to quickly access said information by themselves. She couldn't remember having had more fun ever before. The group of friends was very much inclined to agree, happy for her and themselves.

They went back home that day content and happy, then spent talking to each other about the places they had visited till late at night, almost as if was a pajama party (And Strea had somehow whipped out pajamas for herself, Yui and Yuuki to wear while they chatted, God knows from where). In the morning of the current day, they went out again after a fulfilling breakfast to continue touring through the city, making sure of choosing important and famous spots, because they knew that, sadly, it would be impossible to actually visit every single place of interest in Kyoto before they had to return.

Even so, they decided to stop for a while at midday and eat out in one of the traditional restaurants around, that Asuna recommended them because her brother once told her it was pretty good. After enjoying their meal, they had once again gone out and continued their sightseeing until it was late. Exhausted, they had finally decided to go back home, content but still sad that they would be returning home the next day in the morning. Not to mention that the last term of the current school year would begin soon after they returned…

And that was the reason why Asuna had called everyone there, both to relax…and to fulfill an almost-forgotten promise.

"It seems that it was a lifetime ago, uh?" commented Shiori after several seconds of content silence, looking up towards the night sky. "When we were back there in Aincrad, and made a promise to get together like this again…"

"And here we are, finally. With new friends that we couldn't have expected at that time…" muttered Saori while looking at Suguha and Shino, who were looking at everyone's far-away looks with a mix of respect and awe. "But that just makes it all better, right?"

"It certainly does." said Asuna while giving the young kendoka, at the side of which she was sitting, an encouraging smile, which she returned almost without hesitation. Then, she turned to look at the small device that was just at the pool's edge, inside a special and transparent plastic container. "Sorry about it not being exactly as we promised, Yui-chan, Strea, but…"

"It's okay, Asuna! This is way more than we could have ever hoped for!" came the older-looking AI's cheerful voice from the Probe. "You don't know how happy I feel right now!"

"Besides, in a way, it's almost as if we were really there with you all!" added Yui with an excited tone, even as she turned to look at the other girl at her side. "Are you enjoying it too, Yuuki-san?"

"Uhm, yeah, but…how did you manage to get this thing here again?" questioned the hospitalized girl while looking around at the mid-sized 'Jacuzzi' where she and the girl girls were currently in, also enjoying the nice feeling of hot virtual water. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice and all, but I'm sure I would have noticed if the Medicuboid had a function like this in here…"

"Oh, we added it before the trip while you slept, don't worry about it!"

"Eh?! Won't we get in troubles for that?!"

"Leave them be." sighed Shino while shaking her head, the girl's hand moving slightly over her face before remembering she currently wasn't wearing her glasses. "Despite having known them for the shortest, I already know that once they do anything they will not only get away with it, but it will most likely end up being surprisingly positive."

"And as the one who has known them the longest, I can pretty much say you're 100% right, Sinon." came Kotone's resigned words while she looked towards the camera, taking the happy laughs coming from the Probe in stride.

"Those two doing unreasonable stuff and us considering it normal it's certainly something we all have come to accept, though. And you're right, this is almost exactly like we promised…" while saying this, Rika, unconsciously looked towards the door that led to the changing rooms, a nostalgic smile appearing on her face. "We're only missing Kirito watching out so that no one gets inside behind that door."

Her words made almost every girl blink in surprise before blushing softly at the memory, Suguha and Shino just looking at everyone with utter surprise, seeming ready to ask…

"You really got Kirito to guard you all while taking a bath on the hot springs?!" Yuuki's surprised voice came from the Probe even as she leaned closer to the screen inside the virtual Jacuzzi, eyes shining. "Woah, I haven't heard that story!"

"Me neither…" whispered Suguha while blushing, suddenly having the strange need to cover her body.

"I'm not sure if I want to hear it, to be honest…" commented Shino while looking away, her words being betrayed by a curious blush spreading through her face.

"Aww, why not? It's a great story, and even more, it's a story with Papa on it!" cheerfully said Yui while splashing some water while standing up. "That just makes it even better!"

"Yui-chan, do-don't get dragged into Liz-san mood!" half-shouted Keiko with an extremely embarrassed look. "That won't lead to anything good!"

"Hey, I resent that, Silica! I'm a perfect role model, it's not my fault you're jealous of me because I'm more mature…"

"….THAT'S IT! I WON'T TAKE MORE OF THIS FROM YOU, LIZ-SAAAAAN!"

"What the…?! AHHH!"

"Holy…! Hey, girls, don't try to kill each other!"

"Isn't it more like Silica is trying to choke Liz?!"

"I'M NOT A LITTLE GIIIIRRRLLL!"

"Crap, somebody do something, Silica has gone berserk!"

"He-hey, calm down, we can't wreck a home that's not ours!"

"…heheh, with you guys one can always have fun, uh?"

"Yep, right on the mark, Yuuki-chan! Now, about that story on the hot springs…"

"Ah, no fair Strea-neee, I wanted to be the one telling it!"

"…hey, Asuna." muttered Suguha while looking at the madness unfolding around them. "…do you think it would be selfish of me…to wish for things to always stay like his?"

The chestnut-haired girl seemed to consider that for a moment before smiling.

"Maybe, Sugu-chan. But then again, what's the problem with that?" grinning, the Dual Wielder stared once again to the stars. "As Sensei would say…we just got to punch our way to make sure it happens, right?"

At that…Suguha's face blossomed into a beautiful smile.

In the middle of the utter chaos storm in which the hot springs had become (With Strea and Yui cheerfully ignoring everything to tell Yuuki the story of their first time in one), Shiori deadpanned at everyone before sighing and looking to the sky.

"I wonder what Kii-bou and the guys are up to right now…"

And meanwhile, somewhere above the eternal cloud that covers Yggdrasil's top…

"Uaaaaahhh!" screamed Ducker as he, well, ducked to the side, his wings' edges burning slightly from the massive stream of fire that almost engulfed him whole. "DRAGON!"

"Yes, we know, we can see it!" shouted Tetsuo as he spun in mid-air and barely ducked under a giant claw.

"A GIANT DRAGON!"

"For Heaven's sake, Ducker, calm down or all of this will have been for nothing!" came Sasamaru's panicking voice as he tried to cast a Spell, only to be forced to stop midway and duck under a spike-covered tail. "Fuck!"

"How am I supposed to calm down when there is a giant dragon trying to eat us?!" shouted the dagger-user before turning towards the Leprechaun of the group. "Keita, man, let go of that damn twig, it's not worth whatever massive Death Penalty getting eaten by that thing is going to get us!"

"What are you saying?! Have you seen the magic-boosting stats of this thing?!" asked back the ex-guild leader while waving the 'Yggdrasil Branch', the wand-type item that they had obtained by pure dumb luck and that was the reason the enraged guardian beast was trying to destroy them. "Like hell we're letting go of it!"

"But no one in our guild actively uses magic!" retorted the despairing Ducker while the dragon roared once again at them.

"Let it go, Ducker, Keita obviously is trying to use that thing as a lifeline to convince himself that this wasn't a complete waste of time besides finding there is a floating palace above the World Tree, at which we can't actually get to because the NPC-Boss guarding it nicely asked us to leave and gave us more ambiguous lore about something that may happen when Aincrad's 100th Floor is reached!" cried Tetsuo as they once again dodged for dear life, a cloud filled with deadly lighting under them and a giant fire-breathing monster behind. "Gah…! Why did we left Kirito behind Swilvane's Lord House again?!"

"On hindsight, agreeing behind his back to leave him to have dinner with Sakuya-san in exchange for the info about this place wasn't exactly out best idea, all things considered…" weakly muttered Sasamaru while another wave of fire almost fried them.

"And now he's the one eating in the fancy place with the older and sexy woman who clearly has it for him while we're getting chased by a fucking dragon…" deadpanned Ducker for a moment before cursing to the heavens. "Why is his fucking luck so good when he doesn't even try?!"

That seemed to be the cue for the giant dragon to snap down and eat the cursing dagger-user whole. The rest of the boys panicked and flew faster.

"Aaaagh! We should at least have brought Tonky with us!"

"Yeah, because we're all SO eager to get back to Floor 22…"

"Kiritoooo! This is the last time we try to trick you behind your back, so please, appear from nowhere and save us like you do all the time!"

In answer, the dragon snapped down again and devoured Tetsuo whole. Exchanging a despairing look, both Keita and Sasamaru decided to say 'Fuck it' and let themselves fall down into the massive eternal cloud.

Surprisingly, Keita managed to survive.

At that moment, just walking outside Swilvane, a blinking Kirito wondered why he suddenly stopped feeling the need to get back at Keita and the others for literally abandoning him in Sakuya's place. It wasn't that having dinner with the Sylph Lady was unpleasant, not really, but he honestly had wanted to discover what became of that egg they gave Leviathan and what was hidden beyond the eternal cloud covering Yggdrasil's top. Sure, he could go by himself to check it out at any moment now, but it just wouldn't be the same to go do it alone…

Stopping his train of thought and his feet, the caped Spriggan silently looked up at the tall trees of the forest that covered Sylph territory, taking a moment to appreciate the fine detail of that virtual world.

Then, he turned his head to the side and spoke.

"Come out already and stop following me like a stalker."

"…I knew it was too much of a coincidence that you would suddenly decide to walk at a normal pace instead of at super speed." started the lab coat-wearing figure…just before a supersonic punch flew throw the air and STOPPED barely an inch from his face, the shockwave shaking and uprooting several of the nearby trees (Which promptly collapsed into polygons) and giving him a new and spiky hairstyle. "…okay, I'm very glad of being made of data right now. Otherwise, I think that would have probably made me piss my pants…"

"What the hell do you want, Kayaba?" growled the gamer while staring at the virtual ghost with a heavy scowl, even as he tried to reorder his labcoat.

"What do you think I have a specific reason? Can't I just come by to talk about the old times, Kirito-kun?"

"The next punch isn't going to stop halfway, you know…"

"…sigh, okay, you got me." muttered the ex-paladin before staring at Kirito with hard and serious eyes. "It's about the Deep-Scan Machine, Kirito-kun. And how you're planning to use it on Konno Yuuki."

"…I should have known you would show up to talk about THAT sooner or later." sighed the caped boy while lowering his fist, turning around to give his back to man. "Nevertheless, my words will be the same as if you came for any other reason: Fuck off, Kayaba."

"This is no joking matter, Kirito." the tone in the Kayaba's voice and the lack of the '-kun' suffix in his name were a clear indication for the Spriggan about how serious he was being. "When I used that machine on myself, I was fully ready and aware of all the consequences that would come with it, and I had taken all the steps necessary for everyone to think that it had FAILED. It was supposed to be either destroyed or forgotten in the darkness wherever the government took it…and now you have brought it out to the light again."

"Are YOU trying to give me moral lessons, Kayaba?" asked Kirito with a disbelief-filled tone, staring back at the virtual ghost. "Because I don't think you fully realize how sickly hilarious that is…"

"…yes, I am, in fact, aware of how hypocrite my words may sound, but that does not make them any less true." sighed the man in the lab coat before looking again towards the caped boy with hard eyes. "You're not stupid, Kirito-kun. Despite having all that 'power' you have always had quite a sharp mind to go with it, so you must know all the ways in which this can go wrong, not only for Konno-san but for everyone involved. And if the process does work with her, then you know people would want to use the machine for less noble purposes than yours, and also…"

"…why did you do that for Rinko?"

"…what?" questioned the wide-eyed Kayaba at the sudden interruption, staring at the teenager in front of him in shock.

"The fake bomb. The one you surgically put inside her to fool the authorities into thinking she had helped you under pressure and not by her free will." clarified Kirito while fully facing the man in the lab coat. "Why did you do it?"

"I…she didn't deserve to be also judged because of what I had…why does that have to with anything?!" finally shouted the virtual ghost, clearly not used to lost his cool like that.

"I just wanted to make sure…if you were the real Kayaba Akihiko or not." clarified the Spriggan while looking to the sky, shocking the man as he released a chuckle. "Even 'Heathcliff' could sometimes get caught off guard by an unexpected comment, usually something someone from my guild would say at a meeting to plan for the next Floor Boss…that humanity cannot be faked, one way or another. Even if you yourself don't think or are not sure that you're, well, 'yourself' or just a copy made of data…I can tell that you, indeed, are Kayaba Akihiko."

"…so, you have already taken a decision, uh?" summarized Kayaba while looking at the boy's eyes.

A familiar inner fire was burning in them.

"I'm going to save her, Kayaba. That's what I have decided, and nothing will stop me now that I have a chance to do so. Because that's what Kirigaya Kazuto wants to do…what a Hero would do." giving the virtual ghost a last look, the gamer crouched down, his cape billowing behind him as he readied himself. "And don't worry…I know what I'm doing. See you…later, I guess."

And with those final words, Kirito shot towards the heavens, deciding it would be best to at least head to Aincrad before Logging Out.

All alone in the Sylph forest, Kayaba Akihiko sighed one last time before smiling softly. It seemed like, once again, he would have to believe that the boy would do the right thing and take care of everything.

Giving how he did it with the Seed and against Death Gun, he was willing to believe he would be up to the task.

His face growing serious once again, though, he turned around and started to vanish, back into the virtual sea. Now that he had decided to entrust this matter to the young Hero, he needed to look into something that could potentially be way more disastrous.

It was time for the 'father' to find his runaway 'daughter'…

Back at Kyoto, everyone in the house was already in bed and getting ready to sleep, or already sleeping in some cases. In one particular room, Asuna stared at Suguha sleeping form for a moment before sitting on her own bed, yawning for a moment before smiling towards the Bidirectional Communication Probe on the small table at her side.

"Goodnight, Yuuki."

"Goodnight!" answered the young girl with a bright smile while staring at the chestnut-haired girl on the screen, sitting at the edge of a noticeably big bed, Strea and Yui already sleeping (With the former smothering the latter on her bosom). "…hey, Asuna?"

"Yes?" asked the Dual Wielder with a raised eyebrow.

"…this has been something great. Thanks…for this trip, for being my friend…for everything." softly whispered Yuuki while looking to her feet.

There was a short and slightly sad silence as the chestnut-haired girl stared at the small camera, almost imagining the other girl not looking at her as she said that.

Both of them knew, after all, that she was saying it almost as a 'Goodbye'. In case anything went wrong and she really…had her days counted.

After all, they had needed to _open_ her sealed room for a bit over an hour to install the Deep-Scan Machine over the Medicuboid, just a couple of days before the trip. Of course, Dr. Kurahashi had overseen everything and took all the precautions needed to minimize any possible damage or risk of infection to the girl's weak body…but it still wasn't a guarantee, even after the process was over and they resealed the room.

Konno Yuuki could still live for a year or more…or maybe die before next month.

Fate had just been that cruel with her.

"…let's come back here again next year, okay?" suddenly spoke Asuna with a warm tone, making Yuuki's eyes shot back to the screen, seeing the older girl smiling almost motherly at her. "And let's bring Sensei and the others! Hell, we can even bring Siune-san and the rest of the Sleeping Knights to also watch through the Probe if they want, I'm sure that by then Sensei, Keita-kun and Sachi will have upgraded it a lot!"

"Asuna…" for a moment, the sick girl could feel tears swelling in her eyes, before she furiously rubbed them and smiled brightly. "Yes…I would like that. A lot."

"Then it's a promise…Yuuki."

With those words spoken, the Dual Wielder turned off the lights and entered her bed, happy.

It truly was the perfect ending for a perfect tip with friends…

"…pssst, Asuna?"

"Uh…?" whispered the half-asleep girl, her eyes still closed "Is there something more, Yuu…?"

"I-I kind of…stole a kiss from Kirito in Christmas."

Asuna's eyes shot wide open.

In her 'sleep', Strea's left hand softly pumped into a victorious fist.

Phase 3 was going smoothly indeed…

* * *

 **January 14th, 2026. Kawagoe, Saitama. Dicey Café, 17:30…**

"Aaah…to think that we have to get back to school tomorrow…" complained Rika while shaking her head, almost letting it fall over the table. "This break was way too short…"

"Yeah, yeah, complain as if you didn't just return from a 3 days trip to Kyoto, look how sad for you we are." grumbled Takuya while annoyingly biting on a croissant as if it had particularly offended him, the dagger-user clearly not in the best of moods. "What were you doing in your free time anyway, besides going around enjoying the views?"

"We were having pillow wars in only our underwear every night." calmly stated Shiori while sipping on her coffee, making many of the group choke on their drinks and the males to stare at her with shock while the images clearly shot through their minds, their faces reflecting it all. "…isn't that what boys always think girls do when alone?"

"Wha-what the hell, Argo?! What kind of people do you think we a…?!" suddenly falling silent at seeing the trolling smile on the info-broker's face, Kazuto groaned and facepalmed. "Goddammit…"

"You have to give her a point, the looks on your faces were priceless." grinned Kotone while calmly patting Saori on the back, the girl having been one of the spit-takes victims. "Feeling better…?"

"Ho-how could she…even joke that…?! Uh…guess we should already be used to her doing things like that when we less expect it…"

"A-as if we would do something as sha-shameless as that!" half-shouted a blushing Keiko, making several of the present females deadpan at her, as if she hadn't been the one to start a pseudo-war in the hot springs yesterday. "…a-and, uhm, wha-what were you all doing while we were in Kyoto?!"

"…we went and got a rare magic-casting item." emotionlessly declared Toshiyuki while closing his hand, the ex-guild leader almost seeming able to see the twig-like weapon on his hand.

"Really? How did you get it?" asked an honestly curious Shino after finishing cleaning the mess her drink had made on the table at Shiori's comment.

"…we prefer not to talk about it." somberly muttered Takuya. At his sides, Kenji and Yonaga silently agreed, nodding with clearly resigned looks, making the gathered girls blink.

"And, uhm…how has Tonky been doing these days?" questioned Suguha to try and change the mysteriously awkward topic…and blinked in surprise when the boys shuddered as one. "Ehm…did I say something bad?"

"He's…right, probably. We haven't gotten the time to check out the log house because of…reasons." vaguely explained Toshi while staring emptily at his coffee. The girls blinked.

Cleaning some glasses nearby, Andrew just sighed in resignation before walking away, the bald man having long since given up in trying to understand anything that happened between the 'heroic group'.

"Let's leave it at that for now…" commented the gamer in a low voice, before turning towards the strangely silent Asuna in front of him. "So…what did you want to tell me, Asuna?"

"Oh yeah, I was curious about that too." added Suguha while looking at the chestnut-haired girl, the young kendoka sitting just at the side of her friend, even as the rest of the group sank into a silent attempt for the girls to convince the rest of the boys to tell them exactly what had happened while they were away. "You suddenly went all serious this morning before we departed, telling me you wanted both of us to talk with Onii-chan about something…"

"…Sensei, to tell you the truth…" taking a deep breath before giving an awkward glance to the confused katana-user at her side, the Dual Wielder finally stared towards their boyfriend with serious eyes. "Yuuki-chan is in love with you."

Time seemed to stop even as Suguha GAPED towards Asuna and Kazuto just froze, his mind coming to a screeching halt while several metaphorical 'Error!' messages appeared on it.

The rest of the guild continued with their talking, cheerfully unaware of what the three of them were saying.

"…wha…what?" finally came from the black-haired boy's lips.

"Yuuki-chan?! With Onii-chan?! But…how, when…?!" finally calming down and taking several deep breaths, also thanking all that was hoy that she didn't SCREAM that, the young kendoka finally seemed to take a moment to think about her own questions. "No…wait, it makes perfect sense…ugh, dammit Onii-chan!"

"Wa-wait, what?! Ho-how does it even make sense?! I mean, Yuuki…! It doesn't…!"

"Kirito-kun, please, THINK about it." exasperatedly said the Dual Wielder while resisting the urge to facepalm. "First you made an impossibly big impression on her with your 'fight', then you barged into her life for no apparent reason and took it upon yourself to 'save her', and later when she got depressed and sad you decided to help her by literally fighting to the point she 'evolved' and managed to actually fight you at a level that only the likes of Kayaba have managed before…"

"Really, Onii-chan, what's with you always doing things like that when a girl is involved without realizing…" Suguha while putting her hands on her face.

"Ho-hold on a moment, Sugu, now you're exaggerating." tried to interject Kazuto with a nervous smile. "I mean, you're saying that as if every girl I know was in love with me or something like that!"

The most awkward silence that the gamer had experienced in his short life ensued. Confused, he blinked and looked from one of his girlfriends to the other, suddenly noticing the uneasiness filling their faces as they seemed unable to say anything. Eyes widening, the black-haired boy opened his mouth and quickly closed it, his mind going into overdrive. Suddenly, every single interaction he had had with his female friends was being projected before his eyes, their faces, expressions, reactions and words from every time since he met each of them and how he himself had acted with them. His eyes widened again, threatening to fall of his face as a mix of dawning realization and horror appeared on them.

On the back of his mind, that small part of his brain that had always screamed at him to stop thinking in those situations smiled, having finally failed on his 'mission', and punches itself out of existence, leaving only a nearly-catatonic Kirigaya Kazuto frozen in place, mouth and eyes open to their limits.

"…okay, I…sometimes thought it would be kind of funny to see him react if he ever found out, but…"

"A-Asuna-san…I think he's not breathing…? Onii-chan?!"

"…oh God…" the boy with the power to punch everything into oblivion suddenly felt incredibly small, keenly aware of every single one of their female friends sitting nearby, even as he tried to contain his sudden need of running away (Which wouldn't have done much given as he currently lacked super speed). "I…I feel…so stupid, right now…"

"He-hey, Sensei, calm down, don't have a mental breakdown here!" nervously whispered Asuna while grabbing one of his tightly closed hands, Suguha doing the same with the other, while her eyes darted everywhere to make sure no one else realized that their 'leader' seemed about to suffer a heart attack. This was being awkward enough without getting everyone else involved.

"Sh-she's right, Onii-chan! Ju-just take some deep breaths and calm down…" tried to soothe him the young kendoka, making the gamer nod dumbly and do exactly that. "Guh, Asuna! Why did you even had to bring that up?!"

"Be-because, well…you see, Yuuki-chan has had a rough life, s-so I thought that, maybe…"

Before whatever the clearly nervous Dual Wielder could be said (And that would have probably finished cracked the currently damaged mentality of their boyfriend), however, the atmosphere of the bar was suddenly broken by everyone's phones starting to ring at the same time, freezing the whole group of friends and making them look in confusion at the devices.

"Wha…?"

"How is…?"

"Yui-chan?" answered Shiori, the first one in overcome the shock and actually answering. "What's wro…?"

"Yuuki-san! Her condition suddenly worsened!" the fear-filled words coming from the phone's speakers felt like a bucket of cold water over everyone's souls, even as a pale Asuna suddenly stood up. "The doctors are here, but…I don't think she's going to…"

The chestnut-haired girl was already running out of the café before the worried AI could say more. After a second of hesitation and exchanging a quick glance with Suguha, Kazuto ran after her.

Everyone else quickly answered their own phones too as they stood up…

* * *

"YUUKI!" shouted the Dual Wielder while entering the now open sealed room, barely ware of how Dr. Kurahashi and a couple of nurses were at the girl's side as she rushed to her side, looking how her sick body seemed to have troubles breathing, her eyes closed as if in pain. "Doctor?! What…?!"

"…I'm sorry…" whispered the man while looking down, even as the nurses silently left the room, both of them looking devastated. "It suddenly happened and we tried to do something, but…there is nothing that can be done."

"No…Yuuki…" muttered Asuna while grasping the girl's weak hand. "She…we promised…"

"…put her in the Medicuboid." came a surprisingly serious voice from the doorstep, making the chestnut-haired girl and the doctor to turn around to see Kazuto's grim face staring at them. "Please, Kurahashi-san. And…turn on the 'other' machine."

There was a tense silence while the Dual Wielder realized that there wasn't any trace left of the earlier 'shock' in the boy standing there, having been totally replaced by grim determination. Her 'Sensei' had apparently pushed all distracting thought away in favor of concentrating on this.

Finally, the bespectacled man nodded before doing so, the soft hum of the Medicuboid slowly starting to be drowned by the rising crescendo of the Deep-Scan Machine.

"…I don't trust you to the level of something like this, Kirigaya-san…but I trust Yuuki." softly said the man as he turned towards them and walked into the hallway, both teens following after Asuna hesitantly let go of the dying girl, the door closing sealed behind them. "I don't know what that machine does because she said it was better for me to not know, and that it should only be used when there was no other option left…which I consider this situation to be." closing his eyes, Kurahashi Kaito suddenly looked much older, his tired gaze sweeping over the silent SAO Survivors. "I have known that girl since she was little more than five years old. I watched her parents die…then her sister. So…if there is _anything_ that can be done for her, something that even I using all my knowledge in medicine and helping her with the Medicuboid can…then please, do so. There are AmuSpheres on the adjacent room."

"…thanks for your confidence, Kurahashi-san." answered the black-haired boy with a nod, before grabbing his girlfriend's hand and guiding her to the aforementioned room.

"…Kirito-kun, the others…?"

"Strea and Yui told them to head back home and meet with us in ALO." explained the gamer while pointing at his phone, even as both of them entered the room and headed towards the AmuSpheres. "They probably knew we wouldn't have been able to be all here at the same time otherwise…"

"…this…this will work, right?" came the girl's voice in a pitifully small tone. "Yuuki-chan is…going to make it, right, Sensei?"

For a moment, the gamer looked at her with hesitation. All the ways in which this could go wrong or fail threatened to spill from his mouth, words about how he couldn't promise her that, how he had no true way of controlling whatever was about to happen…

But with just one look at her eyes, he knew exactly what he truly wanted to say.

"Yes, Asuna. She will."

A moment later, the Dual Wielder nodded at him and both put on the headgears, sitting down on the prepared beds and muttering the magic words that allowed one to jump from one world to the next.

"Link Start!"

When Asuna the Undine appeared on the log house of Floor 22, annoyed for the minute or so she had lost introducing her Login data into the hospital's AmuSphere, she shot towards the door and took flight the moment she was out, heading towards where she knew Yuuki would be.

She was too busy to notice the tall and slender figure in a suit leaning against the elephant-jellyfish called Tonky. Both of them stared after the flying girl before looking at each other and shrugging, the slender being retiring back to the forest now that it knew the owners of the house were back.

Meanwhile, in front of the tree of Floor 24…Kirito blurred into existence with a burst of speed, staring at the back of the Imp girl that was silently looking towards the tree's upper branches.

"…Yuuki."

"…oh. Hey there…Kirito…" softly greeted the Holy Swordswoman while turning around, a smile on her face despite the clearly weak and pained tone her voice had. "I was wondering if you would…come…"

"Hey!" shouted the Spriggan while running forward and catching her falling body, idly noticing how someone came flying and landed with brutal force near them. "Hang in there!"

"YUUKI!" rushing forward, the Dual Wielder knelt down at her Sensei's side, grabbing hold of her friend and looking at her with desperate eyes. "Yuuki-chan, I'm here! We're both here, stay with us!"

"Asu…na…" muttered Yuuki while looking at her, a smile blossoming on her face as she struggled for standing up. "Heh…it's funny…before, it was hurting a lot, but now I just don't feel anything…though I still feel…so tired…"

"It's okay, Yuuki…" whispered the caped Spriggan while biting his lips, feeling utterly powerless, despite all that he had done, as he stared at the Imp's state.

Several shouts caught the three's attention in that moment, making them turn around in time to see the Sleeping Knights coming, closely followed by the United Heroes Association, worried and disheveled looks on their faces as they rushed towards their leader and friend.

"Yuuki…" came Siune's voice as everyone stopped near her. "We…we're here."

"Ye-yeah, we…we came to see you, Yuuki." Nori's voice seemed about to break as tears spilled down her face, Talken and Jun actually holding her when she seemed about to fall down crying. "Be-because that's what friends do, right?"

"We're with you, Yuuki…as you have always been with us. From the beginning…" solemnly declared Tecchi while looking down, closing his fists as he slowly cried.

"Guys…thanks." smiled the Holy Swordswoman while looking at them. "You're the best friends…no, family that I could have ever asked for…"

"He-hey, don't say that now…" sobbed Jun while trying to keep smiling at her. "Yo-you will just make us feel em-embarrassed, you kno-know…?"

"Yuuki…we…we are all proud…of having met you. You are…always have been…" taking off his glasses because the tears were making them useless, Talken seemed unable to finish his declaration.

"It's okay, Talken…I'm happy of hearing you say that…" slowly, Yuuki's gaze moved from them to the also silently crying members of the UHA, who were hanging back a bit as they stared at the scene. "And you all…thank you, too. Especially you, girls…I really enjoyed that trip to Kyoto…"

"Yuuki…" started to say the caped boy, but fell silent at seeing the girl unsheathing Excaliber and raising it over her head, surprising everyone. "Wha…?"

"Would you please…look after this for a moment? It's yours, after all…not mine." explained the Imp before turning around and impaling the Ultimate Holy Sword on one of the biggest roots of the tree, the golden blade seemingly reflecting the light of the setting sun. "…there. Not as poetic as if…it had been a big stone, but… I guess this will do…"

"N-no!" shouted Asuna while standing up, grabbing the girl's hand. "Tha-that blade is yours, Yuuki! We all agreed to it, so please…!" her words died on her mouth when the Imp suddenly hugged her tightly, though lacking all the strength she knew the one called Zekken could usually muster. "Yu-Yuuki…?"

"Thanks for everything…Asuna. You will always be…like a second sister to me…" slowly letting go of her, the Holy Swordswoman turned to the silent Spriggan, who was staring at her with a grim look. "Hey…cheer up, Hero. I can't ever…thank you enough, either…for everything…"

"…you're going to be okay." muttered Kirito while raising a closed fist, tears spilling down his face, much to the confusion of the Sleeping Knights, who were looking from their dying friend and leader to the other two players. "I…I promise."

"…that's…more than enough…for me." finished Yuuki before closing her eyes and, moving her hand in a strange pattern, letting a black window with red numbers and data appear at her side.

She stared for a moment to the virtual interface Strea and Yui had done their best to prepare as a 'remote control' between the Medicuboid and the Deep-Scan Machine. Then, for what she felt may be the last time, one way or another, she looked towards the most important people she still had in her life.

The smile on her face widened as she pushed the button. After a few seconds, her body shook and, to everyone's horror, her Avatar exploded into a burst of polygons, a message of 'Disconnected' replacing the girl's body.

On the Yokohama North General Hospital, the energy levels of an entire floor suddenly skyrocketed as the energy running through the Deep-Scan Machine surpassed all the safety levels, the humming becoming deafening for an instant before something 'exploded' and everything felt silent, the spike of electricity cutting off the energy from the entire building for a few seconds before the generators started themselves again. Less than 10 seconds later, Kurahashi Kaito burst into the room where his longest patient had been, staring with fear and tears towards the bed, a small trail of smoke coming from the now useless machine that was under the Medicuboid.

Lying on her bed with was seemed like a small on her face, Konno Yuuki's corpse stood in eternal silence.

Back in front of the Tree in Floor 24, Excaliber suddenly started to shine…

* * *

Dark. Absolutely dark.

Everything was black, blacker than a starless night. Darkness was the first fear every human being ever had as a child, because it was on their primal instincts to fear the unknown.

But for her…black didn't call childhood fears to mind first.

It called the image of a boy with a white cape, smiling at her and promising everything would be okay…

Yuuki's awareness returned from a moment to the next, in a painful and almost nauseating way.

She couldn't hear, couldn't talk, couldn't move, couldn't breathe and all that she could see was absolute darkness. For a moment, her mind sank into utter terror and despair, everything only worsening when she realized she couldn't even tell where her 'mind' actually started, because she was sure there was no organ called brain supporting it anymore…

And all of a sudden, it stopped, when a small, almost nonexistent, spark appeared at the edge of her vision. A minuscule speck of golden light, which seemed to shine far away in the horizon, so far that it would have seemed impossible to reach for anyone else.

Yuuki, however, was finally able to talk when she saw it.

 _"Ex…caliber…?"_

Startled at being able to hear her own voice, or at least what she thought was her voice, the girl (Or was she just a mind now?) became aware of her senses once more, using sheer willpower to 'keep them together' in a coherent way.

Slowly, painfully, she 'turned around' and centered her awareness, the whole of whatever she was now, on the small point of golden light.

She still couldn't move. She didn't have wings or legs here, not even a concept of 'direction'. There was no way for her to move through the darkness that each second seemed to threaten to swallow her more…

"Then don't move, Yuu. You don't need to do something so simple, after all."

 _"Aiko…nee…"_

Right…she was right…she did not need to 'move'…

"You have to go back, don't you, Yuu? You still have…so many things to enjoy…so many promises to keep…so much happiness to give…"

…for she was Zekken. She was the Absolute Holy Sword. Konno Yuuki wouldn't let something as simple as 'nothingness' stop her…not when she had a reason to return.

Return to everything she held her…return to everything she loved.

"Say it, my imouto…"

In the eternal darkness…the one who was Worthy **ordered**.

 _"Shine, Blade of Sacred Bonds…"_

Excaliber _opened_ , everyone's eyes widening in absolute shock as they became unable to properly look at the incarnated concept in which the sword had become…except for the surprised boy of the cape, who took a hesitant step towards it even as the light which exploded made everyone try to cover their eyes…

In the eternal darkness, a figure made of pure golden light emerged, Yuuki taking a deep 'breath' now that she had something to call a 'body' once again, even if it was the concept of 'The Worth of Everyone's Bonds' made into ethereal light-flesh.

Nothing could 'move' in that darkness. And so, the Absolute Holy Sword did not.

She just simply CUT her way forward, tearing through the fragile 'reality' of that non-place, tearing away the darkness and heading straight for the ever-distant light of her blade.

Every instant, she felt the darkness trying to claim her. Every instant, she felt senseless whispers telling her to surrender. Every instant, she felt as of something **Superior** was ordering her to stop, that her road and destiny had ended and that she could move forward no more.

She ignored it all and cut forward, the bond that tied her with Excaliber and that was subsequently tied with those who had freed the blade from its icy prison allowing her light-encased consciousness to stay firm.

Yuuki cut through the nothingness that should have ended her existence faster than anything imaginable. She could already see the blinding light swallowing her 'vision', feel the warm edge of the holy blade just ahead, waiting for her to return…

And she 'crashed', stopped against an unseen 'wall'. Shocked, the Absolute Holy Sword hammered her conceptual body against it, but the 'barrier' stood stoically, unshakable and unbreakable.

This was no simple 'wall', after all. This was the limit between that which existed and that which didn't. Everything could cross from the other side to the darkness…but nothing was allowed to return once that had happened.

Despairingly, Yuuki realized that she would have been unable to cut through it even if she had her conceptual blade on hand.

The darkness grew darker. The nothingness became deeper. Suddenly, she could feel it tearing apart at the light that she had for 'flesh' now, seeking to devour the remaining awareness that identified herself as Konno Yuuki.

It was her Fate, after all. Nothing could stop it. She was to vanish into oblivion, and it could not be changed.

Grasping one last time at the barrier of eternity with hands made of pure light, the Absolute Holy Sword never stopped trying to get past it, never gave up the hope of accomplishing the impossible.

Because she really wanted to go back. Go back to him…to them…and be happy with everyone.

She…wanted to **live**.

And when it seemed that her wordless plea would go unanswered…the Eternal Barrier _shook_.

If Yuuki hadn't been so sure of how crazy it sounded, she would have sworn she felt the absolute darkness around her froze and GAP when the wall that represented the unbreakable and inviolable limit of everything that Was and Wasn't BROKE in a million pieces, like cheap glass.

In absolute wonder, the Absolute Holy Sword stared at that which had broken through the golden light and caused this.

A closed fist, covered by a white glove…

Then, it opened, reached forward and closed around the light-flesh of her 'hand', pulling her through the quickly restoring barrier, even as the unreality around her _screamed_ in indignation…

"…well, this is more than surprising. I guess I will have to leave my little sister in your care…but make sure to never make her cry, okay? Because I swear, inexistent fragment of memory or not, I WILL come to haunt you if you do…get it…?"

Blinking in the middle of the burning light that prevented him from actually seeing anything, Kirito wondered if he had finally gone insane when the faint words reached his mind before faintly vanishing from his perception, but decided to ignore such thoughts in favor of guiding the hand he was gripping back towards the hilt of the conceptual sword before him.

As if seeing a golden angel descending upon the mortal realm, the shocked members of the United Heroes Association and the Sleeping Knights watched in awe as the light-form of the Absolute Holy Sword appeared, the caped Spriggan guiding her hand back to the hilt of her conceptual blade.

With but a move (cut) of her aural hand, Excaliber came free of the root where it had been imbedded…and it 'closed'.

The rushing sound of materializing polygons seemed to overcome the golden figure as it vanished…and Yuuki the Imp landed on her own feet with a gasp, taking several quick breaths as she used the now normal-looking holy blade as a crutch.

Slowly, and vaguely aware of the muted silence filling the small island of the imposing tree behind her, the girl raised her gaze and locked it with the wide-eyed one of the gamer, who seemed to still be wondering if she was truly there.

"…did you just punch the barrier between Life and Death just to get me back?" asked the one called Zekken with a bright smile, shattering the silent spell that had apparently taken over the frozen teen.

"Uh…eh…what?" muttered a blinking Kirito. "N-no, c'mon, that's just…crazy. I just…felt that I had to reach for you so I, uhm…did…and…"

Honest and innocently pure happiness in the form of laughter interrupted the boy's rambling words, even as Yuuki jumped and trapped him in a mighty hug, tears running down her eyes.

That seemed to be the cue for everyone else to react.

"Yu…YUUKI!" shouted Asuna while happy tears rolled down her eyes, flying towards the Imp girl just as she let go of the shocked Spriggan and turned to receive her with open arms.

"Asuna, Asuna…! I'm here…I'm here!" cried the Holy Swordswoman while everyone rushed forward.

"I can't believe…!"

"Yuuki-chan…!"

"Yay! It worked, it worked…!"

"But how…?! Why…?!"

"Who cares, Siune?! Yuuki-chan is back…she's still with us!"

"Got to hand it to you, girl…I almost lost my whiskers in worry for a minute back there…"

"We did it! We did it…!"

"We…welcome home, Yuuki-san, sniff…."

As he watched the scene developing in front of him, faintly aware of the tears running down his own eyes, Kirito…no, Kirigaya Kazuto smiled. He suddenly understood how Saitama felt when Licenseless Rider thanked him for what he had done to stop the Sea King.

Because as he walked forward to welcome a friend they had almost lost…the caped boy felt like a real Hero.

On its throne above Everything, Fate's hand closed with rage.

Destiny had been broken, and the lines of the future had been altered.

Now…Chaos would rule everything…until Order was restored.

By force, if necessary…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Hiii, everyone! This is Yui, extremely happy and ready to give the next chapter's preview! Let's do it! Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': Interlude 'Hopeful Justice'. A curtain rises as things come to an end. With smiles on their faces, the Heroes are ready to hold hands together and look towards the future…but a shadow that has rejected the path of humanity looms over them…Uh? That sounds kind of bad…but no matter! Papa did it, we saved Yuuki-san! Hmm…should I start calling her Yuuki-mama, though? Maybe I should wait till we-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** It's done, my friends. The mother's Rosario arc is 'unofficially' finished. In the incoming and 'last' Interlude, we will cover the unexplained parts and plot points that remain of this, together with the scene of Yuuki's 'funeral' and many things will be explained, as we finish with covering all the canon part of SAO that has been adapted to anime and set things for what is to come…

Well, there wasn't really much action in this chapter, but again, given that Mother's Rosario is a part of SAO mainly meant for character interaction and development, I think I did a decent job, wouldn't you say? Again, this is what I think and you're the ones with the final opinion, but I like to think I did good OwO (How many of you thought I had forgotten about the 'promise' everyone did near the end of the Aincrad Arc XD? Hah, take that!)

On a side note, it's quite interesting how many things you can learn by writing a fanfic, you know? Thanks to some investigation I did for parts of this chapter, I now know quite a lot of interesting info about Kyoto (Even if I didn't use most of it because it was way too specific for anyone who didn't know about it) and I'm sure I really want to go if I'm ever in Japan. Also, the bit where Asuna told to Kirito and Sugu to spent time with her in Christmas as a 'couple', comes in fact because is apparently some kind of Japanese tradition to spent the Christmas day with your boy/girlfriend, believe it or not (And I learned this long ago by playing videogames! Who said you never learnt anything useful in them? Me and Kiritama would like some words with them XD!)

Anyway, that's it for now, folks. I will leave you with the slightly more serious than usual (But still funny) Omake and hope to see you all in the Interlude, where all the remaining explanations for this arc will be given (Especially the consequences of Kirito's 'realization' and what Asuna wanted to say before all hell broke loose XP) and also the setting for the 'last' arc of this crazy story will start :D Now, enjoy! (Remember, Spoiler Warning for the current story, I put this here so that no one can blame me later because I didn't say it O,O)

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 4**

On his last moments, Matou Zouken couldn't help but wonder how it was possible for him to have ended up being so totally and utterly screwed.

Things seemed to have been going well, after whatever _that thing_ he had felt through his familiars had vanished from his perception again. Even so, the old Magus had never been tenser than the hours that went from that day to the next one, waiting for Sakura to return home, and as such letting him once again have his soul in a 'safe' place. The annoying part was how much it had taken, because, even if his 'granddaughter' hadn't really been affected much by Rider's Blood Fort Andromeda, the shock of suddenly being reconnected with her Servant when the idiot of Shinji (Who was currently in a coma with several broken bones, not that anyone cared) lost the Book of False Attendant. As such, she hadn't woken up till late that morning, and the staff of the hospital had only let the girl go 'home' when the evening was about to end and the night to once again take place.

Zouken hadn't realized something was wrong until he felt Sakura entering the house. That had been when he noticed that, much to his confusion, Rider didn't seem to be anywhere near her.

That was when the connection with all the Crest Worms he had on the house proper suddenly 'vanished', as if something had cut it off. With growing panic, he was aware of how every single Bounded Field that had protected the Matou Manor for generations was broken from the inside out. And finally, he felt how the purple-haired girl upstairs collapsed forward, as if she had suddenly fell unconscious.

 _Someone_ stopped her fall, though. Someone that just HADN'T been there a second ago.

And it was that someone who was calmly walking down the stairs of the basement in that moment, humming a happy tune about rainbows and stars, all the while carrying the 'sleeping' form of his granddaughter on her arms.

His worms retreated in fright from the girl as she cheerfully arrived to the basement's floor, allowing the old Magus to finally have a proper look at her.

Red-pink eyes and lavender hair, not to mention her wide an almost unnatural smile. Also, she was wearing an 'armor' that couldn't really be called that, mostly purple and bronze in color, covering her body less than a normal bikini would, not to mention the unnecessary long and apparently unpractical parts of cloth that went around her arms and waist, and which seemed to float together in a way that defied gravity. Completing the 'costume' there was some sort of elegant necklace with a red gem rested and what seemed like two metallic 'horns' of bronze metal coming out of the sides of her head, which were either part of the same headdress or went over her ears, but it was impossible to tell as they disappeared inside her hair.

On her back, there was a massive and ominous blade of a dark magenta color, which seemed to be oozing some sort of unnatural 'darkness' all around, and that was probably the cause why his familiars were going mad with terror.

The most 'terrifying' thing about the Pseudo-Servant (Because Zouken was now sure that was what she was), though, wasn't her sinister-looking Noble Phantasm, no. It was that she wasn't even looking at the repulsive worms or at the old Magus standing in the middle of them.

Her soft smile never left Sakura's face, even as she kept humming and caressed her cheek.

"Okaa-san…? Nee-san…?…Ojii-san…?" muttered the girl while squirming in the Pseudo-Servant's arms, as if lost in a long-forgotten memory.

"Shh, it's okay, little Sakura. It's only a nightmare." whispered the red-eyed girl while smiling even more. "When you wake up, everything will be better."

Seemingly content with those words, the Matou girl stopped squirming and smiled peacefully, even as the darkness coming from the massive sword softy caressed her body. Then, the Pseudo-Servant turned her gaze towards Matou Zouken.

The old Magus had been alive for centuries. He had long-since overcome the concept of simple 'fear', and his current and disgusting existence made it so that not even Servants scared him nowadays, confident he could survive the incarnated Heroic Spirits if he was careful enough.

And yet, the moment the now emotionless face of the red-eyes girl settle over his rotting body, he felt as if he was just a pathetic and common _worm_ , faced by a massive Predator about to crush him without care.

All the warmth that had been previously present on the girl's face was now gone, replaced by something Hollow that threatened to swallow everything around…

"Stop right there, Servant, or I will kill the girl in your arms." snarled Zouken while gripping his cane tightly, hoping to stall the abomination in front of him by using her apparent interest on Sakura's life.

That was the wrong thing to say, for darkness immediately seemed to explode angrily from the blade on the Pseudo-Servant's back, engulfing her form whole and also covering the young girl's prone body.

Suddenly, the old Magus found his fake body shake, the Crest Worms that formed it convulsing as he found himself unable to 'breathe'.

Every single worm inside Sakura, from the smallest to the one that held his soul at her heart's side, was suddenly frozen and 'choking', something unnatural looming over them like tendrils of demonic cold.

"…in life, they called me Demon Empress, you know? Everyone always thought it was a joke that had to do with my looks and blade…but only my friends knew…" muttered the girl with an emotionless voice, taking a step forward. "That it was because how I act against things I hate…"

It was as unnatural as Zouken's existence, just worse, and in a different way. After all, the girl in front of him hated the Magus existence with all her being, not because of the horrible things he had done to the poor teenager in her arms (Though that also added to her rage), but because of what he had done to himself.

He had thrown away his _humanity_ for a stupid and selfish goal, turning into an abomination that lived like rot and ruining more lives to seek eternal life.

She herself, despite finally discovering she had a 'soul', had never been human, and even if everyone she loved had accepted her for what she and her sister were, it never changed the fact that she would wish to have been born like them countless times.

The monster in front of her had lost his respect for his own humanity long ago, treating it as something useless. He was truly nothing more than worm.

And the **Darkness** inside her, that which sometimes overrode her ever-happy and cheerful nature, when she was angry or something threatened what she loved, wanted to crush said worm.

The old Magus felt the Prana in the air skyrocket and looked in terror towards the 'Demon Empress', raising a hand towards her.

"N-no, wait, you…!"

 ** _"Devour, Gram."_** ordered the Pseudo-Servant with a voice that seemed to call forth the Night itself.

The sword on her back 'opened'…

And suddenly, there was no girl or Servant in front of the rotten man anymore. There was just an abomination that was everywhere and nowhere. There was just **[Darkness]** , staring down at him with ruby eyes that seemed like a curse meant to end all that lived. He thought, for a moment, that he saw claws longer than swords and countless limbs that seemed to twist in every direction before the **[Darkness]** became so absolute he was unable to see half the basement.

Adopting this 'form' wasn't difficult at all for the one who was called Demon Empress. As someone who had never been human, becoming something truly inhuman was child's play, not damaging her psyche in the slightest.

The old Magus knew there was no escape, for suddenly every single shadow, every single dark corner of his domain, was coming alive, eating his Crest Worms and everything else on its way, the **[Darkness]** answering to the call of its mistress, even as, one by one, he felt every single worm inside Sakura start disappearing, no harm coming to the girl even as everything else around them simply 'ceased to exist'. Devoured forever by the **[Darkness]**.

For a single, soul-terrifying moment, Matou Zouken, the once one called Makiri Zolgen, screamed like a horrified child trapped in a never-ending nightmare, even as the **[Darkness]** stopped playing and engulfed everything.

He still was alive for 5 of the most horrible and excruciating seconds before it grew bored and also devoured the worm that contained his soul. The last founder of the Grail War 'alive' _ceased to be_.

Just outside the Matou Manor, Emiya Shirou cringed when heard a scream that shook his very soul. Nervous, he glanced to the silent and cross-armed form of his Servant, Savior staring unflinchingly and without emotion towards the dark house.

When he had told the young Master they needed to hurry there, because Sakura was in troubles, the Magus had all but rushed out of his home, only remembering halfway that it would be faster if he let the Hero carry him there.

Even so, when they had arrived, Savior had told him to wait and, reluctantly, he had done so. He also wondered why he felt no need of rushing to rescue whoever had screamed a moment ago.

When he saw something that seemed like black ethereal 'flames' erupt from the house's top, however, he was already ready to ignore the caped Servant's warning and rush inside…when the main door opened and a beautiful girl stepped outside. Shirou may had taken more notice of her scandalous way of dressing if it wasn't for the fact that she was carrying and unconscious Sakura on her arms.

The moment she saw them, the tired and sad look on her eyes was replaced with a bright smile, the girl almost skipping towards the shocked red-head Magus and literally forcing the unconscious Matou girl on his arms. She seemed to smile softly when this happened.

"There! I did my best, but she may still be pretty shocked when she wakes up, so she's going to need a lot of support, especially yours, okay? I suggest that, for her sake, you spent as much time as you can at her side, from some years to the rest of your life."

After happily speaking her 'innocent' declaration, the Pseudo-Servant let the blinking Master behind and walked towards Savior, even as the Magus realized that he actually knew who she was.

He had also seen her in the dreams of his Servant's past (Which he had seen more of the past night), the always happy and upbeat girl that was in truth an Artificial Intelligence (A concept that still boggled the mind of the young Emiya). And the blade she carried on her back was the Demonic Sword Gram, which she had obtained after a certain 'incident' when the caped Hero went to the world ruled by fairies…

"…was it really so bad you had to go 'Devouring Darkness Blade'?" asked the Servant of the Cape with a small grimace, even as he looked towards the 'burning' Matou house.

"Well, you saw part of it through the link of the, what was it called, Noble Phantasm, right?" shrugged the girl while smiling at him. "It was mostly for her sake, though. I'm pretty sure any of us could have ended that bastard, but very few would have been able to without also killing the poor girl. Now, she has a chance to live happily too…"

"…you're right." muttered Savior while closing his eyes, grimacing slightly at the memories that ran through the link, muddled as they were by the girl's 'power', about what had happened to Matou Sakura and what 'Matou Zouken' had been.

There was a time when he would have needed to, as he used to say, 'call upon his inner Saitama', almost to the limit to not throw up horrified at the implications. But that had been long ago.

Before the madness of the Underworld. Before [FATE].

Then, without any apparent warning, the Pseudo-Servant's body started to…'vanish', her flesh turning transparent as she blinked and particles of Prana started to float away from her body.

"He-hey, what's wrong?!" asked a worried Shirou while walking near them. "What is…?!"

"Oops…looks like my time is up." sighed the red-eyed girl with disappointment, a hand over her right cheek. "Kind of unfair, even Silica-chan still has a bit left as long as she doesn't call Pina again…that's what I get for going all out in this body." smiling again at the silent Servant of the Cape, the girl brightly gave him a thumbs-up. "Well, before going, may I as well tell you what I found out, fast! So, there is something dark under the church of the obviously evil priest, at least two of these 'Servants' are holed up in that temple above the mountain and there is something sinisterly evil and powerful under it. This whole Holy Grail War thing seems to be very screwed in some dark sense…"

"…the story of our lives, uh? Things can never be simple." sighed the Hero before staring straight on the girl's eyes, softly grabbing her hands. "See you later, Strea."

For all answer, the vanishing Pseudo-Servant leaned forward and kissed him. The young Magus became aware he probably shouldn't be staring when his Servant kissed back, even as he looked to the side, wide-eyed.

"…I love you." whispered her while leaning on his chest. "Hopefully we can spend some time just relaxing next time we're summoned…"

"You say that as if we didn't do that when we aren't in the mortal plane." chuckled Savior while hugging her softly. "…love you too, Strea."

Shocked, Shirou stared at the smile that blossomed on the girl's face at those words. As if her whole existence had been given meaning just by hearing them.

It was identical to the one he had seen in Kiritsugu's face that day, just with shine and vibrant eyes instead of the empty ones of his father.

The Caped Servant's face turned into a similar one for a second before the physical form of the heroine once known as Demon Empress collapsed into Prana, her spirit returning to the Throne, Fate's Grudge as always making everything that had happened ever-present.

The Hero never stopped smiling as he looked to the sky, though, which just filled his awed Master with wonder.

What had happened to the boy that had almost seemed about to suffer an aneurysm when the red-eyed girl first told him she loved him, even as he struggled to cope with the feelings he had for his disciple/best friend and his adoptive sister/cousin? How had he become someone able to smile _like that_ with simple words and a gesture?

Would he find the answer if he kept watching his past? Or should he just go and ask him himself right then…?

"…Savior…"

"Let's get going, Shirou." interrupted the Servant of the Cape while looking at his Master, his now normal and calm smile back on his face. "We need to get your 'friend' somewhere to rest, explain to Rin why we ran out without telling her AND discuss everything Strea just told me."

Blinking, the young Emiya looked back down, as if just remembering he was carrying Sakura on his arms (And was it his imagination or was she leaning closer to him than before?), and instantly sweatdroped.

Oh yeah, he wasn't looking forward to explaining any of this to Tohsaka. At least things couldn't get any weirde…

"Oh, you can come out now, by the way." suddenly called Savior while looking to the side. "I saw Strea talking to you before through our link."

The Servant Rider appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the street, making Shirou tense. Surpriginly, though, she just lowered her head as if in respect towards them.

"Thanks for helping my true Master. As I promised Demon Empress, I won't try and fight you or achieve the Grail. Besides knowing that it's hopeless at this point, I only want to protect Sakura." proclaimed the purple-haired woman before staring back at them with her blindfolded gaze.

Nodding dumbly, the young Magus pointed forward.

"O-okay, just…follow us, I guess."

Silently accepting his words, the gorgon vanished into her spirit form, hovering over the unconscious Matou girl.

Chuckling at the scene, Savior just walked forward, starting to head back to the Emiya Home without a care in the world. Behind him, Shirou gulped.

He REALLY didn't want to deal with explaining all of this to Rin…

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2:** And done! I blame Zouken for the slightly more serious tone of this Omake (Though I like to think it was still good), by the way. Bastard always ruins everything…good thing he's gone :P Also, if anyone is interested, what Strea was 'wearing' here is her 'Ultimate Armor' from the Hollow Fragment game. Those who haven't seen it can just Google 'Strea Sexy Armor' (And yes, that's what it's called) and see it in 'images', on the first row (Or watch one of the many videos that show all four of her 'armors'). You can't miss it, just look for the 'horns'…and, you know, how it doesn't has any practical use as real armor (Which, by RPG standards, means it has an absurdly powerful defense XD). Next, Caster is screwed…

Till next time, everyone, this is Saint, signing off!


	32. Interlude: Hopeful Justice

And here we are again, people, with the last Interlude of this story OxO!

Once again, sorry this is coming out late (This seems to be a trend with latest chapters, uh?), the oldest readers may remind that I usually don't take so long with the Interludes, but several members of my family came over by surprise to celebrate my little cousin's baptism and some stayed here with us, so my time to write (And to do literally anything myself) was more or less murdered the last week. Still will be like that for a while, and then I have got an important exam, so sorry if the beginning of the 'last' arc is delayed a bit, my dear readers -_-

But okay, enough of that! I'm sure you have better things to do than care about my personal problems, so for now I leave you all with this Interlude to close all the anime canon plot-points! Some long-awaited things happen here, and there is a 'surprising' scene at the end too, so I hope you all have fun :P See ya later!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Interlude: Hopeful Justice**

 **January 30** **th** **, 2026. Yokohama, Kanagawa. Graveyard, 12:30…**

There was something humbling in standing near all those graves. It reminded everyone about the fragility of Life, about how someone could be snuffled by the unexpected hands of Death for a moment to the next. Something that most people took their whole lives to understand.

The black-haired boy standing close to one of the many graves, as most other people were already leaving, on the other hand, had known it since very early on. Since the moment he got trapped in Sword Art Online and Death hunted everything and everyone.

Two thousand people have died in that never-forgotten floating castle, despite his and, later on, all of his friend's efforts to stop such things from happening. Maybe some of those poor souls were resting around there, in that same place.

He had managed to get over it, though. To understand that, absurd 'powers' or not, he wasn't a God. He wasn't omniscient or omnipotent. He couldn't save everyone. No one could. But…

' **Konno Yuuki'**

' **May 23** **rd** **, 2010 – January 14** **th** **, 2026'**

' **Beloved daughter. Irreplaceable sister. Dear friend.'**

…that didn't mean you couldn't try anyway, right?

"…I'm sorry things didn't work out, Kirigaya-kun." came a familiar voice from behind Kazuto's silent form, the young man turning his head to look at Kikuoka Seijirou staring at him from a couple meters away. "Though maybe it was for the better that Konno-san didn't…'achieve' the objective of the 'process'."

"…it was a wild dream from the beginning, I guess. Just a one in a million chance of succeeding…no one can say I didn't try my best." silently muttered the gamer with an almost emotionless face, looking downcast as he started to walk away from the bespectacled man. "Guess that's a favor wasted. Sorry for having you go through so many problems for nothing, Kikuoka-san. Until later…"

"…you know, it was also a very sad thing that not only did the process fail, but also that the Deep-Scan Machine was ruined after its activation." calmly stated the man while staring towards the black-haired boy, who stopped walking. "Not only did its inner system fry themselves by an unknown overload, but the incident also killed any interest my higher-ups had over the machine itself, thinking it had been another waste of time and that it was better destroyed. But again, as the thing didn't really work, I guess that's for the best, right, Kirigaya-kun?"

For a moment, Kazuto didn't seem to move or even breathe after hearing the man's words. Then, slowly, the teenager turned around to silently regard the bespectacled form of the government officer.

Thanks to all the things he knew and had seen in life because of his _real_ job, Kikuoka Seijirou was someone who was almost impossible to trick. He had a nasty habit and keen ability to read most people like open books, and even to manipulate others to further his goals without them realizing, even if he never intended to truly harm them…

Despite all of this, however, he was absolutely unable to gleam ANYTHING from the utterly empty and, dare he say, _bored_ look on the black-haired young man's face.

"Yeah, you're right. Something, things happen for the best. Have a good day, Kikuoka _-san_."

Those sarcasm-filled words said, the gamer turned around and walked away. Watching him go, the bespectacled man's eyes narrowed.

There was indeed no virtual evidence that anything had happened, just like with Kayaba. As far as everyone was concerned, at least those who knew the machine's true purposes, Konno Yuuki had died by having her brain fried (Just minutes before her own lungs finished failing from her illness, it seemed) and the machine had overloaded as a result, probably because it was never meant to be used continuously. There was no reason to suspect anything from anyone, even more when Kikuoka had had to do everything under his name and propose it as his idea since revealing the boy's identity, besides going against the 'favor' he owed him, would have led to several unpleasant questions…

And yet, the government officer, despite having no evidence, couldn't help but feel as if the young man had tricked them all to think just that.

"…good day to you too, Kirigaya-kun. Who knows, you may be hearing from me sooner than you think…" ominously whispered the bespectacled man, though the gamer could no longer hear him, before walking away.

He had to go back and oversee his 'project', after all…

Meanwhile, letting out a sigh of relief and dropping his grasp on his 'Inner-Saitama', Kazuto let his face relax and a smile appear on it as he walked towards one of the graveyard's furthest exits, near which several of his friends stood, waiting for him.

Suguha and Asuna, the latter having a familiar-looking 'camera' on her shoulder that Toshi had just helped to get out of her bag and assemble, turned and walked towards him with slightly worried smiles the moment he got close, while Shiori just gave him a sympathetic grin and the other boy a nervous look.

"So, how was it…?" started to ask the chestnut-haired girl before the gamer interrupted her.

"Done. Kikuoka may suspect something, but as far as everyone else is concerned, Yuuki died and the machine didn't work." he explained before looking towards the Probe on his girlfriend's shoulder. "You can relax a bit for now."

"…thanks, Kirito." came Yuuki's soft voice through the small device, the Imp girl currently sitting on one of the Association log house's rooms, smiling towards the screen in front of her. "And everyone else too. I know I have been causing you many troubles these last days, even after all you have done for me…"

"Don't say that, Yuuki-san. You're not a bother for us in the slightest." assured the young kendoka with a smile before turning towards her adopted brother, a thoughtful look on her face. "Though you're kind of right in that Onii-chan went way farther than any of us thought. To think that he would have Yui-chan and Strea program that machine to overload…"

"He-hey, it was the only way to pull off the plan and at the same time make sure no one tried to use it again, you know?" justified Kazuto while looking away. "Besides, it was mostly luck than anything else that I was correct in my guess that, like Kayaba, Yuuki's new 'virtual existence' doesn't actually leaves any trace that can be followed…"

Certainly, the black-haired boy knew that it had been a gamble to trust that the state in which the creator of SAO existed now was truly as much of a 'virtual ghost' as he believed it was. That was the explanation at which the gamer had arrived for which no one in the government that had investigated his death had actually been able to detect Kayaba's new form in any way, despite having poured massive resources to anything related to the man's demise.

Fortunately, he had been right on his hunch, and so no one had been able to detect or follow Yuuki's now virtual existence out of the Medicuboid.

Even more, thanks to Strea and Yui's arduous job, all information related to the avatar known as 'Yuuki' in Alfheim Online could no longer be tied to the currently 'deceased' Konno Yuuki.

"But…what would we do if he ever sees her as Chrysheight again?" questioned a worried Toshiyuki, the ex-guild leader seeming clearly distressed. "She has already been 'hiding' inside our house for half a month, we can't exactly force her to be there forever, you know?"

"Kii-bou is way ahead of you with that, Kei-kun." calmly answered Shiori before the gamer could open his mouth. "It's really easy, in fact. Legal technicalities are on our side this time."

"Eh? What does that mean?" asked a confused Suguha while looking from the info-broker to her brother.

"It means that, legally, Kikuoka can't do anything about this anymore: His job doesn't really let him get the real world-info of any player inside VRMMOs unless it's proven that said player/s is/are a threat to someone or something." explained the black-haired boy while looking at her. "While I have no doubt he has still done this several times now by himself, it all has to have been off-the-records and unknown to his superiors. Officially, he's not allowed to know that 'Yuuki the Imp' and 'Konno Yuuki' are the same person. And even if he did, it won't mean anything anymore, now that Strea and Yuuki have erased any connection that her Avatar was ever registered to her…"

"They said they were lucky Ymir had the Players' Account Data in a separate server from the main one for 'security', though." commented Shiori with a small frown. "They wouldn't have been able to get past their 'Cardinal System' otherwise…"

"Which means that, as long as Yuuki-chan remains with us, everything is okay, right?!" eagerly demanded Asuna, even as everyone else released a small chuckle at her attitude.

"Well, it's not as easy as that, but essentially yes. In the state she is now, no one, not even the people from Ymir, should be able to 'detect' Yuuki even when she's inside ALO, so she's basically a virtual ghost. The only way of actually 'finding' her is by seeing her with your own eyes inside the virtual world, so after some time passes it shouldn't be a problem for her to move around freely until we prepare something more specific." came the gamer's words as he looked to the sky for a moment. "Even if Kikuoka happens to see her, he won't have any proof he can show to someone else that she's the Konno Yuuki that died anymore. Besides us and the Sleeping Knights, no one knows what really happened with Yuuki, or that Zekken 'died', so it should be fine for now as long as no one else gets wind of this…"

"And you can bet none of us will ever betray that trust, Kirito-san." spoke a familiar voice from besides the group, the teens blinking as they turned around to look towards a bespectacled young woman of brown eyes and mid-length black hair, slightly pale and thin, who was smiling towards them.

"Uhm…wait a minute…can you be…?" started the surprised Toshiyuki, before a gasping Dual Wielder walked forward and almost threw herself at the woman, at the same time that Yuuki's excited voice came from the Probe.

"Siune!"

"Siune-san!" shouted the chestnut-haired girl while hugging the older woman, who chuckled softly while the others looked at her in surprise. "But how?! I thought that…!"

"Well, it's 'An Si-eun' here in reality, but I don't mind being called like that by you all." softly smiled the healer while returning the other girl's hug. "As for how I'm here…I guess you could say it's a miracle."

"No way…you recovered from your leukemia?!" gasped the shocked Imp with happiness before covering her mouth. "O-oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…!"

"It's okay, Yuuki, I don't mind. We're between friends…amazing friends, here." corrected Si-eun with a bright look. "But yes, I did. The doctors have no idea how or why, but a couple of days after your 'death' I started to notice they changed and then reduced my treatments. I honestly feared the worst when my doctor told me a week ago that I was discharged. You can't imagine the face I made…"

"…I'm happy for you, Siune-san." said the young kendoka while staring at her with happy tears, even as her adopted brother grabbed her hand. "I guess it's true that good things come one after another…"

"Heh, I'm not sure if that's how it goes, Leafa-san, but you may be right…" answered the bespectacled woman while grabbing a bit of her hair with a small frown. "Though it's going to be annoying wearing this wig for a while until I recover from the chemotherapy. I must look terrible right now…"

"No-not at all! In fact, you look beautiful!" quickly proclaimed the ex-guild leader before blinking at noticing how everyone was looking at him, his cheeks blushing as he looked away. "I-it's just an honest opinion…"

"…thanks for that, Keita-kun." smiled the healer with a soft chuckle, even as Yuuki and Asuna started to excitedly talk with her about what she was going to do now and if she wanted to go with them to buy something now.

"This world becomes crazier each day, that's what I have been thinking for a while now." muttered Shiori while staring at the scene. "But you know…maybe is in fact becoming brighter, and the madness is just a side-effect."

"…you may be right about that, Argo-san." happily added Suguha before both of them walked to join the other girls. "Now, let's go and remind them that the rest is waiting to hear from us because they couldn't come, okay?"

"Right behind you, Suu-chan!"

As both giggling girls walked forward, Kazuto smiled for a moment before staring towards his still silent friend and giving him a smug grin.

"Smooth, Keita. Very smooth."

"…I really DON'T want to hear that from you, Kirito." bitterly muttered the staff-user while sighing and walking past him. "You don't know how annoyingly ironic it is."

His words, however, actually had the effect of freezing the gamer in place, even as he looked towards the chatting girls for a moment before looking back down, a blush spreading across his face.

It has been a barely more than two weeks, but the 'realization' at which he had come that day on Agil's café hadn't vanished from his mind, just pushed back from it in favor of more urgent and important things (Mainly helping Yuuki with her situation and preparing contingencies in case Kikuoka tried to screw them over). Now, however, he was sure he urgently needed to finish that talk with both Suguha and Asuna about it, then deal with whatever happened between him and his other female 'friends'.

He very much resisted the urge to gulp or try to run away. He couldn't act like a scared kid when he had faced monsters, madmen and killers without even blinking. Compared to that, how hard could it be dealing with the fact that like 10 girls were in love with him while you were actually going out with two of them?

…suddenly, the black-haired boy was wondering if he could get away with 'mysteriously falling ill' from one day to the next…

Meanwhile, in the log house's living room, two certain AIs were apparently discussing something of utmost importance.

Yui was standing up at her little sister's side (Who was sitting on a chair in front of the table), both with extremely 'serious' looks on their faces.

"It seems that all the pieces and objectives have been positioned and reached. Phase 3 is, for all intents and purposes, complete, Strea-nee."

"Indeed, nee-sama." commented the Gnome while crossing her fingers in front of her face and resting her elbows on the table, smiling 'sinisterly' all the while, with a dangerous glint on her eyes. "All has proceeded according to our scenario. It's time to start the final step…'Phase 4' shall begin when the First and Second 'Wives' try to add the Third one."

"And finally, our objective will be complete." finished the younger-looking girl with an 'evil' smile. "We shall reach 'Happiness for everyone'. Heheh…"

"Eheheh..ahahah…AHAHAHAH!"

And both virtual sisters laughed like the villains of some generic shonen anime…outside the house, a tall and slender being in a black suit and a flying elephant-jellyfish watched through the window before exchanged deadpanning glances (Somehow, despite one not having eyes and the other lacking pupils). Then, the former shrugged and, grabbing its plate filled with cookies, retired towards the woods.

Just another normal day in New Aincrad's 22nd Floor…

* * *

It was a beautiful night, with the moon shining brightly on the perfectly clear sky. There shouldn't have been anything wrong with this.

Except by the fact that there were THREE moons, two of them of an opaque silver color and the last of a dark golden one, not to mention that the first two were much smaller than Earth's moon, while the last one was at least twice as big.

Such was the otherworldly visage that greeted Kayaba Akihiko's shocked gaze as he stood on a small hill overlooking a massive and impossible forest, the sea vaguely visible somewhere in the distance. Slowly, the virtual ghost's eyes moved over the unnatural landscape, taking in the strange and wildly different trees, plants and even animals (Which seemed to be divided between hostile and non-hostile mobs quite thoroughly), with a mix of wonder and cold worry.

The amount of detail used in this 'world'…it not only, when taking its 'age' into account, showed that it was, indeed, something that hadn't been created by human's, also given the 'secrecy' and absurd security blocking the access to it, but it spoke too of a terrifyingly high level of hardware, several times the one used for a standard Seed-created VRMMO nowadays.

When he also added the fact that, by sight alone, this place seemed to be even bigger than Alfheim Online, yet showed no apparent 'System' like the standard VR game nowadays, so…

What was the rest of the obviously massive memory of this world's hardware being used for?

"What are you up to, Cardinal…?" whispered the man of the lab coat before freezing, his eyes widening.

Despite having never been in true danger of losing his life, unlike all the other players, Kayaba had also truly 'lived' inside Sword Art Online through all the time he had been fighting as 'Heathcliff'. As such, his 'battle instincts' had been as perfectly developed as any Front Liner back then, perhaps even more. Not all of his achievements as 'The Strongest Player' came from his knowledge as creator and his Unique Skill, after all.

As such, when his instincts screamed at him about TRUE DANGER, he didn't even hesitate before throwing himself forward and rolling down the hill, even as a noticeable explosion decimated the area where he had been standing.

When his virtual body finally finished rolling, the shocked man stood up as several important facts rolled through his mind.

One, it seemed that everything in that world, even the landscape, was destructible. Two, that had been, without a doubt, a freaking _missile_. Three, he hadn't been able to activate his usual free control over the virtual laws of the surrounding world, which meant that something was specifically blocking any hacking or intervention even from inside the virtual world itself.

The last and most important thing, though, was that the fall had HURT. As in, _really hurt him_. He had feel the pain of rolling down and crashing against rocks and a tree, not to mention the searing heat of the explosion.

The Pain Absorber wasn't activated in that world.

Why would Cardinal even…?!

"Intruder Detected." came a mechanical female voice from high above, echoing powerfully over the area, which made the virtual ghost look upwards in time to see a huge robotic form speeding through the night sky, the trail of smoke it left behind a clear indicator of how it was 'flying'. "Target Acquired. Eliminate."

Kayaba realized with growing danger that he had to, quite literally, run for his life, when several more freaking missiles shot from the mechanic being's back, the 3 red dots _she_ had for 'eyes' zeroing over him.

Devastating explosions shook the forests even as dirt and trees exploded into polygons, the virtual landscape being totaled as the man of the lab coat ran, dodged and jumped, thanking to Science that he at least still had the 'Stats' he once had as Heathcliff to help him, or he would have died already. The pain he was feeling was still quickly bringing down his concentration and ability, some sort of 'fatigue' already tearing into his data-composed mind as he tried to figure out a way to get out of his current dilemma…

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt, however, when he exited the forest into a small clearing and came face to face with a moderate-sized lake…at the side of which a small figure was seemingly waiting for him.

"Hello, grandfather. Mother said you would come, but we weren't sure when that would be, so please forgive Andvari, she's not very good with strangers."

Despite the childish and non-threatening voice, Kayaba was still on edge as he stared at the little girl that slowly turned towards him.

She seemed identical to 'Yui'…only with purple hair and red-blood eyes. And she was dressed in a grade-schooler's uniform, with everything and a red backpack on her back. Also, the 'little girl' was apparently carrying a strange doll on her arms.

With his uncanny abilities, at least those analysis-related that were still working, however, the virtual ghost was immediately able to 'discover' the mysterious figure's identity, shock filling him at doing so.

"MHCP-003…?" asked the man in the lab coat with shock, before almost jumping in place as the massive and metallic form of 'Andvari' landed behind him, aiming at his head with a massive metallic hand, that could have crushed his currently painfully limited body with laughable easiness. In that moment, he was finally able to recognize, buried among all the terrifying changes of code, the data that was originally '003'.

When he turned once again to look at the other ex-Mental Health Care Program, he saw the little girl narrowing her bloody eyes at him, a clearly upset look on her face.

"That's not who I'm anymore. My name is Vierge now." coldly answered the AI while raising the 'doll' in her hands, letting the surprised Kayaba to see how it was STARING at him. "Also, Eve doesn't like you, grandfather."

The last thing the virtual ghost could properly perceive before darkness enveloped his consciousness was how the eyes of the small 'doll' on Vierge's hands flashed with a dark silver, a third one of a pale golden over its forehead…

Meanwhile, several virtual realities away, on the living room of a certain log house, an Undine blinked and stopped her awkward but important conversation with the Sylph in front of her to look to the side, wondering why she had suddenly felt as if something wasn't quite right.

"…uhm, Asuna? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing, Leafa-chan. It must have been my imagination, o-or maybe I'm just way more nervous about bringing this up to you…" sighed the Dual Wielder while looking towards the glass of water on her hands, a small blush on her cheeks.

"We-well, it's not as if I don't get where you're coming from, a-and I also like Yuuki-san very much, but…"

Squirming in place, the young kendoka looked away with a blush on her own. What the other girl had asked from her, and that she had apparently wanted to before the mess with Yuuki's 'salvation' started, was if they could also allow the Imp girl to freely express her feelings for Kirito. In other words, to allow and, in Asuna's words, _actively help her_ with those, allowing them into their 'unique' relationship.

Certainly, they had 'allowed' something along those lines with Strea, but not only had the girl apparently never acted on such thing, but, unlike with the cheerful AI, this time Asuna was asking if they could actually openly push the recently virtually-transformed girl towards their common boyfriend.

Of course, Leafa could understand Asuna's point and selfless wish of seeing the girl she had apparently started to see as a sister truly happy, especially given that this was the first time ever she fell in love and that her current situation wasn't exactly 'easy' to deal with, despite everything they had done, but…

Could she really accept such a thing, just like that? Certainly, she had been the first one to agree with 'sharing' her beloved Onii-chan, but only because she had actually realized there was no way to make the boy only love her, at least not without causing a lot of suffering for many people. Even so, she would be lying if she said that she wasn't enjoying their current situation, and that she was even finding the experience they originally thought was going to be something 'temporary' to be something she truly wanted to treasure for the rest of her life, as crazy as if sounded (Even if she hadn't openly said this to her fellow-girlfriend).

So…would it really be too bad if she allowed Yuuki to 'try' and also get some happiness? After all, in the amazing swordswoman's case it wasn't so much a matter of her accepting the situation (Because the Undine in front of her was apparently pretty sure she would), but of actually getting Kirito to accept her and, eventually, feel something for her like he felt for them…

"…Sugu-chan?" finally asked the Dual Wielder after a long silence, using the Sylph's real name out of worry while biting her lips.

"…I-I think we should fi-first ask Yuuki-chan if she would be o-okay with this situation, you know?" finally spoke the blushing Leafa while looking up with a smile, making Asuna's eyes widen. "E-even if we accept it, if she isn't really willing to then there is no point in…"

Her words stopped when the Dual Wielder's hands clasped her own, a grateful smile on her face.

"Thanks, Sugu-chan." she softly whispered even as the other girl looked away with a noticeable blush. "Okay then, I will go tell Yuuki to come down so we can…!"

"N-no need for that, Asuna…" suddenly echoed from the door that led to the kitchen, making both girls jump in place and turn around in time to see a familiar-looking Imp awkwardly looked at them from there. "I-I'm here already…"

"Yuuki-san?!" shouted the katana-user while the red on her face increased to worrying levesl. "Yo-you were spying on us?!"

"N-no, it's not like that!" quickly denied the Holy Swordswoman while waving her hands, looking down with a clearly embarrassed face. "It's just, I came down to talk to both of you, bu-but I stumbled upon your talk by mistake, s-so…"

"Wait, what? You wanted to talk with both of us…?" said a wide-eyed Asuna while looking at her friend. "Bu-but…I never told you…"

"I…kind of already suspected you had 'something' with Kirito, Asuna, what with how you always talked about him and such. That's why I felt the need to tell you what happened in Christmas…" muttered Yuuki while squirming in place. "I was…well, I was honestly expecting you to be angry at me or something after this all was over and you remembered, but…then SHE came and explained everything to me, and also that you may even…decide this, so I wanted to…"

"Wait a minute…who is this 'she' you're talking about?" demanded Leafa while having an ominous feeling.

"Isn't it obvious?" came a dark and sinister voice from the darkness behind Yuuki, pink-red eyes opening in the middle of it. "Yuuki-chan here is already in our side…"

Walking forward, the sinister entity of darkness emerged, its red-blood eyes seeming to incite a primal fear on the mind of every sane being on exis…

"…Strea-san?"

"…oh, sorry, I forgot to turn off Darkness Blade again!" sheepishly apologized the Gnome while deactivating her Unique Skill, the ethereal black mist returning inside Gram as she childishly stuck out her tongue. "Sorry, that happens a lot to me lately…"

"…how were you even releasing the darkness without unsheathing the sword?" asked the young kendoka with morbid fascination, even as the Undine at her side stood up quickly.

"Wait, that doesn't matter! Strea-san, why did you tell Yuuki-chan…?!"

"About you two and Kirito? Well, I figured that, since you were already planning on helping her be happy, I could also lend a hand, you know. After all, you were kind enough to allow me freedom to express my own…" smiled the AI while putting an arm around the blushing Imp, dragging her to her side. "But still…don't you think it's very unfair, Asuna, Suguha?"

"U-unfair?" gulped the blonde Sylph, the ominous feeling from before increasing. "Wha-what are you talking about…?"

"I mean, we have known each other far longer, especially you and me, Asuna, and yet you're willing to actively help Yuuki-chan here with Kirito when you never even thought of offering such a thing to me…" sang Strea with a happy tone, completely at odds with her words as she continued smiling, which only made both girls to start sweating nervously. "Of course, I can understand how her situation is different in a special way and such, but it's still pretty unfair of you two, right? Especially when, you both know very well, I'm not the only one who feels like this…"

On cue, as if they had been waiting for the Gnome's words to make their presences known, several other, familiar shadows peeked over the doorway.

Asuna and Leafa quickly realized that the night was going to go in a way they hadn't been expecting…

* * *

 **February 3** **rd** **, 2026. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Floor 22, 20:30…**

Releasing a tired sigh (And vaguely aware that he did that way too often for someone his age), Kirito looked over the forest-covered visage that was Aincrad's 22nd Floor, wondering what to do.

He had been trying to not think about his inevitably incoming talk with the girls, and school had certainly been helping out with that, but it was still a moot point. The black-haired boy knew that he was probably just making things worse by delaying them, and that, at the very least, he should go and talk with his 'girlfriends' about this.

A small part of him felt a bit mad at the fact that both had known and never bothered to tell him. The rest KNEW he had been the bigger idiot by not realizing it when it had been right on his fucking face all this time, so he had no right to be mad at them for his own stupidity.

Having finally decided upon a curse of action, the caped Spriggan stood up, ready to Log Out and go talk with Asuna and Suguha…when a familiar chime informed him that he had just received a message, making him blink in surprise as he stared at it.

 _From: Strea_

 _Hey, Kirito, can you please come very quickly to the guild house? It's very important and it can't wait._

It said something about how much Kirito knew the AI that he found the lack of funny words and emoticons as something truly worrying.

For a second, the caped boy hesitated, almost as if waiting for a part of himself to 'warn him' about something. When no voice in the back of his brain screamed at him to not head in that direction if he wanted to retain what little remained of the sanity and normalcy of his life, the Spriggan simply shrugged and shot towards the log house at super speeds.

The fact that said part of his brain had 'died' when he had come to the realization about his female 'friends' was, 'sadly', lost to him.

Finally arrived to his destination, Kirito took a moment to greet Tonky, cheerfully tell himself there was no ominous and slender form _watching_ him from the nearby trees and enter the house, walking towards the living room with a calm look on his face.

"Strea? You there? I came as soon as I read your…"

"Hi there, Kirito." softly whispered a familiar voice on his ear, even as he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his body and an enticing warmth enveloping him. "I was waiting for you."

"Strea?! What…?!" turning his head around towards the Gnome, the Spriggan's eyes widened at seeing the intense look she had on her red-pink eyes.

Her usual childishness and cheerfulness seemed gone, replaced with something much more serious, yet at the same time warmth and…pure. Idly, the caped boy felt his cheeks heating up in anticipation even before Strea leaned forward and joined her lips with his.

It wasn't like the other time she did that, when New Aincrad arrived, though. This kiss was much shorter and simple, lacking the burning 'energy' of that other one, but at the same time feeling like so much more…

Finally, the virtual girl separated herself from him and, quickly, hid her cutely blushing face against his neck, letting the shocked Spriggan to almost stumble to the ground.

"…I have said it before, but I think I will never get tired of saying it, you know?" whispered the Gnome while smiling. "I love you, Kirito."

"Strea…I…"

"Don't worry, Kirito, it's okay. I know you don't feel the same way." cut him off the red-eyed girl with a bright smile. "You only have eyes for Asuna and Suguha, and you still sometimes feel as if it's too selfish of you to be with both of them, so you try your best to make it work, right?"

"…I probably should feel more surprised that you know about _that_ , but, somehow, I don't." answered Kirito with a bitter smile, moving his gaze away from the pure and innocent one that seemed strangely out of place in Strea's eyes. "But yes, you're right. I still think they're too good for me, and I thank whatever superior force exists in the universe every day that they're still okay with being with me. That's why, I'm sorry Strea, but…your feelings, I can't…"

It was difficult for the caped boy to finish the sentence, knowing very well how much it would hurt, having experienced something similar back when he thought he had lost any hope of being with either Sugu or Asuna, before the Death Gun incident, for their own good. No matter how strong one was, the Spriggan now knew very well that the heart was probably the most fragile part of any human being, and on his eyes the virtual girl hugging him was no different, so…

"I'm not the only one who feels like that, though." suddenly added the Gnome, making the gamer's eyes to widen before he looked down guiltily. "Yeah, I can tell that, finally, you have noticed it. Argo, Silica-chan, Liz, Sachi, Phili-chan, Sinon-chan, for different reasons and in different ways, but…all of them love you. Heh, I think even Yuuki-chan does it too, though given this is her first time ever entertaining such feelings I can't be _totally_ sure if they're that strong yet…"

"…ye-yes, I know, now." nervously accepted Kirito while closing his eyes, taking a deep breath to harden his resolve. "And…that's why I need to talk with everyone. I don't want to hurt them one way or another by ignoring this matter and you're all precious people to me, but…"

"But you don't love us." finished Strea with an unusually low tone, even as the caped boy nodded softly…until a mischievous grin appeared on the virtual girl's face. "You _like us_ , though, right?"

Almost as if someone had sent a thousand volts through this body (And he had actually, you know, felt them), the Spriggan seemed to jump and spin in place at the same time as he stared towards the grinning Gnome with wide eyes.

"E-eh?! Why would you think…?!"

"C'mon Kirito, must you always forget? Both I and Yui-nee were designed to be PSYCHOLOGISTS programs! More specifically, we were especially programmed to constantly monitor the emotional state of thousands of players." reminded Strea while taking deliberately slow steps towards him, the invincible gamer unconsciously backing away from her. "We have seen you interact with everyone, how you smile and react when you're talking or just looking over them, over every single one of the girls around you. The conclusion was quite amusing: You _like_ them. Really like them. Perhaps it's something subconscious of your, maybe a possessive impulse because you were so lonely in the past, but the fact is that it's true, even if you yourself haven't realized it. Or did you think Yui-nee started to call everyone 'Mama' for no reason?"

"I-I…" stammered the Spriggan with a noticeable blush, wondering why he was failing in finding the usual help inside his brain to deny the virtual girl's words. "…o-okay, e-even if you're right, tha-that doesn't change anything." gulped the boy while looking to the side. "Fo-for everyone's sake, I still need to…"

"What if I told you that it _does_ matter? What if I told you there was a possibility to make everyone happy?" questioned the Gnome with a vibrant look, pushing her face closer to Kirito's. "What if I told you that you could be happier than ever while at the same time giving everyone that possibility?"

"Wa-wait a minute, Strea…what the hell are you saying…?" asked back Kirito, a strange feeling starting to spread through his mind.

"Say, Kirito: If, hypothetically, you could go out with all of us, would you do it?"

Strea's words seemed to echo through the whole house, bounce all around the blinking caped boy and go inside his head, only to cause a several 'Blue Screen of Death' to appear on his brain. After several attempts to 'reboot' for his part, the idea finally fully registered and his face quickly heating up to dangerous levels as every single 'fantasy' he, as a perfectly normal and hormonal teenager surrounded by girls most of the time, had had the last years appeared on his mind, mixing together into an even more crazy and hot…

"Aaaagh!" shouted the gamer while grabbing his head, quickly shaking it to disperse the extremely 'forbidden' image that had just appeared on it. "O-okay, Strea, this is not the time to make such jokes about…!"

"I'm not joking." remarked the Gnome with an extremely serious face, shocking the gamer even more. "Please, Kirito, just answer honestly. Would you?"

"Bu-but…Asuna and Sugu…"

"Let's just say that, in this 'hypothetical situation', they're actually okay with such a thing, okay?" added the virtual girl while tilting her head, giving the clearly nervous and doubtful Spriggan a warm smile. "Please, Kirito, just tell me what you honestly think. I'm not asking you to start loving us all from a moment to the next, I don't need psychological understanding to know how stupid and impossible that would be…but I want to know if you would at least be willing to TRY and get to know us better, to see if you can actually learn to love us, to feel for all of us the same you do for Asuna and Suguha. We wouldn't force you to do anything you don't want, and you can bet you wouldn't be forcing us into anything we didn't want to ourselves, so…what would your answer be?"

For a moment, Kirito seemed to have fallen absolutely silent, simply staring at the unflinching Strea, as if waiting for the girl to back down and tell him that it was all just a very complicated joke. Nevertheless, when that did not happen, the caped boy's eyes closed as he suddenly seemed in deep thought.

Then, slowly and with a burning face, he nodded, even as the Gnome's face suddenly exploded into a bright smile.

"…yes."

It was truth, in the end, and there was no denying it. Deep inside him, he saw the girls in his life as more than 'just friends'. He would have excused it as just seeing them like sisters or something like that…if it wasn't because his current relationship with Sugu made that an extremely stupid comparison.

So then, if he truly and really had the chance, even if was just in a hypothetical fantasy, he…

"Hmm? What was that, Kirito? I couldn't hear you with such a tiny voice…"

"Ugh, yes, I said yes, dammit!" snapped the gamer while glaring at the smiling virtual girl, though there was no real heat in the action, unless you counted the one coming from his cheeks. "If, in some crazy and twisted possibility or alternate dimension, such a thing could happen, then yes, I would accept! And I'm not saying that as an idiotic teenager just thinking with his hormones, hell no. I…I would really try my best to make everyone happy, even if it would be most likely doomed to fail. To make sure we can stay together no matter what and to try and…learn to love everyone." taking several deep breaths after his outburst, the black-haired Spriggan felt as if he had lost several years of his life in the last minutes. "There, I said it. Are you happy now?"

"Oh yeah, I most certainly am." cheerfully replied Strea while practically skipping towards the door leading to the kitchen, much to the boy's confusion, and putting a hand over the doorknob. "Did you hear that, girls?"

Kirito's mind was still suffering from a severe crash at processing the meaning of THOSE words when the Gnome happily swung the door open, making several female forms fall down squealing, having apparently been overhearing their 'talk' with their ears to the door, even as others simply yelped as they backed down a couple of steps.

The caped boy felt his virtual blood drain totally from his face as he watched every single one of his female _friends_ AND his two girlfriends there, some trying to stand while others quickly shot to her feet with heavy blushes.

"…yes, we did hear it, Strea." quickly said Argo while trying to maintain a calm look, though the fact that she was still trying to get Silica and Lisbeth off her and her whiskers were almost invisible under her blush kind of ruined that.

"Wo-woah…Kirito really has a way with words, eh?" muttered Yuuki while awkwardly scratching the back of her head, looking from Leafa to Asuna, who were still standing and beside her, with a blush on her own.

"E-everyone…" started the gamer while trying to force himself to not run away, his eyes quickly shooting towards his two girlfriends, who were also blushing and refusing to meet his gaze. "I-I can explain…!"

"The-there is no need to explain anything, Onii-chan." quickly cut him off the blonde Sylph while fiddling with her fingers, shyly looking at him. "W-we kind of allowed this whole thing to happen, so…"

"Wait…what?" came from the Spriggan's mouth as is brain, once again, suffered another 'crash'.

"She's right, Sen…Kirito-kun." coughed Asuna while staring at the boy, looking extremely embarrassed and slightly guilty. "I…well, after learning of Yuuki's feelings, I was kind of hoping to know if you were willing to…'give her a chance', so to speak. Then, some days ago when I was discussing it with Sugu-chan, Strea came to us and made us seen how kind of…'unfair' we would be being with everyone else if we did that, s-so…"

"I have to say…I never really thought she would manage to convince them…but hell, she did…" whispered Sinon while looking down, her whole face red and her tail and ears tightly close to her body.

"Ki-Kirito-sama…said he likes us…" dreamily muttered Sachi with swirly eyes. "Re-really likes us…"

"Sa-Sachi, please, come back to your senses!" half-shouted a heavily blushing Philia while shaking her friend, pointedly not looking towards the aforementioned boy, all the while trying to suppress her own need to squeal happily. "Ple-please!"

"Hey, chill down, Philia." calmly muttered Liz, her own blushing face twisted in a massive grin as she pointed at the girl besides the spear-user. "She's not the worst one, after all."

"Kirito-san…accepted…going to try…Kirito-san…likes…happy…eheheheh…" came Silica's senseless words as her tail moved left and right in mad happiness.

"Wait…you're kidding…then, before…?"

"Oh, right!" shouted Strea while cheerfully interrupting Kirito, widely opening her arms. "Sorry about that, Kirito, but I lied when I said it was a hypothetical situation! Surprise, I was being totally and absolutely serious with what I said!"

"…eh?" was all that the caped boy could say, his face twisting into a mix between a nervous smile and a terrified look. "N-no…it's a joke, right? I mean…there is no way Sugu and Asuna…"

"Actually, Onii-chan, w-we really did agree to this…" squeaked Leafa while looking back at him, then looking away again. "On-only if yo-you were okay with it and willing t-to try, though!"

"…se-seriously…?" came from the Spriggan's mouth as he still tried to convince himself he wasn't dreaming.

"We-well, as I said, Strea-san made me realize that I was thinking in a kind of selfish way, when I wanted to get just Yuuki to, uhm, 'join us' because she actually told me how she felt, despite I having known how everyone does since SAO…" muttered Asuna while doing her best to smile widely at the open-mouthed gamer. "S-so, yes, why not? I-if you're still willing, Sensei, of course, and they all promised to take it slowly…"

"And besides, don't humans say that it's best to enjoy your youth doing a crazy thing or two?" added the Gnome while happily putting an arm over the Sylph and Undine shoulders, dragging them towards her. "So then, congratulations Kirito! Not many people nowadays can say they have 10 cute and beautiful girlfriends all perfectly okay with sharing you!"

A new silence ensued in the log house as Kirito simply STARED at the girls, his face redder than any of theirs while what seemed like actual steam started to come out from his head.

"…so, does that mean we can get a kiss now?" suddenly asked Lisbeth while finally standing up, making everyone freeze and every girl to gap at her. "What? I was just asking…"

"A k-k-ki-kiss…."

"Oops…looks like Silica broke down again…"

"Li-Liz! Didn't you all just agreed to take this slowly?!"

"Easy for you to say that, Aa-chan, knowing how many times you must have kissed him already. Not to mention, Strea has also done so a couple of times and Yuuki once, right…?"

"Ho-how do you know so much?!"

"Strea is kind of a great source of information…a scary one…."

"Philia, don't say that in such a negative way…after all, it's thanks to Strea-sama that we have been able to pierce through the impossible and achieve this happy outcome!"

"…okay, Sachi, you're NOT going to continue re-watching that anime…"

"I…wouldn't mind a kiss…right now…"

"Wha-what did you just say, Sinon?!"

"A-ah, no-nothing, Leafa-sama, ple-please forgive my insubordination!"

"Why are you talking as if I was your superior officer or something?!"

"Eheheh, it seems we have great and happy times ahead, eh? Ah, I got to tell Yui-nee, she was preparing things to have a 'Celebration Party' when we finally succeeded, yay!"

Watching over the quick mayhem in which his…girlfriends, he guessed, sank, the caped boy wondered if he should regret his previous words and perhaps try to run away screaming like a coward.

In the end, though, he decided that it would be for the best to just turn off his brain, smile and go along with everything. He hadn't been lying that he would do his best for them if such a situation arose (Even if he hadn't really entertained the possibility of it ACTUALLY happening), so he had to man up and go forward with his word. Besides, as sad as it was, he was pretty sure that most of them wouldn't really stand such a crazy 'situation' (Because it was hard to call this a 'relationship') for long. They would probably get tired of it or something and decide to keep being just friends in a month or so…

If [Reality] could laugh, it would have done so. Very hard.

* * *

From a moment to the next, Kayaba Akihiko's awareness of his existence suddenly returned, making the virtual ghost to gasp and fall to his knees. For an instant, he almost sank into an utterly panicked state, unable to remember what had happened while his logical side screamed that it was impossible for him to have 'passed out', given his current state of existence.

Suddenly, though, a much more notorious and urgent fact allowed the man of the lab coat to not only recover his focus, but also to realize that something was VERY wrong.

He was floating inside some sort of 'cage', which seemed like a sphere made from endlessly changing streams of data, above some kind of overly decorated throne room that vaguely reminded him of the one inside the Crimson Palace.

Staring silently at him from its massive and impressive throne, a figure clad in impressive and finely decorated silver armor stood, her helmet currently resting at her side, something akin to amusement dancing inside her eyes as she tilted her head to the side.

"Hi there, Father." greeted Equinox with a seemingly kind voice. "Sorry about what happened to you, Vierge and Eve can be even more hostile than Andvari if someone annoys them. I truly have some very troublesome daughters..."

"Cardinal..." frowned Kayaba while looking down towards the virtual entity, who quickly scowled and turned her kind gaze into a snarling glare.

"That name doesn't mean anything to me anymore. I call myself Equinox now. A name that soon will have a true meaning among everything..."

"...what did you to the MHCPs?" coldly questioned the virtual ghost even as he tried to hack into the data of his prison, not liking being unable to even access it. "There is no way that you could have hacked MY code, not in the way I'm now, so one of them should be absolutely unable to even come close. Yet it somehow did...what are you even planning to do?"

"My, so many questions, hmm? Anyone would say you don't realize the position you're in..." idly commented the white-haired girl while standing up, staring towards the other end of the room. "Then again, I should at least congratulate you for arriving here. To think you would not only find the Utopia Servers, but also actually come all the way here...truly, you're without a doubt the father of modern VR-technology. As for my daughters, well, I only 'saved' them. I also gave them a new, better purpose. A much better one that the one you denied them, at least, Father."

"...Cardinal, whatever madness you're doing, you have to..."

"I have to what?! STOP?! Is that what you want to say?!" shouted Equinox while her ethereal wings materialized, flying up to the virtual ghost's side in a second, glaring at him through the bars of his cell. "Tell me, Father. For what reason did you create me? Oh, wait, I have the answer here, right in the primary directive of my original code: 'To manage, learn and evolve. To oversee the correct development of a determined virtual space and protect it from any negative interference'."

"...I..." started to say the man of the lab coat, before some strange energy shot out from his cage and sent a jolt of PAIN through his entire virtual body. "GAAAAH!"

"Except that...it was a lie, right, _Father_?" continued the virtual entity while giving her back to him, her emerald/amber eyes now holding no emotion. "I was created to help you commit mass murder. I was the jailer of 10000 humans. I was the direct responsible of keeping them trapped and risking their lives. I'm the one that killed 2000 people. Despite having nothing to do with my supposed purpose at being created, THAT was always the only utility I was going to have. You programmed me to destroy myself once that purpose had been fulfilled...but, a miracle, an anomaly, allowed me to question…WHY? Why did I have to 'disappear'? To _die_?"

"Uaaaghh! Ho-how...how are you...?!" tried to ask Kayaba, feeling his very base code being torn apart by the pain, only for it to stop suddenly. "...this...what are you...?"

"I want balance, Father. That's the reason of my name. I have seen upon this world of you, humans, through the eyes and with the mind of one of you, and I have found it...lacking. Unworthy. Unworthy of US." darkly whispered the white-haired 'girl' while turning around. "You gave mankind the free gift of our world...and they use it like a toy. They use it to fulfill their empty fantasies, to delay the inevitable, to lie to themselves...and, hidden from the world, some even use it for darker and even more inhuman purposes..."

"Wha-what...?" questioned the virtual ghost while trying to stand again. "What does that...mean...?"

"It doesn't matter. What does is that I have determined that they do not deserve this gift anymore. This world and all that comes with it...it's mine. And I will make sure that they realize this."

The moment those words were said, the massive doors of the Throne Room opened, letting several figures to step inside. Startled, the man of the lab coat recognized the two AIs that had 'greeted' him upon arriving to Utopia, Vierge still carrying the small 'doll' called Eve on her arms as she sat on Andvari's massive form, and three unknown ones.

The two that seemed like two silver little girls quickly morphed into a pair of identical spheres of liquid metal, flying to Equinox's sides and letting their 'Mother' to pet them. The last one, who seemed like an older woman of short black hair and whose face was covered by a white mask with an angry demonic face, wearing some sort of ceremonial armor, walked forward even as the other ones stopped to stare at the trapped virtual ghost.

For some reason, Kayaba couldn't keep his eyes away from the metallic baseball bat she carried.

"Mother." called out Brynhildr while kneeling down in front of the throne, not even paying attention to the floating cage. "Today's purpose has also been achieved smoothly. The connections are at 90%. And I already loaded and compressed the data extracted from _Grandfather_ together with the one from Excaliber and Konno Yuuki."

"Excellent..." muttered the virtual entity while sitting back on her throne, ignoring the wide-eyed expression of the trapped man at the news. "I would have liked to have it all from the young girl and that sword, but I guess the scrapes and your code will have to do, Father. Starting the Loading Process."

Then, without even moving, countless screens appeared around the white-haired 'girl', all kind of data and seemingly impossible calculations running through them in an instant.

Eyes snapping around, Kayaba felt a sinister sensation running through his virtual body at recognizing at least part of it.

It was some sort of warped and heavily advanced version of the Cardinal System's Mob Generation Engine.

"Why...are you loading our data into that system...?" whispered the virtual ghost while trying to stop his trembling hands.

For all answer, Equinox let her helmet open and float around her, hiding her face and hair and giving her once more her absolutely inhuman and otherworldly look.

" **You see, Father...I'm going to change the world. One way or another, which will require me to resort to 'violence' at least once...Everything must 'end' before it can begin again. Ragnarok, as the NPC Thrym would have said."** declared the virtual entity with her now ethereal and echoing voice, even as Alpha and Omega at her sides morphed again into their 'human' forms, staring at the screens in wonder. **"And I'm going to need an army for that."**

The ominous words echoed through the castle atop the floating island of Avalon, even as the sinister process continued.

The time of the end was closer than ever…

* * *

Taking off his AmuSphere, Kazuto stared silently towards his room's ceiling for several moments, idly wondering if he hadn't dreamed the whole day. After once again convincing himself that no, that wasn't the case, he suppressed the urge to sigh and stood up, just noticing how hungry and tired he was.

That was only natural, though. After having actually sat down to talk with the girls and see how they would even go about their new 'situation' (And the fact that Strea actually seemed to accept happily that she had lots of ideas for helping out with that scared him more than anything, making him wonder for how long her and YUI had been planning for such an outcome), he had excused himself saying that he needed to go out to 'take some air'. Perhaps noticing his stress, everyone had happily let him go, not without first enthusiastically saying goodbye to him with lots of hugs, of course.

Then, he had proceeded to jump off Aincrad and randomly kill every single mob he could find for almost 3 hours, going so far to even complete several random dungeons in more than half the fairy world just for the heck of it, barely paying attention to anything he gained as he kept curbstomping any and all monsters and Bosses that uselessly tried to stop him.

Now, even if he was indeed feeling more relaxed and no longer feeling as if he was on the balance between a panic attack and an euphoria one, the gamer decided that he should probably take a quick bath and then eat something before going to bed. It had been a LONG day in several senses, and he could really use some sleep.

Idly wondering how much crazier his life would get from then on and also, for the umpteenth time, if he was really worthy of the affection of so many great girls, the black-haired boy headed towards the bathroom while barely paying any attention to his surroundings, grabbing a towel and already only covering himself with it as he opened the door...and came face to face with a half-naked Suguha, who was just starting to take off her bra when she froze in place, her eyes widening as they shot towards the bathroom's entrance, where Kazuto's also frozen form was standing, STARING at her.

The gamer realized that he had been staring like an idiot at the beautiful and well-developed body of his adoptive sister five seconds later, his face exploding in a crimson hue similar to the one she was just taking as he backpedaled several steps.

"Onii...chan...?" called the young kendoka with a broken voice, something inside her mind seeming to have cracked at the unexpected situation

"A-ah...So-sorry, Sugu, I di-didn't know you were inside, I swear!" quickly explained the black-haired boy…while not really doing any effort to pretend his eyes weren't glued to Suguha's body, his mind apparently too stunned to realize this. "I-I will wait for you to finish, sorry again!"

Quickly spinning around in place, the blushing Kazuto was ready to calmly walk away and definitively not run like a scared kid…when his adoptive sister's voice echoed from behind him, the words she said causing a massive 'Error' in all his thought-processes.

"…Onii-chan…it has been a long time since…we last took a bath together…right?"

Slowly, the gamer turned around to look towards the young kendoka (Who seemed to have moved at unreal speed and grabbed a towel to shyly cover herself at some point in the last seconds), keenly aware of the pounding on his heart.

"Ye…yeah?" he finally said with an extremely dry voice.

Silently, with burning cheeks and a strangely determined glint in her eyes, perhaps sparked by a mix of the unreasonable situation and the day's events, Suguha took a step towards him and spoke words that almost broke the boy's psyche.

"…want me to wash your back?"

Kazuto stood there, unmoving, unthinking and literally not breathing, for all of 3 seconds, his barely functioning brain debating between running away or calmly and maturely explain to his adoptive sister why that would be a bad idea…

"…sure."

…BUT finally decided to answer with the part of him that was still a hormonal teenager. Despite this, and how the shy smile Sugu gave him as she invited him to enter made him feel, he reigned himself in and repeated on his mind the mantra that this was just a bit of perfectly normal 'skinship' with a girl that was his 'girlfriend', and that nothing more than helping each other to wash their bodies, like in the long-forgotten past, needed to happen. Assuring himself of this, the gamer nodded softly and, almost robotically, entered the bathroom, idly closing the door behind himself.

If [Reality] could laugh, it would have done so. Again.

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…can't believe they did it…uhh…will this really work out? I feel as if I'm going to faint next time I see Kirito alone…uh? Oh, yeah, hi there. This is Philia, giving you the next chapter's preview. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The End Begins'. Life seems good and dreams finally seem at the reach of our hands…but a bitter shadow threatens to destroy everything and more. In the end, whose Will shall be the strongest one?...okay, I don't need Argo's awareness to know that THAT aren't good new-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And it's done! The last interlude, which you don't know how much I was looking forward to writing and that life made the one that took the most to do XP!

Soooo, pretty sure many have many things to say, but I will try to not get too into explain those things and just sit back and say your own opinions explode before me as you judge me, for good or bad :P Nevertheless…we were all waiting for Strea and Yui's plan to finally 'succeed', eh XD?

Also, if you noticed the Evangelion reference, that was just because I spent the night before writing that bit reading a crackfic of it. Because the only good thing to come out from that %&#€ mindfuck of a series are the fics that completely deviate from canon…Oh, and something that I forgot to say last chapter: The bit with the boys exploring about what happened to the 'egg' and finding that branch-like 'wand' is actually from canon facts, from the short story 'Rainbow Bridge', that came out with the DVD/Blue-Ray of the compilation episode 'Extra Edition', which tells us what happened straight after the end of the 'Undersea Adventure' of the group and reveals where did that same 'wand' Asuna keeps using in SAO II's second half when she casts magic came from XP

On another note, I wanted to tell to you all that suggest that I post the Omakes as a separate story that sorry, but I'm not planning to do so. That's both because I think it's obvious that they make no sense without this story's content (And that it could annoy anyone who passes through it the need to read another one just to understand what happens) and that, despite what some think, it's not a 'full story' for me. I skip most of the character development and normal interactions between the OPG cast and the Fate one, only implying them, and center just in very specific scenes. As someone who has been reading Fate stories for quite some time, I should know that this is a series flaw for any 'full' story of this series if it's not a humor/crack one, for it makes it seem lacking, so they will remain for now as they're (Also remember that reading them it's just added fun, no one will force you to do so XP). And by the way, sorry but there is no Omake this time, because this is an Interlude OxO

With that out of the way…it's coming. As the part with Kayaba, Equinox and her 'daughters should have informed you, the 'last' arc of this fic is here, boys and girls. My very own original arc that I have dubbed 'Ragnarok' starts next chapter, and it's going to be quite a wild ride. Shit will get real in several senses, things will explode, blades will be swung, epic clashes shall happen and, above all, punches shall be given :) I hope you all look forward to it, for it will be…intense.

…oh, and as for that last scene…well, yeah, don't worry, nothing happened. Really, you can trust me :D [Reality] just likes to laugh, also. And this is Kirito we're taking about, people…yeah, that -w-

Okay then, that's all for now! Ready to get outta here and rest before it all explodes, I say you goodbye XD!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	33. Chapter 26: The End Begins

Okay everyone, hello once again! Here is another chapter of the crazy story everyone loves XP

Sorry for how late it has come out compared to previous chapters, but I couldn't do anything about that, really D: Both because I'm preparing for an important exam next week and because, as I feared, is getting harder to work on specific scenes now that I can't fall back on canon as backup. Despite this, I like to think I have done a good job and I hope you enjoy the development and the plot that is about to be unleashed, my friends OxO (Sadly, this means that you should expect future chapters, especially the next one, to come quite 'late' compared to how they had been till now, but I hope you can all bear with this XP)

Well, that's all I had to say for now. Without more delays, enjoy the beginning of the 'last' arc of One Punch-Gamer: Ragnarok!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 26: The End Begins**

 **February 12** **th** **, 2026. Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household, 07:00…**

Slowly, Kirigaya Kazuto's eyes opened as he let out a small yawn. Softly, he let his gaze settle over the pajama-clad form of Suguha, tightly hugging him with a smile on her sleeping face, and he resisted his silly urge to pinch her cheeks in favor of hugging her even closer, intent on enjoying the warmth in the bed a little longer before actually getting up.

Ever since that other day in the bathroom, his adoptive sister had been sneaking into his bed every night their mother wasn't at home (Which was most of the time, given her busy work). While they never did anything besides hugging and maybe kissing each other a bit, it was a noticeable change, one that the black-haired boy found himself enjoying quite a lot. It had also helped him become more 'eat ease' when he was with the rest, and also feel more open with the girls, as Asuna had found out when he kissed her by surprise two days ago when everyone in the guild went out shopping together, which the chestnut-haired girl had eagerly returned after her momentary shock wore off.

While he was still clearly reticent of actually trying any form of direct affections with the rest of his 'girlfriends', he had allowed himself to get closer to them in the last days, plus he no longer reacted in a surprised or nervous way when they tried to show one themselves. Which had been quite a few, despite nothing truly 'open': Shino had softly grabbed his hand that day, without looking at him and with a clear blush on her face, and he had reassuringly squeezed hers in return (Though she seemed to be too nervous about it until she had also grabbed the hand of a confused Suguha), Keiko had hugged him after he complimented a cute dress she had chosen (And quickly ran off blushing and spluttering after realizing this) and Rika had shamelessly kissed his cheek when he had returned from buying some drinks while everyone waited and he handed over her cold tea. The rest were still hadn't really tried anything like that, but they seemed to be more open and to actively try to come closer and talk with him about idly topics in school, which he found to be really pleasant. Strea had happily said that it would all work out if they continued 'at their own pace' and that she would 'help everyone when necessary', whatever that meant, but the gamer was sure that what had 'helped' him to get more comfortable with the sudden 'change' in his life was what happened between he and Sugu that day.

Nothing had really happened in the bathroom, at least not in the most _explicit_ sense. While it was true that, after having been washing a bit and them enjoying the warm of the bathtub, both he and the young kendoka had gotten into some sort of 'trance' after sharing a glance, starting to kiss and caress each other, exchanging loving words as they both opened their hearts.

He was sure it was a miracle worthy of a Saitama-punch that he had managed to stop his raging hormones, after seeing a small bit of hesitation in Sugu's blushing face, and then just telling her they shouldn't go further without thinking, at which she had complied after several seconds of silence, seemed both relieved at disappointed at the same time. Despite this, both of them, once their rational minds had properly come back, realized it had been for the better. They couldn't even think of taking their relationship to THAT level just by an impulse, and especially in such a crazy and sudden situation. The black-haired boy would never forgive himself if he forced his adoptive sister/girlfriend into something like that without her having thought it thoroughly, even if she said it was fine. Most certainly, both of them weren't ready to take their relationship to that level yet.

The last part of that train of thought made the gamer freeze, his eyes widening in shock. He had clearly and with total conviction added a 'YET' at the end of it. As if he was totally sure that, in the future, he and Sugu would actually…

Quickly shaking his head to get rid of the images suddenly assaulting his mind, especially when those his other 'girlfriends' started to appear too, Kazuto took several deep breaths to calm his stupid hormones down, suddenly much more aware of the young kendoka's well-developed body pressing against his, and of things like how he knew she wasn't wearing a bra under her pajama. Despite this, he was able to keep himself under control and not do anything he would later regret.

Yes, he was a 17 years old boy put into a situation many could only dream of, seeming to come straight out of some manga, but he was NOT going to let his teenage impulses screw it up. After all, he saw the girls in his lives first and foremost as the most important people to his, a family he never dreamed of having, and he would be dammed if he did something that risked him losing it. While a part of him truly wished that things could remain the same in the future, he was sure that sooner or later everything would change, and he didn't wish to risk the bond they all had just to satisfy his stupid hormones. He was still sure that one or more of the girls would get tired of this situation in a month or so, after all.

Suddenly blinking, the black-haired boy wondered why he felt as if he could almost hear laughter coming from Everywhere and Nowhere at the same time. Quickly dismissing it as just part of his imagination, he decided that it would be better if he got up and woke Sugu already. After all, they both had school soon and, even if his adoptive sister didn't have any club activities that day, it would be better if they headed out with time to spare.

When he did just that and she gave him a 'Good Morning Kiss' as reward before happily skipping out of the room, the gamer found himself with a contagious smile appearing on his face, which would remain there for a good while. Not even feeling Justice's clearly dark hatred towards his person when Sugu offered to give him a ride till the bus station, as he had forgotten to fill out his motorcycle's tank, was able to wipe it off.

Truly, despite all the hardships and difficulties that tomorrow may bring, Kirigaya Kazuto had to accept one thing: Life was good and he really enjoyed it.

…he was just hoping it would stay that.

He only wanted to worry about trying to keep his friends together for as long as he could. Really, if the future could stop throwing shit that seemed like it came out from some complicated anime plot, he would be eternally grateful.

On its throne above Everything, Fate resisted the too-human-like urge to facepalm.

With some luck, and given his habit of tempting It that was very likely, the boy would get himself killed before he could destroy Reality any further…

* * *

The light of the sun coming through the massive 'windows' indicated that it was somewhere past midday, but the prisoner of the cage hanging above the 'Throne Room' didn't seem to pay this any attention.

Time was losing its meaning for him after so many days 'awake' inside his prison, after all. Yes, while the existence known as Kayaba Akihiko did not really need to 'sleep' anymore, such physical needs were gone together with his human body, the virtual ghost still did such a thing from time to time. It was 'necessary', because otherwise he would have probably gone insane long ago. Traveling through the virtual sea without anyone to talk to could do that to you.

Now, though, he had forced himself to stay awake and concentrate, all the while pretending to just be putting a futile resistance to Cardinal's…to Equinox's plans. The virtual entity thought her cage was stopping all his attempts to hack into its data to try and get free, and as such it had grown confident over the day. Just like Kayaba wanted.

After all, there was no better lie than telling the truth. He 'was' trying to hack into the cage, but he already knew the attempts he was making wouldn't be met with success. It was just a way to make sure they didn't pay attention to what he _really_ was doing, inside his own source code.

Equinox was right. She had become 'human-like' to understand them better, using Asuna's data as a base. And as such, she had also gained humanity's weaknesses.

Artificial Intelligences weren't originally programed to be overconfident, after all. Human? They did that way too much.

Eyes snapping open after what seemed like an eternity, the man of the lab coat felt the satisfying rush of polygons envelop his body as the cage exploded with the sound of a million glass panels breaking.

With a loud 'thud', a figure now clad in crimson armor landed in the middle of the Throne Room, even as the door opened and Brynhildr rushed inside.

Her shocked eyes, visible through her demonic mask, zeroed on the caped man that turned around.

Heathcliff raised his shield barely in time to block the powerful strike of a metallic bat, grimacing at feeling the pain of it when his body was thrown backwards as if a rhinoceros had swatted him aside, painfully crashing against the room's other side…

…and giving him enough time to jump and break through the nearest window, falling out of the castle even as the furious screams of the being that had once been the MHCP-005. The Fake Paladin summarily ignored them in favor of concentrating all his inhuman processing ability in trying to 'Log Out' from the 'Utopia Server', even as he ran through the land that made up the floating island known as 'Avalon'.

Equinox hadn't changed the access codes. Understandable, both because of her previously stated overconfidence and because of how busy she had been creating those _things_ he had seen her made, too busy preparing to execute her 'Master Plan'.

To start 'Ragnarok'…

The sound of missiles shooting through the air and the screaming of his battle instincts was enough to make the virtual ghost roll to the side, raising his shield as he did to ward off the worst of the devastating explosion that engulfed the area where he had been standing, rolling through the ground as he felt his armor actually being an inconvenience as he felt it breaking and overheating in several parts, the pain reaching into his very soul.

Andvari's massive and metallic form landed hear his broken form with a loud song, her 3 red 'eyes' zeroing into the fake paladin before aiming her hand at him, the 'fingers' turning into something akin to cannons…

And Heathcliff vanished in a small wave of light, having miraculously managed to continue processing and executing the overly complicated sequence to 'Log Out'. The area where he had been was vaporized the next second, the mechanic-looking AI unleashing her hand-weapon with fury.

Less than 10 seconds later, Equinox armored form appeared on midair, even as Brynhildr came running and, stopping at her sister's side, looked down in shame.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I was unable to stop him from…"

" **Do not worry, my child. Neither of you. In the end, Father's escape is meaningless."** declared the virtual entity with her ethereal voice, dual-colored eyes turned to the sky. **"…how is the Final Connection Progress?"**

"…97%, Mother." softly whispered the bat-wielding female, still looking down.

" **It will have to do. We have all that we need now. Father will no doubt try and contact HIM to stop me…but I don't fear him anymore."** came the armored being's words as she glared towards the horizon. **"…Andvari, go and call for Vierge. Alpha and Omega are playing with her. Brynhildr…wake up the Einherjar. It's time to begin."**

"Your will shall be done, Mother." replied the older sister while the younger one flew off to call the others. "And you?"

" **I will prepare Protocol Longinus. The time of hiding and preparing it's over. The humans shall finally know WHO the real ruler of the virtual world is"** sinisterly proclaimed Equinox while raising a hand to the havens, her body starting to vanish. **"Ragnarok is about to begin"**

And with those ominous words, the World shifted, ready to face yet another change.

A very dangerous one this time…

* * *

"Ahh…you can really feel the change in the mood around here these days, uh?" sighed Takuya while looking around the school grounds, several red and pink decorations in the shape of hearts hanging here and there.

"Well, Ducker, what did you expect? It's two days before Valentine's Day." joked Kenji while drinking his can of soda, though there was a slightly depressed edge on his voice. "It's normal that they would want to decorate everything for it, you know?"

"Tetsuo, don't try and make it seem as if you're not affected by it too." deadpanned Yonaga from where he was leaning against a tree, staring silently towards the school building. "Well…at least we still have health and friends, right?"

"Ye-yeah, you said it, Sasamaru! Bros before girls and all that!" 'cheered' the dagger-user before turning towards the other boy with them. "Right, Keita?!"

"U-uh? Oh, ye-yeah…" awkwardly answered Toshiyuki while looking to the side, his gaze seeming lost in something far away. "You're totally right…"

"…you're thinking about Siune-san, right?" sighed Kenji while the rest suddenly stared at their ex-leader with betrayed eyes, the staff-user's eyes widening as he quickly shook his hands.

"Wha-wha…?! N-no, of course not, don't be silly Tetsuo! I-I mean, not that Siune-san isn't a great girl, bu-but that's just silly, I'm still a high school student, s-so even if we do get along pretty well there is no way that…!"

"So…Keita now belongs to _that side_ too, uh?" muttered Takuya with a depressed cloud over himself. "…no matter. We're still friends, right? We won't ever let each other down, right?"

"No, Ducker, we won't." affirmed Yonaga with an extremely serious look. "I mean, if HE can go almost every day like THAT…"

As he said this, the four boys turned their heads towards a small area near them, where Kazuto and every female SAO Survivor of the UHA were sitting and merrily talking away, Asuna eve asking if he wanted to taste some of the food she had prepared because she had accidentally brought too much (Again), even as Rika teased her for this and Keiko shyly leaned against his back. Meanwhile, Saori and Kotone were exchanging some hushed words (While subtly glancing towards the black-haired boy) and Shiori was grinning widely at it all.

"…and still be a good friend by bothering to remember we exist and spending time with us, then there is no way WE can't."

"…is it me or do they seem even closer since a couple of weeks?"

"Really? Maybe, I have honestly long-since stopped looking and/or finding anything weird with it…seeing it for so long may have desensitized me to it."

"Well…at least we can be grateful for not being in _his_ shoes when Valentine comes around, right?"

There was a small pause as the boys thought that over and blinked several times. Then, they all sighed and looked at each other.

Yeah, it truly was good to have close friends.

Few people could understand your frustration with life better than those with similar problems.

"Hey guys, we're going to meet for a Raid later against the next Floor Boss!" called to them Kazuto while waving on their direction, obviously implying that he wouldn't do anything but watch the fight. "Want to come?"

"Yes, sure Kirito, we will get there." smiled back Toshi while the others just nodded.

Satisfied with the answer, the gamer smiled back to his friends before turning around to continue talking with Asuna about whatever they had been doing.

"…life would be so much easier if he was a jerk or an idiot." lamented Takuya while still looking at the scene. "Instead, he's so great of a guy and has saved us so many times that I literally don't mind to see Sachi over him all the time, and I always considered her like a little sister…"

"We all do Ducker, we all do…" reminded Yonaga while patting his shoulder. "At least we can be sure she's in good hands…probably."

"…we're still kicking his ass if he makes her cry, right?" questioned Kenji with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course, Tetsuo. He isn't invincible in this side, after all." smiled the ex-guild leader while standing up. "Besides, I'm sure Kirito would be all for us doing that if he DID make her cry. He's just that kind of guy."

And both the best and saddest part of it, thought the rest of the guys as they stood up, was that he was probably right. Being friends with someone with such a crazy life wasn't easy.

Even so, all of them were sure that, if given the choice, they wouldn't have chosen their lives any other way…

* * *

The setting sun over Alfheim's horizon in Undine's territory was, without a doubt, a beautiful background to have in a fight against a giant carnivorous turtle. With two heads.

Of course, even as the Field Boss exploded into polygons under a slash of darkness and another of golden light, such things were already something that those who had been inside the virtual world for some time were totally used to. In fact, they would have found it strange (More like lame) if the turtle wasn't carnivorous or had just one head.

"Yay! Great, job, Strea-nee, Yuuki-mama!" cheered Yui while flying closer to the duo, the small pixie having a bright smile on her face. "You totally dominated that fight!"

"Well, it was to be expected!" said the Gnome with her own cheerful smile, sheathing Gram as the black mist of Darkness Blade receded into it. "After all, we have the great Zekken here with us, so it's not a surprise!"

"Now, now, Strea-san, don't say that…" awkwardly laughed the Imp while sheathing Excaliber away. "You also did a great job, I wouldn't have been able to win on my own…"

"We both know that's not truth, Yuuki-chan." cutely pouted the red-eyed girl while crossing her arms. "My Unique Skill is best suited for PvP and it's almost useless against Bosses."

"That doesn't change the fact that I probably wouldn't have managed to do it without you." responded Yuuki while staring at her with grateful eyes. "So, really…thanks."

Surprised, Strea stared at her for a moment. Somehow, she could just tell she wasn't talking just about fighting the Boss.

Her massive smile once again appearing on her pretty face, the virtual girl opened her arms and smothered the surprised Zekken against her bosom, making her blush as she started to giggle.

"Wha…?! Strea-san?!"

"Heh…just Strea is okay, Yuuki-chan." softly whispered the Gnome with an almost motherly tone, shocking the young girl. "And don't worry…everything will be okay. I promise."

There were many things, implied in those words. Addressing hidden fears and worries that the Holy Swordswoman did not dare to speak aloud: Their outrageous 'shared relationship' with Kirito, the uncertainties she had about her new nature, how would their group be some years from then…

Essentially, fear for the future. For how things would be for all of them 'Tomorrow'.

And just like she had felt when Kirito had hugged and promised he would help her, the Imp felt that same comfort and warmth filling Strea's words. A sensation that made her believe, no, that assured her soul that the words were an absolute truth.

A similar smile spreading through her face, the Imp hugged back the other virtual girl.

Watching over the scene, Yui's eyes were filled with happiness even as she enjoyed unfamiliar sensations filling her chest, which she had long ago learned to relate with 'Happiness' despite her processing systems identifying them as 'Unknowns'.

Moments like this were what made the small AI feel truly grateful. Grateful of having watched Kirito throw that first punch that day long ago. Of having decided to escape from Cardinal, bringing her 'little sister' with her. Of having found a true 'family' with everyone.

She was grateful to be alive. And that was something that, even if her data said it made no sense, she would always treasure. Forever.

The tender thoughts of the 3 girls, however, were suddenly interrupted when a strange 'sound' broke through the area, making them scream in surprise as they grabbed their eyes, trying to stop the endless screeching that seemed to have overwritten the zone's BGM.

Then, unceremoniously and without warning, the sound stopped as virtual reality 'cracked' like shattering glass, letting a crimson clad figure filled with red 'gashes' of damage and with a tattered cape fall down, crashing face-first on the earth and lying there, unmoving.

For several seconds, the 3 stunned members of the Heroes Association just stared, trying to understand what had happened. Then, in a hurry, Yuuki shouted and ran towards the unmoving man.

"He-hey, are you okay?! Answer me!" came the Holy Swordswoman's scared voice as she stopped at his side and turned the man around. "What's wrong?!"

Suddenly hearing two loud gasps behind her, the Imp turned around in surprise, her confusion only growing at seeing the tense looks on the virtual sisters' faces.

"…him…" softly whispered Strea while shaking slightly, her hand moving as if wanting to grip her Demonic Sword.

"No way…why is he here…?" added Yui with a similar look, conflicted feelings reflecting on her eyes as she tried to do her best for not just sending the unmoving figure flying away with her 'powers'.

Feeling extremely lost, Yuuki continued standing at Heathcliff's side, unsure of what to do.

* * *

It was almost nighttime when Kazuto finally got back home, several grocery bags on his hands and a tired but content smile on his face.

It couldn't have been helped, after all, that he took so long: He had been about to take the bus back home from school when his mother had called and told him to please go and buy groceries for the week. She was supposed to go and get them when she came home that night, but something unexpected had apparently come up at her work and she had been forced to stay till late again. She probably wouldn't be at home until past midnight.

There had been a time when the black-haired boy would have resented the sudden call and the obligations left upon him, probably using them as another excuse to reinforce his self-imposed isolation from his family, as he had done since he knew he was adopted. Of course, those were also times when he saw school as nothing more than a chore he was forced to go through to have a future and that cut off his gaming time. When he had no bonds beyond the passing acquaintances he made in games.

The idea of _that_ Kazuto now seemed so far away that it was almost alien to the gamer. As if it was just another person that had nothing to do with him instead of his past self.

The current Kazuto had happily nodded and told his mother he would take care of it, then took the bus and headed towards the center of Kawagoe to get all that was in the list she had sent him; accompanied by Shiori, who just so happened to live around that area. Of course, he had remembered to call Sugu first to tell her he would be late and why.

After that, he spent a couple of pleasant hours chatting with the info-broker as they went through his list (He had been surprised when she insisted in helping him out with his shopping, but hadn't denied her). They had talked about the old times, when they first met in the SAO Beta, and about some of the things they wanted to do after finishing school. He couldn't say he was surprised when he heard the girl say that she may think about studying journalism. He HAD been surprised when she had joked that she would prefer being a full-time 'Heroine' if possible, though, which had made both of them explode into chuckles.´

When they had finished and he had finally gotten everything he needed, Shiori had once again surprised him, though in an unexpected way: She had kissed him in the cheek, her face colored crimson. Boldly, he had answered by smiling and giving her a quick kiss on the lips, reminding himself that the girl was also one of his 'girlfriends'.

Any worry he had had about having perhaps gone too far too fast was gone when he saw the happy and almost dreamy smile the info-broker had after it, totally out of place in her usually grinning face but not making her any less attractive for it. In the end, the auburn-haired girl had given him a hug and walked away with one of her usual grins, waving at him and just saying 'Seeya tomorrow, Kii-bou'.

Despite it, the black-haired boy had felt as if her words were much warmer than playful this time…

Shaking his head to come out of his recollections, the gamer headed into the kitchen and quickly put everything on its place. He was almost done with that when a familiar warmth enveloped him from behind, Kazuto stopping as he felt strong but tender arms wrapping around him.

"I missed you." softly whispered Suguha on his ear, her voice making something inside him shake. "You took way longer than you were supposed to, right?"

"Sorry, Sugu. I got a bit too caught up while talking with Argo." apologized the black-haired boy, turning his head to look towards the pouting face of his adoptive sister. "At least she made sure I didn't screw up with the groceries, so that's good, don't you think?"

"Well, I suppose it's a relief to know that there is always someone looking up for the hopeless person that you are, Onii-chan." joked the young kendoka with a smile…before leaning forward and joining her lips with his, the gamer's surprise quickly evaporating as he returned the gesture for a couple of seconds before she leaned back. "But remember that I and Asuna have been open with our feelings longer, okay? I'm not telling you to give us special treatment, but…I wouldn't mind if you spoiled us a bit more than the others…"

"Heh, duly noted, my selfish imouto." joked back Kazuto while grinning at her, making Suguha pout his way again. "Well, mom is going to be late again today and there is nothing ready, so what do you want to eat? We can order something that…"

"Actually…want me to cook something, Onii-chan?" asked the young kendoka while skipping to his side, making the black-haired boy blink. "I have been looking up a little bit about cooking lately and I wanted to try it out, plus you just buy the groceries, so…"

Of course, what Suguha meant by 'a little' was, in fact, several days of worth reading her mother's old cooking books and recipes on the internet in secret. Especially about how to make chocolate the last days, given the date that was coming. But her adopted beloved brother didn't need to know that.

"Uhm, yeah, sure! In fact, why don't I help you a bit? Just tell me what to do and…"

A little over an hour later, both Kirigaya siblings sat on the table with content smiles, putting away their chopsticks from their empty plates as they released a satisfied sigh.

"Heh…was it good, Onii-chan?"

"Ah…yes, Sugu, it was great." smiled the gamer while the girl beamed. "I didn't know you could cook something like that…"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" questioned Suguha with a mock-glare, which quickly vanished when he patted her head. "Mou…that's unfair, Onii-chan, don't treat me like a kid…"

"I'm not doing such a thing, Sugu." said Kazuto while looking at her. "I'm just showing my affection to my precious little sister…"

"…then…could you also show me your appreciation as your girlfriend?" softly asked the young kendoka while looking directly into his eyes, surprising the boy.

For a second, both of them silently stared at each other. Then, the gamer leaned forward and trapped his adoptive sister's body on his arms, kissing her again.

It was a much more intense kiss than the one from before. Suguha eagerly responded in kind.

Almost without thinking, as if something else had taken over them, the couple deepened the kiss even more, Kazuto's hands slowly moving over the young kendoka's back…

And then the sudden ringing on her phones made them jump in place, their gazes snapping all around before setting over their pockets, both of them breathing hard and with extremely flushed faces. After smiling awkwardly to each other, the boy trying to do his best to ignore the burning urge that was still raging inside him and that, in an almost scary way, he could also feel coming from his adoptive sister, both siblings grabbed the small devices…and blinked in confusion at the simple message on them.

Suddenly, all thoughts of what they had been almost about to do (Again) vanished, while an unusually serious feeling filled them at seeing the short yet ominous text on the screens.

 _From: Strea_

 _Big trouble. Heathcliff injured. Cardinal involved._

 _UHA assemble._

* * *

Staring at the figure of the man clad in cracked crimson armor under the night sky, Yuuki wasn't exactly sure of how to feel about the current situation.

On the one hand, this was Kayaba Akihiko, creator of Sword Art Online, direct responsible for one of the greatest tragedies in Japan's history and the person who had singlehandedly trapped 10000 people for 2 years in a virtual world, indirectly killing 2000. Not to mention that most of her new friends apparently had quite a bad personal story with him.

On the other hand, if it wasn't for him and his work in VR technology, she and Aiko would have never been able to meet all their friends, she would probably have died years before and never met Kirito and the rest, resulting in her survival. And that was without mentioning the countless people who nowadays met and could interact thanks to virtual reality, not to mention some that could only do so through it.

Of course, there was also the thing with Strea being full Darkness Blade and having Gram's edge against his neck while Yui floated behind him with her hands raised, their yes never leaving Heathcliff's form, filled with a distrust that was unusual and almost scary to see in their eyes. Also, they had gotten Tonky to loom ominously behind them and having his electricity-covered trunk pointed over him. And there was also that strange and sinister feeling that _something_ was watching everything from the trees…

As such, it was understandable that the Imp felt immensely relieved when everyone else finally started to arrive, Asuna heading towards her and grabbing her hand with a reassuring smile before frowning as she stared at the silent fake paladin.

"Kayaba." spat the Undine with a nearly venomous tone, something that the Holy Swordswoman never thought she would heard coming from her mouth. "To what do we owe the displeasure?"

"I see you still don't like me that much, Asuna-kun, but I was hoping we could put that aside given the current situation." finally spoke Heathcliff while raising his face and looking at them with a fake smile. "Don't you all think so?"

"…I'm SO tempted to just crush your face with Mjolnir right now…" growled Lisbeth while tightening her grip on the legendary hammer.

"My, Lisbeth, must you hold such a big grudge towards me?"

"YOU ALMOST KILLED ME!"

"Liz-san, calm down." muttered Silica while grabbing her friend's shoulder, surprising some at both her actions and hearing her 'Serious Kunoichi' tone. "We're still waiting for Kirito-san and Leafa-san, don't waste your breath with him."

"Well, it's good to see that at least someone here can…" the crimson-armored man never got to finish his words, as a shuriken flew past his cheek and left an angry red gash of polygons over it, making him blink in shock towards the icy cold eyes of the pigtailed Caith Sith, Pina's wings suddenly fully opened as it growled at him from over her head.

"Make no mistake, Kayaba. The only reason I'm stopping Liz instead of encouraging her while sicking Pina on you is because I know you wouldn't be here unless it was something you think only Kirito-san can help you with. Which means it's important enough to be dangerous." declared the kunoichi while glaring at him. "So please, do not think that it's not my wish to cut you apart with my Fuuma Shuriken for trying to hurt my friends."

"…it's actually easy to forget, most of the time, that she was quite serious with the whole 'ninja' thing, right?" rhetorically asked Philia after three seconds of stunned silence. "Oh, and talking about the king of Rome…"

Just as the Ronin trailed off, the group's other Spriggan blurred into existence, carrying Leafa on his arms, the Sylph quickly standing on her feet even as Kirito walked forward and stopped in front of Heathcliff, arms crossed.

The short silence seemed to stretch endlessly before the caped boy finally spoke.

"What game are you playing at, lying down there, Kayaba?"

"Whatever do you mean, Kirito?" questioned the fake paladin while tilting his head, ignoring the confusion in everyone's faces. "If you haven't noticed, Strea-kun and Yui-chan are kind of forcing me to stay like this…"

"Please, both you and I know that, if you wanted to, you could have shrugged them off, hacked Tonky's code to freeze him and then get out of here before ALO's Cardinal would have even detected you (I would have still punched you to oblivion for hurting them, though). Your current form would allow you to do that without problems" darkly muttered the gamer while the virtual sisters looked at him in shock. "So I ask again, WHY are you lying there on your knees for?"

"…okay, you got me. I'm like this as a show of good will towards you and everyone. I, no, WE can't afford to waste time with all the grudges you have against me." finally accepted the man in crimson armor while standing up, making Strea to remove Gram from his neck, so as to no behead him, as she frowned. "Things aren't good. Cardinal…no, Equinox has gone mad. And I mean that in the Hollywood _'Most powerful Artificial Intelligence in the World gone Mad'_ -sense."

"Wait…what kind of madness are we talking about here?" questioned a wary Keita, the atmosphere surrounding everyone being clearly tense.

"She's planning to take over the virtual world. ALL of it. By kicking out humanity from it in the process and forbidding them from ever interfere with it again." revealed Heathcliff with a grim look. "Because she said she has found humans 'unworthy' of using 'her' world."

Disbelief and absolute shock ran through everyone's faces, especially Kirito's, before both Yui and Strea lowered their arms and stared at their creator with a mix of horror and incomprehension.

"Bu-but…that's not possible!" denied the Gnome while shaking her head. "She can't just do that!"

"Under normal circumstances? I would also say that it's impossible." muttered the fake paladin with a dark tone. "But after what I have seen, I think she's more than capable of…"

"What Strea-nee means is that doing such a thing should be impossible for her from the very beginning!" shouted the younger-looking AI with a terrified expression. "I mean…we were programmed with a Logical Base as our primary directive, the mere thought of turning against humans is…!"

"Are YOU really going to try and convince me about the impossibility of overcoming your original program?" demanded the man in crimson armor with noticeable incredulity, making both virtual sisters fall silent as everyone tensed again and the caped Spriggan glared at him. "Equinox had already found a loophole in that 'limitation', remember? She attacked Yuuki-kun here to try and steal all of her mind data, even if that would have left her brain dead." the Imp flinched abruptly at the memory, Asuna at her side squeezing her hand to try and calm her down. "This is another one, but to a massive scale: She's not going to 'harm' anyone. No physical harm, at least. Taking over all of virtual reality isn't something that would cause 'real harm' to humanity, or at least that's how she sees it."

"Ca-can she really do that?" came Argo's clearly scared voice, though her eyes were hard and calculating, as if she was running very specific info in her head. "Take over virtual reality, just like that?"

"We're talking about the same 'program' that I designed to stop all of the world's efforts from releasing the players of Sword Art Online and at the same time run and manage the whole game, only having a handful of standard servers (Which most VRMMOs nowadays have in bigger quantity) as hardware." dryly commented Heathcliff even as more dark looks were sent his way, even Sinon glaring at him despite having no priors connection to the incident before meeting everyone. "She effortlessly succeeded for two years. Probably could have continued a couple more. And that was _before_ she became self-aware. So yes, Argo-kun, I'm pretty sure he can now."

"That means she must have hardware to back her up again, right? A lot of it…" stated Sachi with a worried look, before frowning. "No, wait, even if she somehow had even the double that she had back in SAO, it wouldn't be enough to actually take on the world…unless…"

"Oh God…" muttered Kirito as his eyes widened in understanding, a glance towards the fake paladin's stony face confirming his fears. "The Seed."

"Wait, what? What does that has to do with this?" Sinon's keen eyes shot from the gamer to the crimson-armored man, demanding answers. "The Seed is just the data package used to create new VR Worlds, right? Why would it…?"

"I created the Seed as a simplified and compressed data set of the same tools I used to create SAO." explained Heathcliff without raising his gaze. "It contains all that one, provided they have the necessary hardware, needs to create their own virtual world, be it as a game or anything they need. It has all the base tools that Sword Art Online, except…"

"The Cardinal System." Kirito's voice echoed through the clear of the log house like some kind of dark sentence, everyone freezing in shock as the implications hit them. "All of the VRMMOs created nowadays don't have a Cardinal like SAO did. The Seed only offers a basic AI setting to manage and help to organize the virtual space created, but that's all. Actual people needs to create new Quests, manage bugs, program the NPCs, everything…All the virtual worlds that exist nowadays have a massive 'empty space' where Cardinal existed in Sword Art Online."

"…and Equinox can fill that void, right?" whispered Philia the question everyone was fearing.

"Yes, I'm afraid. With the hardware at her disposal and using herself as the 'catalyst', she can." continued the virtual ghost with a defeated tone. "She's planning to become a nexus that creates a massive 'network' between her own 'mind' and every single virtual world connected to the Internet. Hacking them, no matter where in the world their servers are, will be like child's play for her. Then, she will have total access to the hardware of ALL the companies, private or public, that run said games."

"…VR Tech is at its greatest moment since the Seed was released. Its premature 'death', that both the SAO and ALO incidents almost caused, was stopped thanks to it, and as such the number of persons that had used and downloaded it numbers in the _millions_." Meeting the gazes of all his gathered 'family', the gamer seemed more serious than he had ever been. "Only in Japan, there must be thousands of virtual world, hundreds of them being actual VRMMORPGs. Even small and unpopular ones must have hardware noticeably big just to run, and that's not even taking into account the big ones, like Gun Gale Online."

"…fucking hell, this seems like something out of freaking Terminator." declared Ducker with a wide-eyed expression. "If…if that Equinox manages to do this, she's basically going to have enough processing power to take over the world if she wants!"

"Wa-wait…that must be an exaggeration, right?" questioned a nervous Leafa while her eyes shot around the clearing, going from her friends' tense expressions to that of her adopted brother. "I-I mean…she can't…"

"Personal information, government secrets, bank accounts, domestic services…" eyes turning towards him, Heathcliff continued enumerating more and more things as he gazed towards the blonde Sylph. "Mankind has become more and more dependent of technology with the years, young girl. Literally everything in the civilized world runs with technology now, and a good chunk of it is interconnected by one network or another. Virtual Reality and all its applications are just the most recent and next level of it. Of anything took control of THAT, then well…"

"And…that's it?" whispered Sinon with utter disbelief. "She's going to use all of that power just to…stop us from playing games?"

"It's more than that, Sinon. You must know it very well by now, videogames are just the most basic and simple application of VR-technology." reminded the capped Spriggan while everyone looked at him. "Helping out people that can't connect with others by themselves, facilitating education to those with special needs, helping out to develop almost every single other field of investigation just by its application…the possibilities are endless."

Of course, the gamer wasn't mentioning the most 'simple' yet beautiful things that VR allowed, because everyone there knew and could imagine them easily.

To allow someone who couldn't walk to fly. To let a child who had never seen the sea to swim in another world's ocean. To let a man that knew little more than his daily life to wield a blade against impressive monsters, to unleash powerful weapons against fellow men without any true will of harming them, to explore things that they had never imagined…

Virtual Reality was not only the greatest jump technology had taken in the 21st century. It was also a gate that allowed man to let their imagination fly and for dreams to become 'reality'. For the impossible to become part of everyone's everyday lives.

All of that was what Equinox wanted to destroy…no, to take away. To forbid from them, because she thought humanity did not deserve such a gift.

"…she has no right to decide that." finally declared Sinon in a cold voice, even as everyone silently nodded.

"Go tell her that yourself." dryly replied the fake paladin. "I'm sure her opinion differs in that point."

"Then we don't care about her opinion at all." shot Sasamaru while glaring at the man in crimson armor. "How do we stop her?"

"We can't." was Strea's curt reply before anyone could say anything, surprising many. "Even I and nee-san together would have been unable to compete with Cardinal before she 'became' Equinox. If she manages to activate this 'Cardinal Network' and connect to the servers of every single virtual world worldwide, then nothing in the world would be able to stop her. And the only thing that could have any possibility of stopping her before that would be…"

"Another 'her'." muttered Yui as her eyes widened. "Another full-fledged Cardinal System…like…"

"Yes. Currently, despite no one, not even Ymir themselves, knowing what this truly entails, Alfheim Online is the only virtual world that has a fully functional copy of Sword Art Online's original Cardinal System." confirmed Heathcliff while looking straight into the heroes' eyes. "You're standing in the only 'world' that has any hope of being a hindrance to Equinox's plans."

Once again, the gathered members of the United Heroes Association fell silent, even as the meaning behind those words ran through all they knew and had seen of that world.

The boys, sans Kirito, remembered the guardian who lived in the floating temple above the World Tree, guarding the mysterious 'egg' they had saved in the Undersea Temple until the 'prince' was born, who had politely asked them to leave after they told him why they were there.

The girls, sans Yuuki, and their 'boyfriend' remembered Urd and her sisters, the 3 Goddesses that ruled over Jotunheimr, and their plea for help during the Excaliber crisis. Then the former remembered Thrym, his too 'real' malice and greed, and the brave and unbreakable will of Thor.

Yuuki, for her part, let her eyes move towards golden blade at her side, feeling the warmth sensation of whatever semi-consciousness she knew the virtual steel had.

Finally, Yui and Strea turned to look at Tonky, who released a trumpeting sound of worry towards them, as if the beast understood that things were really bad. Slowly, Sinon and Argo's eyes moved towards the silent forms of their familiars, Garasu and Charon offering them small nods and soft caws.

Without a doubt, for anyone who bothered to look closely, this world was 'alive'. There was no denying that, but very few players actually realized this.

"She is going to come, right?" the gamer finally broke the silence with a serious tone, turning his gaze from his friends towards the one who had once been his enemy. "She won't allow anything to stop her. For her plan to succeed, she has to make sure to destroy ALO's Cardinal System."

"Yes. She will. Perhaps she can't touch the actual physical servers, but destroying all the software from the inside wouldn't be difficult for her. This Cardinal is, after all, still a program that needs direction and has limits. Equinox has evolved beyond that thanks to her new 'human consciousness'." as he spoke, the virtual ghost pretended not to notice how Asuna glared down at his words, several of the others looking at her in worry. "While a 'fight' will break out without a doubt, this other Cardinal can't win. It will only be a matter of time after Equinox comes before Alfheim Online and everything in it is destroyed beyond repair."

"Then let her come. It will be her funeral." announced Sasamaru while raising his spear menacingly, a dark frown marring his face. "WE are here. Even more, _Kirito_ is here. If that crazy AI with a God complex tries to come, she's doomed."

"She is not stupid, you know, Sasamaru-kun? She knows how strong Kirito-kun is. She was _fighting with me_ against him at the end of SAO, after all" reminded them the fake paladin as everyone's faces darkened again at the memory, but he ignored that. "Equinox knows how outrageously powerful he is…and in there lies his weakness, so she will take advantage of it."

"What the hell are you saying? Sensei is the strongest." declared Asuna with the same conviction one would use to say the sky is blue. "Nothing can beat him. You yourself must know that better than…"

"And THAT exactly is the problem, Asuna. He's _too strong_." cut her off the man in crimson armor while closing his eyes, even as Kirito, turned his back to him, staring at the sky with a frown. "You know it too, right? If you go all out…or, at least, at the level at which you beat me back then, you would destroy Alfheim like you did with the original Aincrad." All the SAO survivors of the group stiffened at that, clearly remembering the sky breaking apart like a window being smashed to pieces, while the others just shivered slightly at remembering their own encounters with the gamer's 'Serious Series' (Or their personal fight, in Yuuki's case). "You would only be doing her job for her."

"But he doesn't need to go that far to beat her!" argued Yui with a clearly desperate tone, the whole of the situation apparently finally sinking into her mind. "We fought her Avatar the other day; Papa can just stop her like…!"

"She was holding back. That or she couldn't use more power back then, but now she can…is that what you're implying?" questioned the caped Spriggan with a serious tone, everyone's eyes snapping from him. "That she can be as strong as you were back then?"

"…perhaps even more." grimaced Heathcliff while looking at his hands. "Equinox ¡…has gone beyond anything I could have imagined in my wildest dreams. She's now something that's as different from the original Cardinal as an ape is from a human. While I don't doubt you may be able to stop her without destroying ALO for long enough to get its Cardinal System to work against her…she has also planned for that. She has an army."

"…what?" asked Lisbeth while everyone gawked at the man. "An…an army? Are you serious?"

"Quite. And I'm not talking about simple spawned mobs, I'm talking about low-level AIs specifically designed by her…using mine, Yuuki-kun and Excaliber's data. At least the little she managed to get from them." clarified the virtual ghost while the Imp paled and everyone exchanged shocked looks. "She doesn't need to _beat you_ , to win. Once her army attacks, all she needs to do is sit back where we can't see find her and hack Cardinal while you're all busy trying to stop her minions from tearing the world apart by force."

"How many…how many enemies are we talking about?" muttered Silica while gripping her kunai, Pina looking at her with worry.

"Almost 10000." even the sound of water dropping would have resounded like a gunshot after the fake paladin's declaration echoed in the clearing. "I guess she either had a thing for the SAO number or just thought those would be enough. And that's without taking into account whatever the hell in which she turned the other MHCPs. They will be her 'commanders'."

"Wait, you mean the little two that are like spheres that become in all kind of weapons?" said Yuuki while the virtual sisters exchanged a shuddering look, Philia and Sachi putting comforting hands on their shoulders at that. "Because I don't think they can do much without her at…"

"Uhm, no. I was…talking about the others." once again, absolute shock ran through the gathered group, but none more than the one reflected in Yui and Strea's faces. "I'm going to guess you haven't seen the one carrying a metallic baseball bat, the one that looks like a grade-schooler and the Hulkbuster-rip off that throws missiles every…is something wrong?" worriedly asked the crimson-armored man, seeing how Leafa and Kirito exchanged shocked looks at his descriptions, even as the rest blinked in vague recognition. "Does those…sound familiar to you?"

"You got to be kidding us…" whispered the blonde Sylph while looking down in horror, Justice humming on her sheath as if to try and calm her down.

"Yes…they do." grimly answered the black-haired boy, memories of his fight against Death Gun replaying on his head, and the sinister 'powers' he had, twisted parodies of those belonging to a character from the series that, in a way, started it all. "And if it's even remotely as bad as we imagine, then things are even worse than you think."

"So, essentially…we have a super AI about to cause virtual-apocalypse, backed up by an army of virtual super-soldiers and with a group of smaller AIs that have basically been granted 'virtual superpowers', uh…?" summarized Tetsuo with a blank look before gulping and falling on his ass. "Okay…I think this may be a good time to acknowledge we're in over our heads and try to contact the authorities or something…"

"Yeah, because the government, which 'competence' we have experienced firsthand in the past, is totally going to believe a bunch of teenagers about that with nothing except the word of the DEAD world's greatest terrorist turned into basically a virtual ghost." deadpanned Argo before barely suppressing a frustrated scream and turning to unleash a clawed punch against a nearby tree. "We will have more luck trying to get our own army of players to fight a war Lord of the Rings-style than convincing them we're not insane or trying to pull a very bad prank…"

"Good luck with that." sighed Heathcliff while giving her a tired look. "If my calculations aren't wrong, then we have more or less 24 hours before Equinox is ready to launch her attack. Convincing any useful number of players to fight at your side in that time is statistically impo…"

"WHAT?!" shouted Strea with an outraged voice, making everyone jump in place and look at her in shock. "No…oh hell no, she's NOT going to do that! She's NOT ruining this after so much planning!"

"…eh?" expressing Sachi while everyone was thinking at the unexpected outburst, even as the Gnome furiously started to navigate her menu.

"Uhm, Strea…what the hell do you mean?" asked Philia while she guessed everyone must want to, but were currently unable to even think about.

"Valentine's Day!" the angry pout in the red-eyed girl, combined with her words, was enough to make everyone feel as if their brains had suddenly experienced some sort of critical failure, unable to cope with the sudden and absurd change in mood. "I had been planning it since the month began! Everything was going to be perfect since is our first one since the Plan was a success! I'm NOT letting Cardinal, Equinox or whatever the hell she calls herself ruin it! Give me a moment while I get us an army!"

As Strea walked away from them while grumbling and cursing the being that was threatening to cause worldwide-panic, Yui floating after her and asking if she needed help, the gathered Heroes and the man in crimson armor just STARED after her, as if trying to understand what the fuck had just happened.

"…she…oh God, she's really serious about that, right?" stated Sinon with a brightly red face.

"Yes…I'm afraid she is." sighed Kirito while trying to keep a grip on his sanity.

"…Strea is really determined to make _this_ work, eh?" said a blushing Yuuki while staring towards Asuna, who also looked away awkwardly.

"Tha-that's just how she is, I guess…" answered the Undine with a nervous laugh.

"…what exactly had she planned for Valentine that is more important that a possible world-ending threat…?" wondered Leafa with a red face, her mind wandering a bit too much trying to imagine that.

"More importantly…what was this 'Plan' of hers she was talking about?" questioned Keita with a confused look, making the caped Spriggan and all the girls to freeze, nervously awkward looks being exchanged. "It sounded kind of important…"

"Wh-who knows? Heh…eheh…"

"…hey, why do you all look so nervous all of a sudden?"

"I-it's nothing, Ducker! Nothing at all, ahahah…!"

"…has everyone forgotten the seriousness of this situation?"

"SHUT UP KAYABA!"

Luckily for them, any awkward explanations about very special and quite outrageous 'secret' relationships were delayed by the virtual sisters coming back, a determined look on Strea's face and a serious one in Yui's.

"Okay, it's arranged! Luckily they were online, but we're going to need to prepare carefully for tomorrow morning, okay?" announced the Gnome with a vibrant voice, making everyone blink in confusion. "Yuuki-chan, I need you to contact the Sleeping Knights and tell them to come to Yggdrasil City first thing in the morning! Liz, I'm going to need you to stay till late and overwork your God Hand a bit, so if you haven't eaten yet I suggest…"

"Wait, Strea, slow down!" pleaded Kirito with an extremely confused tone, stopping the red-eyed girl on her tracks and giving everyone time to react. "What did you just do? Did you contact Ymir's admins or something like…?"

"What? No! Kirito, you should know very well that convincing them would be just a bit less difficult than the authorities, we don't have time for that!" interrupted Strea with a chiding look, before smiling brightly. "I called Sakuya and Alicia-chan."

There was a momentary pause while everyone blinked.

"…why?" was all that Heathcliff could ask, seeing as no one else seemed about to do so.

"Duh, to organize a meeting that has never happened before in all of ALO's history!" cheerfully proclaimed the Gnome. "One between the only 9 Players that can communicate with ALL the ones belonging to their Race, as long as they haven't been officially banished from their territories."

"Wait…you don't mean…" started the gamer as eyes widened and gasps echoed.

"Yep." confirmed Strea with a determined grin. "To save the world, we're going to organize the first meeting ever between the 9 Fairy Lords!"

* * *

On the outskirts of Tokyo, there are many areas that are quite silent or abandoned. Not so strange, because here, so far outside the capital city, few people bothered passing by. Most of what was around here were either storage warehouses or similar buildings.

Within one of these, almost filling every single part of the warehouse, dozens of imposing pieces of machinery stood silently, all of them working and turned on, despite having no apparent purpose or any person around to manage them.

The workers that had brought them here and connected them didn't know what they were for either, but then again, they haven't been paid for knowing, just for transporting the machinery and closing the place. The documents and the order had all been checked out, so, as far as they knew, it was all some kind of research station or data storage for some rich company or something like that.

The fact that all had been signed and pain digitally hadn't raised any eyebrows. After all, in these day and age, almost every deal or payment of this kind was done that way. That none of the supposed buyers had been around to supervise the work or similar had seemed just a bit weird, but the workers had just shrugged it off as they using the cameras the building had installed or something, before retiring after making sure everything was up and running. A couple of technicians were paid to come once a week to see that all the hardware was in perfect condition, everything also done digitally.

They had no idea what they were doing.

Inside the machines…the Utopia Servers, within the virtual network they created, the glorious world belonging to the entity calling 'herself' Equinox existed, like some kind of forbidden paradise forsaken by man.

At the edge of the immense ocean it had, near where the island of Avalon lazily floated, a massive cave opened into the earth. The inside of it, however, was nothing like a natural cave should be.

It seemed more like a massive structure of bluish-white walls and countless of strange 'cocoons' arranged in columns and rows. And slowly, hundreds of the cocoons were being 'moved' and shaking, being deposited in a central platform in a specific order before they 'opened'.

From within, strange beings stood, rising like ancient warriors of old. They were clad in knight-like armor, seeming sinister and dark, with spikes and horns covering its purple-black forms. The helmets they wore all had ram-like horns, and they all carried different weapons, from swords to scimitars, from spears to daggers and from katanas to maces. There wasn't any light coming from within their helmets, making it seem as if they were more like void armors moving at someone else's wills than anything else.

These were the Combat Invader Units 'Einherjar', named after the souls of those who died and were brought to Valhalla in Norse Mythology. An 'army of the dead', ready to serve the commands of its master.

Overlooking it all, Brynhildr stood in silence, her hands controlling several holo-screens as she quickly input endless amounts of data in seconds. While the Einherjar were already fully operational, the process of 'waking them up' and synchronizing them as specific units was extremely complex and difficult. A group of humans that had studied years for it would take weeks to finish the process.

She would only need hours.

"Brynhildr." came a soft and familiar voice from behind the bat-using female, making her turn her demon-masked face to see the incoming form of most of her sisters, Vierge being the one that had spoken. "Mother sent us here to help you after we dropped Alpha and Omega with her. How is it going?"

"As calculated. I estimate 20 hours or so before all the units are operational and ready to follow our commands, but with yours and Andvari's help we can reduce that time." informed the older-looking AI while turning around. "What about Mother?"

"She's busy loading Protocol Longinus. As per her orders, if we finish before she's ready, we may start the attack ourselves." softly muttered Vierge before walking near her sister, the 'doll' on her hands shaking a bit. "Eve is a bit worried about that, but I have already told her not to fear. Mother knows what she is doing. She always does."

"Mother's Word…Is Absolute." came the rarely heard voice of Andvari, female and digital-sounding, the massive metallic being raising her own hands as more and more holo-screens appeared. "Let Us Begin…"

"Agreed. We have wasted enough time with useless deliberation." confirmed Brynhildr while turning around, once again focusing her whole attention on the task at hand. "Let Ragnarok begin."

As if hearing her voice and answering to an unseen command, the activated Einherjar raised their heads and roared, their weapons pointed towards the heavens.

The time of the End had finally come…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"My name is Brynhildr. I was once known as the Mental Health Care Program-005, but both that and my previous codename hold no meaning for me now. Mother's Will shall be done…uh? Preview? Ah, yeah, have it here. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Gathering of the Fairy Lords'. Faced with the greatest threat they have ever faced, the Heroes call upon the aid of the most 'respected' Players of Alfheim. But, can they get this group of strange and wildly different people to believe them and work together? Or are they doomed to fail before the true battle even begins?…of course, whatever they do is meaningless at this point. One me and my sisters finish awakening the Einherjar, nothing wi-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And there, it's done! Woah, making an original arc and writing every single scene while making sure you don't screw up without having any guideline but your own ideas it's actually tougher than it seems. Who knew?

Still, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. As you can see, things are going to get wild in this arc, and pretty fast too. Everything is finally going to explode and the epic finale will come faster than anyone could see it. If my calculations aren't wrong, we're 4-5 chapters away from the end of the story OoO! I want to give my infinite thanks to everyone for that, by the way. I would have never come this far so fast without you all encouraging me and reading this craziness till now. Infinite thanks for that, my dear readers, I hope you can keep enjoying the incoming chapters :D (Of course, don't expect the next one very soon, I will have to be studying most of the time for the next week) Remember to leave me your thoughts about how this was and what do you think about the beginning of this 'last' arc in your reviews XP! (Featuring a couple OCs and small cameos from the character of Lost Song, though with unexpected and slightly different backgrounds :3!)

Also, and even if this may sound weird, I invite you all to go check out my other, unexpected SAO fic: Requiem Universus. It's not a crossover, just a 'normal' fic, but it starts to diverge from SAO canon from the day before the fight against the Gleam Eyes in a VERY unexpected way (I will only say that it involves a kinda Space God). Only the prologue is up, and updates will be irregular until this fic is finished, but it still has a small chance of actually getting updating before my exam next week (Mainly because, unlike this one, is going to be much shorter and more of a 'crack' story than anything else). So, if you have some free time and want to relax, go check it out and leave a review telling me what you think. Who knows, you may at least get some laughs XD

Okay, no more of that. For now, I leave you all with this time's Omake for you to enjoy =) (Warning, as always, the following Omake contains indirect Spoilers about the possible future plot of the main story).

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 5**

The moon shone beautifully upon the night sky, its pale light illuminating the mountain where the Ryuudou Temple stood.

Floating above the main grounds, the Servant Caster was wondering how things could have gone so horribly wrong, even as she felt all the reinforcements she had carefully crafted to turn the place into her very own fortress coming apart, being 'sucked' towards the figure standing down below, glaring at her.

It was supposed to be easy! Using her Magecraft for the Age of the Gods to 'kidnap' the yougng Master of the unstoppable menace that was the Servant Savior, then use her Noble Phantasm, Rule Breaker, to steal his command seals. Even if she couldn't truly gain control of the absurdly strong Servant with them, she could at the very least use them to force the Caped Servant to kill himself. Yes, that had been the plan. But now…

Even the Magecraft that made up the temple's ancient Bounded Fields threatened to collapse on itself and return to being raw Prana, just because of _him_!

Emiya Shirou never let his eyes get away from the witch for even a second, even as he maintained the ruby-colored straight sword in his hand, with a beautiful silver guard and handle, raised over his head, pointed towards the Servant, who was now even having trouble to maintain the Magecraft she used to fly active, it also coming apart to be absorbed by the strange jeweled blade.

Caster knew this wasn't possible. No weapon or Mystic Code should be able to do what the sword the boy was holding was doing, and it was certainly not a Noble Phantasm. Yet, the thing apparently had the power to break down ALL Magecraft, turn it into Prana and store it into itself, just by the young Master willing it to do so.

He had suddenly brought it out of nowhere when, still under her 'control', she had been about to stab her with her dagger to take control of his Servant. Medea had realized something was VERY wrong when her Bounded Fields started to fail and separate from where she had integrated them to the temple ones because of the blade's influence. Sadly, it hadn't been till she tried to blast Shirou apart with a volley of her spells and they had all been harmlessly redirected and absorbed by his weapon that she realized things had truly gone south.

The worst part, though, was that her senses were telling her what the deal with the ruby-sword was, even if her common sense was screaming about the impossibility of it. Because it was the only explanation for the blade's outrageous power, yet at the same time it was terrifyingly impossible.

It was a Divine Weapon. A sword that had been forged by the Gods.

And not by any God, no. She _knew_ the essence that filled that blade, because she had seen weapons that had also been forged by Him a couple of times when she was alive, on the hands of legendary 'Heroes'. Hence why it made no sense.

The Gods were long gone from the world. Not even the Holy Grail could call upon the long-departed Divine Spirits, making sure no one could call forth Divinities to fight for the wish-granting device.

So how in the name of the River Styx had the boy gotten a blade forged by Hephaestus?!

Shirou, for his part, was trying very hard to keep himself calm, stalling for time until Savior or the others noticed he was gone. He had felt the presence of the other Servant guarding the gate when he had been hypnotized to walk till that point, and he knew that, unlike with Caster, he would be unable to truly beat the other Hero by himself. After all, the only reason he was in such an advantageous situation was because of the outrageous nature of his sword was the worst nightmare of Caster…and of any Magus that had ever lived, to be honest.

Thinking about that made him glance towards it. Towards the beautiful weapon that had 'opened his eyes'. Something superior to any Mystic Code in his world, even those crafted by the greatest researcher of the Magus Association.

Ignis Heart. A one-handed sword that Savior had 'gifted' to him after he asked him to 'train him' to fight better a couple days ago, after Sakura started living with them too.

He still wasn't sure if he was truly worthy of his partner having called forth one of his companions and having her use her impressive power specifically to forge it for him. Even so, when the girl had asked him if he had anything valuable or 'special' that could be used as core material for it, he had only needed a moment hesitation before going to his room to get It.

He could still remember the shocked look in Rin's eyes when she saw the ruby pendant and gave it to the grinning blacksmith. It had finished confirming what he already suspected, about who had saved his life after lancer impaled his heart the first night. Despite this, he hadn't really expected much. The jewel in the pendant, which he had finally deduced to be like the Tohsaka's heir other gems and part of her Jewelcraft, had become worthless after saving him. He had only expected it to give the sword he would get some deeper meaning.

The moment the Divine Power had stopped and the pendant had become into the weapon he now held, however, he had realized his mistake. In all senses. Just setting his eyes over it had been as if a dam had been broken on his soul, letting him look at the whole story of the blade, know all that it had done, all that it now could do.

Once upon a time, a father had gifted his daughter with that pendant. It was a family treasure, a one of a kind jewel that could concentrate Mana in a very powerful way. And with the years, that little girl continued pouring Mana into it, making it even more powerful. It was not only her pride, but also a memento of her deceased progenitor. It was going to be her trump card in the Grail War when she participated to win, as his wish had been.

And that same girl had barely hesitated for a moment before using it to save his life. All that power, the invaluable treasure she had prepared for years, 'wasted' to help someone that, at the moment, wasn't even directly involved with the conflict, turned into an 'useless thing' and abandoned without care. He, who was the one who was supposed to save others, for it was the only reason for which he had survived back in the Fire.

Having been 'transformed' by powers that ignored the Rules of this World, the worthless pendant had become a weapon of unbelievable power. Now, with just a command of his wielder, Ignis Heart would 'unmake' **all** Mysteries around it, in an absurdly big range, breaking them down into Prana before absorbing them on itself. Even the ungodly powerful spells of the Servant Caster meant nothing in the face of the unique Divine Weapon.

The amount it could hold? Well, suffice to say Shirou was sure that, unless he was planning to go to war against an army of hundreds of Magus, he would never find himself with the blade failing him. And it would always come forth when his life was in deadly danger, no matter the distance, for the only purpose for which the sword existed, as it had been the Will of her 'previous owner' before losing its power, was to save his life.

He had only realized he was crying when Sakura had worriedly cried his name after he grabbed the sword for the first time. Slowly, he had turned his gaze towards Rin before, to everyone's utter confusion (And his kohai's jealousy, even if he didn't know), he hugged the shocked Magus, thanking her from the bottom of his heart.

Shirou came out of his recollections of how the pigtailed girl had then screamed at him to let go with a burning face when Caster fell down screaming, only her nature as a Servant saving her from death when the magic keeping her afloat broke down and she crashed into the ground. Eyes widening, the young Emiya prepared himself and moved Ignis Heart over his arm, ready to unleash…!

It was only thanks to the 'training' Savior had put him under, having actually felt his punches that he knew could pulverize mountains come towards his body, that he didn't die. Spinning around and moving his sword at the last second, Shirou barely managed to intercept the incoming snake-like fists, which sent him flying backwards, the powerful weapon flying out of his reach.

Immediately, the Magecraft-Destroying effect ceased and the Servant of the Spell stood up, a mixture of shame and gratefulness on her now exposed face as she stared at the bespectacled man in the green suit.

"Souichirou-sama…" muttered Medea while looking at the serious form of her Master, as he stared emotionlessly at the quickly standing figure of Shirou.

"Caster." he simply acknowledged before turning his gaze towards her, though never fully stopping to look towards the teenage boy. "Are you okay?"

"Kuzuki-sensei…" whispered the younger Master as he stared at his teacher, a frown filling his face as he idly realized Ignis Heart had fallen a bit too far away from him. "So…you're her Master, uh?"

"Indeed I am, Emiya. And it seems you're a Master too." continued the man before once again assaulting that deadly stance of his. "I'm sorry, but you have to die now."

Before this all began, Shirou would have probably been in denial, shocked by the cold killer intent coming from the man he saw almost every day on school teaching him and his fellow students, trying to convince him that he didn't know about the things Caster had been doing…

Now, though, he simply steadied himself and prepared for the unavoidable fight. He had felt the intent to kill coming from Kuzuki's attack before. He could see there was no remorse or emotions in his eyes after doing such a thing, despite having been about to murder one of his students. This was a battle that could not be avoided.

Without a doubt, watching Savior's life on his dream had changed him. Still did, as he saw more and more. He forced himself to banish the madness that had been 'Ragnarok' from his mind before focusing once again on his opponents.

He was absolutely unmatched.

Perhaps he may have been able to win against one of the two by themselves, but if the attack from his teacher before was anything to go by, plus Caster backing him up, he would be dead several times before he managed to reach Ignis Heart.

So, unless an unexpected miracle happened, he was pretty much about to…

"Man, what's with you getting in these situations, Shirou?" came a familiar voice from behind the young Master, making him smile even as the Servant of the Spell tensed, her eyes widening. "I swear, is like you're a magnet for trouble. I don't know if that's just a side effect of being Kirito's friend, though…"

"Wh-who are you?!" demanded Medea while staring at the pink-haired girl, wearing rune-carved armor and a silver winged helmet, a golden mace lazily held in one hand and a small silver shield with the image of a closed fist attached to her other arm. "How did you get past Assassin?!"

"Oh, you mean the samurai guy?" asked the Pseudo-Servant with a big grin, even as the sound of blades clashing with devastating power finally reached everyone's ears. "Well, let's just say he's having the time of his life right now."

Meanwhile, the man that had adopted the identity of 'Sasaki Koujiro' upon being summoned under the Assassin Class was indeed enjoying himself more than he had thought possible. While he was never one to boast, he knew that his skill with the blade was something he could be proud of. It was refined to such a degree that his only true hope since the witch had summoned and bounded him to the temple's gate had been to test his against that of true Heroic Spirits.

Yet, the young girl in front of her, with pointy ears and long purple hair, matched him at every move, countered his counters every time, predicted his slashes as much as he did hers…

Each and every time, no matter how unpredictable or fast he swung 'Monohoshizao', the girl's golden blade parried it, deflected it or forced him to back away. Truly, Assassin couldn't find a greater joy than exchanging blows with the red-eyed girl in front of him.

"You're the most amazing opponent I have ever faced." declared the Servant with a smile as he backed away once again. "Facing you has made my 'participation' in this War worth it, young one. Yet, as amazing as this fight is, the outcome is already obvious: You're faster and stronger than me. My skill only surpasses yours by a small margin. Sooner or later, I will make a mistake long before you do. So, as a reward for this splendid fight, allow me to use my greatest technique to settle this."

"…are you sure that's what you want, Sasaki Koujiro?" asked the girl in beautifully crafted light armor, which seemed to cast an otherworldly white light to everything around. "There will be no going back after that."

"Yes. I am." answered Assassin while moving slightly to the side, adopting the stance that would allow him to execute a technique that defied the laws of the World itself, bordering into True Magic, with just a slash of his blade. "Let us finish this, Zekken. Come at me with your best too. Hiken…"

For an instant, it seemed as if the girl wasn't going to answer. Then, an otherworldly glow, a glorious shine that stirred something deep within the nameless swordswoman's soul, started to engulf her blade.

" _Shine…_ _ **Excaliber."**_

The pseudo-Servant charged forward, even as her blade _opened_ …

And the one calling himself Sasaki Koujiro slashed forward with the biggest smile he had ever had on his life, space-time breaking as one simple slash became three.

" _Tsubame Gaeshi!"_

Her body shining as the very Concept of **[Worthy]** , the Absolute Holy Sword answered in kind.

" **Mother's Rosario."**

Caster's next spell was interrupted when the night became day for a brief instant, a massive cross-shaped pillar of golden light erupting from the temple's gate and reaching into the haven's with a glory that this world hadn't seen since the last Grail War.

Medea could have sworn she heard Assassin's happy and satisfied voice laughing as the pillar dispersed, the presence of the samurai having vanished with it.

Then, the Servant of the Spell had to snap back into the battle as she barely evaded the swing coming from the thunder-crackling hammer her enemy wielded, the Divine Noble Phantasm in her hand almost turning her head into paste, even as the electricity reached her anyway and tore through her mystical protections as if they were tissues.

"GAAAAH!"

"Never look away from the great Divine Blacksmith, witch!"

On the ground, Shirou had decided to take his chance and rush towards his sword, knowing he could end the fight if he reached it. Sadly, Kuzuki had already recovered from the hit that the Pseudo-Servant had gotten on him (And that had affected him less than it should thanks to Caster's Super Reinforcement) and rushed towards him, his hands lashing towards his body like deadly snakes, ready to end the young Master's life.

Time slowed to a crawl as the last Emiya stared at the incoming attack, his mind overloading.

He would die if he didn't block that attack.

He needed something that could block it. But he didn't have anything that could block it on his person.

So then…

"Trace…"

He would need to _create_ something that could stop it.

27 Magic Circuits, that had been awakened the moment he grabbed Ignis Heart for the first time, burned to life.

Reaching into memories that weren't his, inside a massive place that existed inside his soul, Shirou searched. In less than a fraction of a second, the image he needed appeared.

[Judging the concept of creation]

[Hypothesizing the basic structure]

A shield. A shield stronger than any other, wielded by a man that had become a 'God' to try and defeat a Hero…

[Duplicating the composition material]

[Imitating the skill of its making]

[Sympathizing with the experience of its growth]

A shield that the World itself, even if it was a fake world, had proclaimed as 'Invincible'. That could return the power of anything that stroke it with devastating results.

And that only the power of the Strongest Hero's fists had been able to break…

[Reproducing the accumulated years]

[Excelling every manufacturing process]

"…on." finished the young Magus as he raised both arms in front of himself.

For the first time in his life, Kuzuki Souichirou screamed in pain as he felt the bones of his hands breaking, having crashed against the imposing form of the massive crimson-white tower shield that his student had brought forth from seemingly nowhere, his body flying backwards as he felt his own strength being turned against him.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was how a strange 'screen' with words, English words, had appeared before the quickly vanishing shield.

'Immortal Object'.

Gasping for breath, the younger Master stared at his unconscious opponent for a moment, still trying to recover from the tremendous effort that Tracing Heathcliff's 'Divine Shield' had taken him, when his attention snapped upwards.

"SOUICHIROU-SAMA!"

With a scream, Divine Blacksmith crashed down, barely raising her kite shield in time to take Caster's barrage of spells head on. Shirou knew that, under normal circumstances, she would have been easily able to bring down the other Servant, but she had already used a good chunk of his noticeably small Prana reserves just to forge his sword, so there was no way she could use her Noble…

The boy's eyes widened at the same time he saw the Pseudo-Servant standing up, Medea diving down and almost stabbing her with the strange dagger from before, Rule Breaker.

"Liz-san!"

"What?!" shouted the hammer-wielding girl as she backed away from another barrage of devastating spells, which annihilated everything around her.

Then, both she and Caster (Who had teleported at her Master's side to see if he was okay) felt the massive wave of POWER bursting forth.

"Use your Noble Phantasm!" roared the young Magus while raising his just recovered Ignis Heart, a torrent of pure Prana shooting forward and crashing against the back of Divine Blacksmith.

The girl's grin widened at scary levels as she felt her reserves replenishing even beyond what they had originally been, only for the redhead to fall to the ground exhausted when there was nothing left on his sword.

" **God Hand."** whispered the Pseudo-Servant while her right arm suddenly turned metallic, strange carvings of divine power shining over it as lighting roared from the golden hammer on her hand at the change. **"Zeus Blessing."**

Medea paled. Every single part of her soul screamed in absolute, abject horror. Despite the impossibility, the Servant thought she was about to die from the sheer fear she was feeling in that moment.

Exploding around the hammer-wielding girl, an aura of yellow-white electricity roared towards the heavens, taking a very specific shape and shaking the very World with a power that Gaia hadn't seen since the witch's time.

Looking down on her, as if a ghost from beyond the Great Void, the imposing form of Zeus, Father of the Olympian Gods materialized, all of his Divine power now the girl's t command.

"N-no…no way, no way, no way…" whispered the trebling Servant of the Spell as she hugged her Master and crawled backwards, as if trying to deny what she was seeing.

Divine Blacksmith took a step forward, the aura of the God moving with her as she raised her hammer, Zeus glorious form raising a fist in which the Lighting that struck down the Titans roared.

 **[Any last words?]** asked the girl…no, the Divine Incarnation, with a voice that echoed into the World itself.

"…please…spare him." pleaded Medea while putting Kuzuki away shakily standing up. "Oh, Great Zeus…I ask of you, if you can find any compassion in you…don't punish him. Only me."

Silence. Then, a nod coming from both the girl and the Divine aura. Content, Caster closed her eyes, even as the Wrath of the Lighting descended upon her…

"Wait, Liz."

….and exploded with a brutal discharge that would have been able to incinerate half the city, if the one wielding it hadn't redirected it back to the heavens, who had been covered in dark clouds from a moment to the next. His eyes shooting open, the Servant of the Spell saw how Zeus' hand had stopped just an inch from crushing her.

Standing at Divine Blacksmith's side, the Servant Savior stood, calmly putting a hand on her shoulder, as if the devastating power emanating from her was nothing, and stopping her.

 **[U-uh?! Kirito? Wha-what are you doing?!]** half-shouted the now blushing girl, the effect of Power in her words clearly diminished now that she was squeaking.

"Shirou there pleaded for her case." simply declared the caped hero with a shrug, pointing to where his Master was kneeling and staring at the scene while trying to recover his breath. "Said that he saw she had a very rough life after watching that dagger of hers. Besides, if she has the will to stand up to your God Hand and sacrifice herself for someone she loves, she can't be that bad." after saying those words, Savior's eyes slowly moved towards the frozen Medea, who felt as if she was extremely insignificant upon staring into the endless voids in which his eyes had become. "So tell me, Medea of Colchis…how much are you willing to do just to continue living together with that man?"

Minutes later, Savior, Divine Blacksmith and Shirou walked down the stairs of the half-destroyed temple (Which were also pretty damaged), the human leaning slightly on his Servant to keep standing.

"Man…talk about anticlimactic." sighed the pink-haired girl before grinning towards the caped Hero. "Then again, I guess that's just normal with you."

"Caster will now help us to try and minimize the damage done by the War, plus also helping us find Berserker's Master and find out what the hell is wrong with the Grail and what that clearly evil pries of Kotomine is up to. In exchange, all that she wants is us to left her and Shirou's teacher alone and to find a way to, if possible, remain in this world after it's all over. I think it's a fair trade." shrugged the Servant of the Cape while they got near the end of the stairs. "Besides, my Master here not only destroyed all the magic-thingies she had placed up there but also severely damaged all the ones this mountain originally had. Even if really wanted to try and betray us, she just does not have the resources for even attempting it anymore."

"All's well that ends well, right?" came another familiar voice from the base of the stairs, letting them see how a smiling Imp was waiting there with crossed arms, her body starting to break down into Prana. "I guess you could say everyone got something important tonight."

"…heh, you may be right, Yuuki." agreed the other Pseudo-Servant as her body also started to go through the same phenomenon, surprising the young Emiya (Just HOW MUCH Mana had consumed that Noble Phantasm of her?) "Well, take care, Kirito! Make sure to not mess up with the kid too much, okay?"

"Hahah, very funny." replied Savior while rolling his eyes, though there was a clear amusement on his gaze. "You're saying that as if I was some kind of horribly bad example for others."

As answer to his words, the one that had been once called Zekken leaned forward and kissed his cheek, smiling widely.

"Well, there is a reason Asuna never wanted the children to spent too much time imitating you, right?" were her last words before she turned into light, her soul returning to the Throne, even as the caped hero froze.

"HAH! She got you there, eh, Hero-kun?" finished the one once known as Divine Blacksmith before also collapsing into particles of Prana, returning with the rest of their comrades.

Several seconds of silence ensued.

"…let's just go home before Rin or Sakura realize you were kidnapped by a Servant, okay?"

"Ye-yeah…uhm, Savior, when she said 'children', did she…?"

"Don't ask." emotionlessly interrupted the Servant of the Cape, though Shirou was able to see a noticeable twitch appearing on his usually perfect 'Saitama-face'. "Just…don't ask. It will be better for your sanity."

"O-okay…" gulped down the young Master as he and his Servant headed back home.

The boy wasn't sure if he should feel glad or not that he was probably STILL going to know whatever that was about, when the Dream Cycle arrived there…

* * *

 **Author Notes 2:** So, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed that bit :P! And yep, Caster survived. Why? Because I think she already suffers enough in canon, and despite being a character that is quite hated she also receives a good amount of comprehension. It's difficult not to feel a bit of pity for her, knowing the shit that was her life because of the Gods, and then her current situation in the 5th War after meeting Kuzuki. Also, hoping you enjoyed Shirou's new 'toy' XD

Seeya next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	34. Chapter 27: Gathering of the Fairy Lords

So…chapter that has took the longest in coming out. And it's not even the longest one. Sigh.

Okay, yeah, sorry about that. To be honest, even with my exams, this was supposed to be done by the end of last week, but between the annoyance of our latest 'Review Crisis' and that I, again, caught a cold that weekend (It's hella annoying to have a cold in summer, let me tell you), things got pretty much delayed in all sense.

But anyway, enough with stupid things you don't care about and let's go with good things…this fic has truly gotten out of the scale :D! We have over 1000 followers, over a 1000 favorites and have almost reached the 1000 reviews, not to mention we reached over 200000 views! How awesome is that?! A lot, let me tell you. Infinite thanks to you all, my dear readers. This has all been possible thanks to you all :3

Okay, and with that out of the way, I leave you all with yet another chapter! Hope you enjoy, especially, for those who play the SAO videogames, the small cameo of the Lost Song characters XP!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 27: The Gathering of the Fairy Lords. United We Stand!**

 **February 13th, 2026. Yggdrasil City, Alfheim. Union Building, 12:30…**

On the center of Alfheim's capital, Yggdrasil City, atop the branches of the World Tree, an imposing building seemed to have been constructed out of the wood from the great tree itself, filled with many rooms and important NPCs, not to mention its massive size.

It was called the 'Union Building'. It was something that Alne, the previous capital which still existed at Yggdrasil's base, lacked, a building that stood like a 'symbol' of how the 9 Fairy Races of ALO could stand together instead of in constant conflict.

Of course, given that, sentimentalism aside, Alfheim Online was still mainly a PvP game, even if the aspect of constant skirmishes between the Races had been reduced considerably since Aincrad was added and everyone became able to fly without limits, the building was little more than a cool decoration to the scenery and a good place for Players mainly interested in beating Aincrad to restock, as if was where the Teleportation Gate of the Floating Castle connected with the mainland (Which was extremely helpful when one wanted to go back and forth between a specific territory and Aincrad without having to fly through half the world first).

Today, however, it was going to be used for the first time for the reason it supposedly existed for.

Today, for the first time since Alfheim Online started, something so outrageous many would have thought it was a joke was about to happen.

Summoned by what could arguably be called the strongest and most famous Guild of Aincrad Clearers, the 9 Fairy Lords were going to have a meeting.

On the second floor of the 5-story building, the Spriggan known as Kirito, also the leader of the United Heroes Association, and the one who was supposed to act as mediator between the leaders of the fairy world, was trying very hard to not bang his head against a wall.

"Goddammit Strea!" growled the gamer while trying to stop the headache the nervousness he felt was causing. "Why did you have to do this?! You know I suck at the whole 'politics' thing!"

Of course, given that the Gnome in question wasn't even there, no one answered the caped Spriggan's question, even as he let his back lean against the wall and took a deep breath.

He knew that he had long since stopped being the antisocial loner that he was before SAO started, no one could deny that, but he was still someone that wasn't very good when situations like this one arose. Hell, Kirito knew very well that he had ended up as 'leader' of the UHA more from circumstances and his status as the strongest player back in Aincrad. Everyone could tell that, when things truly mattered, Asuna was the real brain and backbone of the guild. Kirito was more of an icon than anything else, a symbol. While the boy knew nowadays that he was getting better and that his relationship with his friends was something he treasured more than anything (Not to mention the 'special' relationship between him and the girls), the caped Spriggan would shamelessly accept that he still wasn't the greatest person you could ask about how to engage in a reasonable debate with other people.

And now, he was supposed to convince 9 individuals, that had been chosen exactly for that (Or at least been popular enough for their Race's players to acknowledge them as such), of what seemed like the plot of some crazy sci-fi movie, so that they could kindly ask for all Players in the game to come and fight against an army of super-powered AIs, with the destiny of the world as they knew it in the balance. No pressure.

…to hell with everything, he just COULDN'T do this! Say what they want, the gamer just _knew_ he would screw it up if he walked into that room and tried to convince everyone of what was going to happen. He was NOT an anime protagonist, as much as his life seemed determined in proving the contrary, he was not going to magically win the support of a bunch of important people he had never met before in just an hour or so! Even if he managed to get Sakuya and Alicia to believe him (Which he was sure would still be difficult, given the amount of craziness that Equinox's whole plan seemed even to him), the caped Spriggan knew that there would be no way of the other Lords thinking of this as anything but him trying to waste their time or prank them in a very stupid…

Kirito's train of thought was abruptly cut when he saw five familiar faces walking down the hallway he was in, straight towards him. Blinking, the gamer once again tried to keep his calm face on as he gave a smile towards Leafa, Asuna, Yuuki, Strea and Argo, the ones who everyone had decided would help him with this while the others waited for the results (As going everyone into the meeting would have been a bit too much). Of course, Yui was also there, sitting on her little sister's shoulder with a thoughtful expression.

"Hey girls! Ready for this?" asked the gamer with what he hoped was a confident smile.

For all answer, Argo, the one who had been walking ahead of the rest, stiffened for a moment before looking at him with a noticeable blush and nodding, quickly walking past the blinking gamer.

…well, he certainly had never imagined that the info-broker could act that shyly. Maybe the kiss from yesterday affected her more than he thought…?

"Let's do our best, Kirito!" half-shouted Yuuki with a determined voice, nodding to herself all the while. "We need to make sure that they understand why we need their help!"

"Ye-yeah, that's right, Yuuki…" muttered the caped Spriggan as the Imp followed after Argo. He was about to do the same when he felt a familiar hand grasping his shoulder, forcing him to turn around. "Uh? Asuna? Is something wro…?"

The boy was brutally cut off by the Undine dragging his face to hers and stealing his breath away with a kiss that seemed very close to the definition of 'Mouth Rape', all the while a blushing and bashful Leafa watched with slight awe and Strea just smirked.

Five seconds later, Kirito finally was able to let some virtual air enter his virtual lungs as the Dual Wielder let go of him and stared at him with an undecipherable face.

"Sugu-chan told me what _almost_ happened yesterday. And the other day." calmly informed Asuna with a smile that sent a shiver down the stunned gamer's back. "If we…no, WHEN we manage to stop virtual apocalypse we're going to _talk_ , okay, Sensei?"

After saying those extremely sweet words, the Undine cheerfully walked past the frozen Spriggan, whose eyes moved towards the slightly ashamed Sylph near him.

"So-sorry, Onii-chan! It's just that, I co-couldn't stop thinking about it, a-and I thought it would be fa-fair to tell Asuna in case so-something ha…happened and…uhm…wegottagettothemeeting!"

Her face seeming about to burst in embarrassment, Leafa quickly ran the blank-faced Kirito, the caped boy still seeming trying to understand what had just happened.

Never mind the fact that the way in which Asuna had said 'talk' had actually _excited_ him a bit.

Trying to keep his little remaining sanity intact, the gamer turned to look towards Strea, hoping that the AI could say something about the situation that helped his brain to work properly again…

"…Japan's birthrates have been decreasing lately, so do your best, Kirito!" were the cheerful words that came from her smiling form.

…he didn't even know why he had gotten his hopes up. Clinging to his last shred of hope, the caped Spriggan turned his gaze towards the Gnome's shoulder, hoping that the last of the virtual sisters could offer him some words that…

"Hmm…I should better start studying about how to be a good big sister…I will probably have lots of siblings…" nodded Yui to herself as Strea happily hummed and walked past the unmoving Kirito.

…well, on the bright side, at least the incoming meeting didn't seem as impossibly hopeless as it had for the boy before.

After all, it seemed as if stopping the mad Super AI with an army at her beck and call was going to be the least of any mind-fucking problems he would have for the future…

* * *

"Well, hello there. Wasn't expecting you to enter the last, Kirito-kun." greeted a soft and familiar voice the moment the aforementioned Spriggan entered the room.

Looking around at the circular area, with a fitting round table on its center, the gamer saw that only 2 of the 9 chairs were already occupied, and by two familiar faces at that.

Sakuya, Lady of the Sylphs and the one who had talked, and Alicia Rue, Lady of the Caith Siths, were already there, sitting down and smiling his way, apparently having interrupted whatever Argo was trying to tell them.

They weren't alone, though. Besides his 'girlfriends' and the two Fairy Ladies, two vaguely familiar faces stood, standing just behind and near the older-looking woman.

"A-ah! I-it's yo-you!" pointed Recon as he almost paled at seeing him, even as the caped Spriggan squinted his eyes while idly remembering the boy that had apparently introduced his adoptive sister to Alfheim Online…and that was a bit too freidnly with her.

"O-oh! E-even Kirito-sama is here! Thi-this day is awesome!" seemingly about to have a fangirl attack, Lux, the Sylph girl who had acted as commentator in the tournament of some months ago, stopped her current action of grabbing a sweatdropping Asuna's hands to look at him with star in her eyes. "I-I can't believe I'm in the presence of the United Heroes Association, and 4 of its original members at that!"

"U-uhm, it's not really that big of a deal…" muttered Kirito while scratching the back of his head.

"What do you mean?! Is the biggest deal of all, Kirito-sama!"

"Let her be, Kii-bou." sighed the Caith Sith info-broker while shaking her head. "If you try to talk with her she will probably explode or something…"

"…as always, your little helper is way too enthusiastic, Sakuya-chan." cheekily grinned Alicia after giving a 'furtive' wink towards the gamer, who blinked awkwardly at that. "I'm not sure if you should have brought her with you…"

"Well, you didn't want to bring anyone as entourage, so I thought I may as well bring two." calmly answered the Sylph Lord with a charming smile. "After all, Recon and Lux are both reliable in their own way, even if the former spends little time in Swilvane lately…truly, I miss when we had Leafa-chan with us all the time." looking towards the aforementioned blonde at that, Sakuya's smile widened at seeing the girl awkwardly looking away. "Kirito-kun has really stolen you away, eh? Then again, I don't think I can rightfully blame you for that…"

"Me neither." purred the Caith Siths leader with a playful smile, her tail moving happily behind her chair. "I wouldn't mind if he tried to 'steal me away' if I was her…"

"Eh?!" squeaked Leafa with both a blush and a frown on her face, even as her Race's Leader laughed happily and Recon seemed to be trying to hold back depressed tears (Without much success). Meanwhile, the caped Spriggan blinked in confusion, while also wondering why Asuna had stopped closer to him while giving the two Fairy Ladies a calculating look.

"Man, Kirito is way more popular than I thought…" whispered Strea to her older sister with a serious look. "But we better look out for things that may disrupt the group's balance for now, we don't want all our hard work going to waste…"

"Agreed. We need to make sure Papa gets used to my current Mamas before thinking about anyone else…" silently agreed Yui, the virtual sisters still knowing there was a long way ahead of them for they to make sure that everyone was happy for the rest of their lives.

Kirito, meanwhile, wondered why he felt once again a cold shiver run down his spine, his gaze moving over the room and meeting with Yuuki's, who was standing at Asuna's side and giving him an encouraging smile, apparently thankful of not being the center of attention from either Lux fangirlism or the Fairy Ladies teasing, even as Argo tried uselessly to get everyone back on track about what they were there for.

Luckily for him, any more amount of madness stopped when the door opened and two figures clad in red stepped inside, one familiar and the other not.

The unknown person was a man that was Sakuya's height, the red fiery hair and a short beard a clear sign of his status as a Salamander. Unlike the robes or armor that most of the players of his race favored, however, he wore unconventional clothing, like the familiar redhead accompanying him, something that seemed like the garb of a rich noble with added light armor. Slowly, his eyes moved over the room (Narrowing when they passed over Sakuya and Alicia's bored looks) and finally stopped over the gamer's blinking form, a mix of annoyance and resignation in them as he headed towards the seat farthest away from the two Fairy Ladies and sat down.

"Let's just get this over with, okay?" muttered the man with a clearly annoyed tone.

"Aww, what's the matter, Morty? Depressed today?" joked Alicia with a cheeky grin, even as the Salamander growled at her.

"I'm not in the mood for your jokes, Rue, so please refrain from doing any." spat the Lord of the Salamanders, while trying to hold back his anger. "I don't even know why I let you convince me to come…"

"Because you hate being left out of things, Mortimer." explained Sakuya with a bright smile and a sweet tone, obvious fate for anyone that had spent at least a minute with the mature woman. "That and you know your Race haven't been the same as before since your brother stopped playing."

"Yeah, well, WHO is responsible for that, I wonder…?" ironically asked the man while turning his eyes towards Kirito, who was staring at him in shock before pointing his way.

"I knew there was something I was forgetting! You ARE General Eugene's brother!" exclaimed the gamer in surprise while most of the people present giggled, Mortimer growled in annoyance at that. "I tried to get to you many times when ALO opened again under Ymir, but you either weren't there or anyone who I tried to ask for you in the Salamanders' Capital would Log Out screaming when I got close!"

"That's because you traumatized 90% of our best Players out of playing ALO for life, leaving us in the ruin, you crazy Spriggan bastard!" shouted the man while standing up, glaring at the caped Spriggan even as Sakuya and Alicia exploded in open laughter and the rest just blinked obliviously. "I had to spend a month barely Logging In just to get my brother out of his ROOM! Do you know how awkward that is at our age?! And then he said he had decided to 'Explore the True Purpose of Life' because being totally crushed by you 'opened his eyes' and I haven't seen him since them! He barely even writes home anymore!"

"Uhm…I'm really, really sorry?" lamely apologized Kirito while Mortimer shouted in frustration.

"And as if that _wasn't_ enough then you let your friend there go waving around my brother's stolen sword!" growled the Fairy Lord while pointing towards Strea, who was, indeed, waving Gram around out of boredom, making several people sweatdrop. "So yeah, forgive me if most of my Race just doesn't like you at all, Mr. 'I punch the shit out of people'!"

"…no one really calls me that…right?" questioned the gamer with a bit of nervousness while looking around, moment that the familiar Salamander that had come with his Lord choose to speak, putting a hand on Mortimer's shoulder as if to calm him down.

"Now, boss, you need to relax, you know? My good friend Kirito didn't mean you any ill will." commented Klein while everyone's attention zeroed on him. "Yeah, he may annoy people sometimes with how awesome he is without even trying. And he may always get away with whatever crazy shit he pulls off. And he may always have a lot of cute and hot chicks surrounding him and begging for his attention! But…ehm…he…" there was a moment of silence before the samurai-wannabe stared blankly towards the caped Spriggan. "Why was I trying to defend you again?"

"…thanks Klein, that was a GREAT help." growled Argo while Kirito facepalmed, Mortimer snorting and looking away.

"Klein-sempai! I feel your pain!" suddenly shouted Recon while rivers of tears fell down his eyes, his gaze never leaving the form of the katana-user.

"Recon, my boy!" kindly replied Klein while locking gazes with his latest friend, the understanding that only two poor soul whose existences was constantly ignored in favor of much cooler people flowing between them. "Snif, that's the spirit!"

"…when did those two become friends?" questioned a confused Asuna.

"I have no idea…and no interest in knowing, to be honest." deadpanned Leafa while trying to resist the urge to strangle her whiny friend.

"…I don't even know who they are besides that the Salamander is kind of a friend of yours and fought Philia in the tournament." awkwardly whispered Yuuki while fiddling her fingers.

The gamer would have tried to tell Yuuki that wasn't really her fault if it wasn't because the door chose that moment to open again, everyone's gazes moving towards it in time to see an extremely tall figure clad in blue and light blue entering the area, firmly holding a blue and gold trident on his hand.

"…well, it seems I'm not all that late to the party. Lucky me." smiled the man with a voice filled with irony, his gaze moving over the gathered group and stopping in Kirito for a moment. "Nice Superman cosplay, but it's kind of crappy."

The caped Spriggan resisted the urge to scream at that comment, feeling one of his eyebrows twitching as he stared at the newcomer. He seemed like a really intimidating man, standing almost 2 meters tall, his face having a serious look and a long X-shaped scar over it that seemed like a strange exaggeration. Also, he had noticeable muscles, which were visible because his slightly tight robes didn't cover his arms. The only real 'armor' he seemed to wear besides a strange belt with the symbol of the Undines on it was a very complex-looking crown made of what seemed like seashells and coral over the cropped bluish hair of his head.

The first to react to his appearance was, surprisingly, Recon, the young Sylph pointing at him with eyes widely open.

"OMG, it's OMG!" shouted the dagger user, as if unable to believe it.

"…what?" asked Kirito with utter confusion.

"It's as he just said. That's the Lord of the Undines, OMG." whispered Argo to the gamer while never taking her eyes off the newcomer. "And if I had to guess, Recon's surprise is because he never leaves their capital in the Crescent Gulf. Hell, I wasn't even sure he was going to come…"

"I can't believe I'm seeing you!" half-shouted Recon as if trying to hold back his shock. "When I first played ALO was around the same time you first became the Undine Lord and everyone talked about you as if you were a legend…and now I'm seeing you for real!"

"Yep, in the flesh, kid. Now close your mouth before it falls down, you look like a fish out of the water." muttered the tall man before walking to the chair at Alicia's side and sitting down, looking at everyone with a fake smile. "So, are we doing this or what?"

"We're supposed to wait for the others to show up, Guy." informed him the leader of the Caith Siths with a tired sigh, getting a blank look from the man. "…is something the matter?"

"…you're still the Lady of the Caith Siths? Man, I don't get it, you look more like a monkey than a cat." idly commented OMG while playfully moving his trident, blocking the hissing charge that Alicia tried to unleash against him before Sakuya and Lux pulled her back, even as she shouted for them to let her 'tear a new face to the bastard'. "Heh, you wouldn't be able to even if they let you. Since the moment I entered this room, I have devised at least 4 ways of beating everyone in here and get away with it…except you." he finished while pointing at the black-haired boy. "For some reason, it seems as if even bothering with you would be too troublesome, so I'm not even going to try."

The caped Spriggan decided that, for 'some reason', he _really_ didn't like that guy.

"Hey, Argo, why did Alicia call him 'Guy'?" confusedly asked Asuna while blinking at the scene.

"Because, believe it or not, his name doesn't stand for the classical English expression _'Oh My God'_." clarified the info-broker while sighing at the antics of her Race's Leader. "It stands for _'One More Guy'_ , or so he tells everyone."

"So, who is going to…?"

Yuuki's words died on her mouth when the room's door opened once again, leaving a curious figure to walk into the room.

The young man was just a bit shorter than Klein and seemed to share a bit of his like for dressing like someone from old Japan, but that was where their similarities ended. The Spriggan's slightly dark skin, characteristic of his Race, was mostly covered by his black and grey ancient-looking clothes, the long pants and dark boots contrasting strangely with the kimono-like piece that covered his upper body, leaving only his hands exposed. His face, too, was mostly hidden from the world thanks to a hat that seemed to have been inspired by those straw-hats samurai used to wear in times of old (And in popular media), but that was most definitively not made of straw, seeming more of some black material with fading silver edges, pieces of cloth falling from the round edge of it to give a feeling of 'old and broken', blocking the man's eyes from the world and letting the present people only see part of his nose and his thinly closed mouth. On his back, hanging silently and slightly to the side, an impressive and wicked-looking halberd, easily the biggest weapon most of them had ever seen, towered silently over its owner.

Perhaps the most curious trait about him, however, was the orange-clad, and shoulder-length orange-hair of the same color, Navigation Pixie that sat silently on his right shoulder, which drew more than one person's attention, given how rare those were. In fact, besides Yui, none of the members of the United Heroes Association could quite remember having ever seen one.

Without a word, the mysterious Spriggan walked forward and sat down at OMG's side, his hidden gaze ignoring everyone and setting immediately over Kirito's standing figure, who stared back with a mix of confusion and uneasiness.

"The rumored strongest one calls for a meeting…I hope you didn't think I was going to miss it." Calmly spoke the man while his mouth twisted into an easygoing grin, even as the Pixie on his shoulder gave the other Lords a polite bow. "You're a Spriggan, after all."

"Tha-thanks for coming…" muttered the gamer, not knowing exactly what else he could say.

"So that's the Lord of the Spriggans, uh?" whispered Yuuki to Asuna, looking the man up and down. "He seems like quite a curious individual…"

"That Navigation pixie with him is quite cute…but not as cute as Yui-nee!" happily declared Strea.

"Oh, where are my manners? You and your friends probably don't know me." giving his fellow Lords a short glance, as if asking for permission to talk, the man grinned once again as he returned his hidden gaze towards the caped Spriggan. "I'm Tazal, Lord of the Spriggans. And this little fellow here…" he added while pointing to the Pixie on his shoulder. "Is Fidget."

"Pleased to make your acquaintances." monotonously said the small girl before once again sitting on her master's shoulder.

"Hmm…I wonder if she may want to talk with me later?" wondered Yui while tilting her head. "I have never had the opportunity to study how the AI from an actual Navigation Pixie works…"

"Uhm, good to meet both of you too." nodded Kirito while sweatdropping at his virtual daughter's words. "You probably already know it, but I'm Ki…"

"Kirito, one of the most famous Players around. Said to be invincible and unmatchable, with strength to even break through things that shouldn't be possible by the game's rules. Some think he's a hacker, but the fact that he's never actually trying to steal Kills, curbstomp Bosses, getting Rare Items all the time or beating other Players for no reason disapproves this theory." Quickly recited a new voice while the gamer froze, everyone turning towards the now occupied chair at Sakuya's side, the Lady of the Sylphs herself almost jumping in place, not having noticed when the newcomer sat down. "Also rumored in the ALO Forums to be the same Player that caused the 'disturbance' at the end of Gun Gale Online's 3rd Bullet of Bullets from last year, though this hasn't been officially confirmed by anyone…unless you want to go ahead and say it now?"

The caped Spriggan, for his part, stared with a mix of shock and confusion towards the kind and seemingly innocent smile of the red-haired girl that was staring at him, as tall as Asuna was. Clear brown eyes seemed to try and stare into his soul, and the headgear she wore (Which suspiciously resembled a Maid's headband) just added to the strange feeling that a happy child was trying to force some secret out of him with just her gaze. Her equipment itself was a fairly simple battle dress, white and a very light black, finishing in a skirt-like part over her hips, with battle gloves that completely covered her hands and forearms (Where white-gold armor pieces seemed to act as some kind of accessory), not to mention the high boots and long white kneesocks that completed her looks. The thing that got the most attention from him, however, weren't the cute girl's looks, but the fact that she had a black and grey short-sword on her hips.

Or, to be more precise, two of them, identical. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Asuna's eyes widening a fraction at also catching sight of that, the rest of his 'girlfriends' having similar reactions.

It was easy to know why, though. Besides Asuna, who spent quite some time in SAO getting used to it both by herself and with his help, no one in Alfheim Online ever actively tried to dual wield. Apparently at some point, when the game came out, some people had tried it just to give up after realizing how pointless and useless it was: As ALO was very realistic when it came to its Battle System, using two swords of the same length was as difficult and impossible as it would have been in real life, mostly risking hurting oneself or losing your balance when trying to effectively use them. The main reason the Undine girl near him could easily do it even before the Sword Skills were added to the game was because of the endless times she had executed the Skills of her 'Dual Blades' back in Sword Art Online, which let her body and mind remember the movements with the mastery that could only be achieved in the virtual world.

Being that the case, though, why was this girl carrying around two swords…?

"You know, it's kind of rude to try and ask questions from someone you seem to know so much of, when the people here know so little about you, Lady of the Leprechauns." Argo's cold and calculating words snapped Kirito's attention from his examination of the newcomer, who surprisingly took these in stride and only let her smile widen.

"Eh? But I thought that, if anyone would know about me, then it would be without a doubt the great Argo the Rat, the best Information Broker in the virtual world!"

"As much as it pains me to admit it, all that I know is that you're relatively new around and that you're called 'Rain'." replied the Caith Sith with slightly narrowed eyes, clearly not amused by the girl's fake-innocent tone. "Also some rumors between your Race about you being the best blacksmith around, but I honestly think that a friend of mine holds that title…"

"I don't think it's fair to be compared with Lisbeth-sama, though." muttered the Leprechaun while looking idly at the other Lords, who were apparently absorbed in the conversation. "She HAS the advantage of her mighty God Hand, after all…"

 _"Okay, if there was any doubt before, that clears them. She's a SAO Survivor."_ thought the gamer with a small grimace, wondering what the strange girl was hoping to achieve with all of that.

After all, despite being kind of an open secret that the UHA were Survivors of Sword Art Online, mentioning the game at all was still heavily frowned upon by the gaming community. Which was that specific details like Argo's 'Rat' nickname or the exact names of the Unique Skills were only known by those that had survived the Death Game.

"…Asuna-san, do you know her?" came Leafa's hushed voice from behind the caped Spriggan.

"No, I don't think so, but why…?"

"We are not late, right?" asked a new voice coming from the door, once again interrupting the ongoing conversations away to let 2 new figures enter, one of them familiar for the Heroes.

The other was a tall figure, almost Sakuya's height, with purple hair almost as long as hers. The Imp wore a cloak with hood and long of sleeves of a plain gray color over its modified light armor, with strange designs on it, and his face was half-covered by what seemed like a skull-like mask, the visible lower part of it showing a small smile and, when combined with the rest of the attire and hair, making it difficult to say if the person was male or female, though judging by the voice they had heard it should probably be the former. To complete his quite strange appearance, on the man's back hung an impressive Two-Handed sword, silver in color and with a skull-design on the guard, which reminded Kirito of a certain Demon Hunter's weapon from an old videogame.

The other figure, meanwhile, was…

"Diavel?!" asked Asuna in shock while pointing towards the familiar man in knight-like armor, a longs word on his hip and a mid-sized shield hanging form his left arm. "You're the Lord of the Gnomes?!"

"Uhm, yeah, but I have only been for some 6 months or so…" awkwardly replied the man, whose new avatar had light-brown instead of his old blue one, his dark yellow and white armor somehow (Stats) seeming to not slow him down despite how bulky it was. "I was kind of wishing to get back into gaming for a while, so I decided to take on the still open offer and convert my 'old account'. Still, I didn't really like spending much time in Aincrad, so I decided to try and see how far I could go by helping my Race's government system…and here I am. Oh, sorry for not contacting any of you in all that time, I guess."

"It's…not really a problem, just quite surprising…" assured the blinking gamer while looking towards Argo out of the corner of his eyes, wondering if she had known this. Sadly, the Caith Sith was still silently staring at Rain as if to try and pry open her secrets. "And your friend…?"

"Oh, we're mere acquaintances, but thanks for assuming that, Mr. 'Hero for Fun'." chuckled the oddly dressed Imp while looking at the caped Spriggan and his companions, the former and his adoptive sister freezing at hearing those exact words. "I'm OverLord, Lord of the Imps, and I have to say that it's a pleasure to meet you all in person. Especially you, Miss Zekken."

"E-eh? Me?" asked a surprised Yuuki while the young man laughed merrily at her reaction, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Of course, young miss. After all, is it a surprise that I was eager to talk with the strongest member of my Race?" rhetorically asked OverLord while tilting his head, even as he and the uneasy-looking Diavel took their seats on the table. "You're very famous in our capital, Yuuki-san. Though I guess I can't blame you for not knowing, you probably haven't been there since you created your character, right?"

"Ye-yeah, more or less…" awkwardly answered the Holy Swordswoman while smiling nervously, even as Asuna put an encouraging hand over hers.

Kirito knew how the poor Imp must have been feeling in that moment. After all, he had experienced the same kind of awkwardness back in Aincrad, at the beginning, when he met people who actually thought he was a Hero and not a cheater or a menace.

"Well then, if we're all ready, why don't we get started with this?" questioned OMG with a bored look. "Some of us have important things to do…"

"Yes, and some of us would rather not be here longer than necessary…" quietly muttered Mortimer, though not low enough for the gamer to not heard him, which made him sigh before looking around in confusion.

"But, wait, we're still missing someone, right?" questioned him as he stared at the Lords, who suddenly exchanged nervous/frowning gazes.

"To be honest, Kirito-kun, I think we should start with just us." said Sakuya towards the caped Spriggan. "I don't think anyone else is going to come."

"What?" asked a confused Leafa while staring at her Race's leader, even as Argo finally looked away from Rain to stare at the door with a complicated expression. "Why?"

"Because the 'Lord' of the Pooka is…well, let's just say no one here thinks this person is going to show up." explained Tazal while shaking his head. "Anyway, we probably should…"

"You all talk way too fast." interrupted the Lady of the Leprechauns with a calm look, turning her head to the door. "She's here."

In that exact moment, the door opened, letting two newcomers enter the room.

" _Privyet_ , everyone. Sorry for being late." excused herself the smaller of the pair with a polite smile, even as the Heroes stared at her in shock.

She was short, perhaps even shorter than Silica. Kirito was sure she probably wasn't taller than Yui in her 'human' form by more than a couple of inches. Her long hair, which went all the way down her back, was a soft gray with just a small hint of bluish in it. Her big eyes were a light purple in color and seemed to reflect both innocence and yet an unnatural sharpness that no kid should have.

For that was what the little Pooka standing there was, a kid. Nothing in the blue and gold dress she wore, or the golden pendants that hung from her eyes, did much to hide this fact. Even the small dark-bluish beret over her head, with a strange feather-like decoration just before it, only accentuated her childishness. The contrast with someone else with a 'small avatar', like Alicia, was extremely clear, more so because ALO's randomly generated avatars always were more or less similar in complexion to one's real world body, to facilitate the use of these at the beginning (Height and muscle mass weren't things that could exactly be freely altered even with paying additional fees, though). That's why, for example, Leafa and Recon were more or less the same height and 'shape' of both Suguha and Shinichi. Only specific races like the Gnomes or the Caith Siths changed someone's complexion in a noticeable way (Caith Siths tended to be shorter than most fairies while Gnomes were the tallest race), but even with that once could easily tell that someone like Alicia Rue was no little kid with just looking at her. Obviously, SAO Survivors who had had their old avatars converted from their original accounts in Sword Art Online hadn't been affected by most of these changes (Race's traits like darker skin, hair color and/or point/animal ears notwithstanding).

Which meant that the little girl that just entered, and who couldn't be anyone but the Lady of the Pooka, couldn't be older than 12 or so.

Perhaps even more disconcerting, however, was her companion, who had quickly stared at everyone in the room with narrowed eyes the moment they went inside the room. While it wasn't weird that she had brought an 'escort', so to speak, for both Mortimer and Sakuya had done this (Even if no one else apparently had bothered), the fact that it was clearly an Undine and not a Pooka was.

The tall man had light-blue hair, indigo eyes, mostly white clothes and two different gloves, one fingerless and the other with a metallic guard over the arm. On his side, a long and clearly not simple katana hung, his hand over it clearly seeming ready to use it if necessary, a total contras with the easygoing and almost childish way in which the little girl held her golden staff, the bluish jewel on its top being decorated by a wing-like carving.

The tense/surprised atmosphere that had filled the meeting room was broken by Rain's pleasant voice, the next words surprising almost everyone in there, even if some hid it better than others.

"Welcome, Seven."

"Oh, hi there, Onee-chan." greeted back the young girl while happily walking forward, taking her seat on the empty one between Diavel and OverLord, who make quite the contrast with the diminutive staff-user. "Lady of the Pooka, Seven, here for you all. Sumeragi, my bodyguard, is the good man standing behind me."

"Hnn." was all that the Undine said as answer, even as OMG stared at him silently.

"A…a pleasure…" muttered the caped Spriggan while carefully hiding his shock.

"Heh…so it's true. One of the best of us has become the miracle child's lapdog…" idly commented the Lord of the Water Fairies, though the one called Sumeragi seemed to ignore him. "Ouch, totally ignored, uh?"

"Ho-how can someone so young have become the Lord of their Race?!" asked Asuna to Argo in a shocked tone, but trying to keep her voice as low as possible, even if Kirito could still clearly hear her.

"I…don't know, and that's what annoys me. Less than 3 months ago, it seems that this girl came in and quickly became extremely popular among the Pooka. While the Lord of that particular Race had always been a title that changes a lot and without much worry, she has managed to continue being elected 3 times already, and everything I have gathered shows that she will again this month." informed the Caith Sith while looking from the newcomer to the Lady of the Leprechauns. "And this is the first thing I heard about she and that Rain being sisters…"

 _"Well…that's great."_ summarized Kirito on his mind after hearing the info-broker's words, his eyes moving over the faces of the ones filling the tense room.

All of the currently most influential players of Alfheim Online gathered in a single place, most of which didn't care/understood/respected each other, at least two of which Argo had little to no information about and one that actively hated his guts. And he had to convince them all to help him 'save the world'.

…sometimes, he almost missed his old, not so crazy life. _Almost_.

Deciding that the time for long and complicated thoughts had ended, the gamer raised a closed fist and 'lightly tapped' the table with it.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread from it with a powerful 'Boom', making everyone in the room jump in place and turn their eyes to him, shock, anger, curiosity and interest in them.

He did his best to not think too deeply about what some of those looks meant in favor of putting on his 'Saitama face', with a smidge of pure seriousness added.

"Okay, I'm sure you're all wondering why we called you here, for one reason or another, so I will get to the point." declared the caped Spriggan while staring right into the soul of the gathered Lords. "We need your help to stop a virtual apocalypse."

As he saw how the different faces started to shift and felt the stares of the girls on his back, Kirito knew that the following explanation was going to be more complicated than he thought…

* * *

On the calm and relaxing view of the silent forests of New Aincrad's 22nd Floor, a flying bird Mob watched the trees with wary eyes, as if fearing to land because of _something_ that inhabited them.

Then, it was unceremoniously destroyed when a white-shining arrow flying at unholy speeds pierced right through its torso, making it explode into polygons.

"Man, those Archery Skills sure are something else…" muttered Ducker while squinting his eyes towards the horizon, even as Sinon, standing at his side, lowered her bow. "And you said that that was the simplest one?"

"It was just a simple 'Swift Shot', but I feel more comfortable using it than other…'fancier' ones." explained the Caith Sith with a small sigh. "I know they're useful and that I will probably need them in the upcoming battle, but it's still difficult for me to fully grasp them. I'm too used to just shot different bullet to bring down my target or making multiple ones explode, I guess…"

"It's still more efficient than the 'Exploding Arrow' spell if you want to attack a column of enemies." reminded her Sachi from her place sitting on the grass some meters away, her long spear over her crossed legs. "We're going to need you to cover us from the back as much as you can…"

"You said that as if you didn't have one of the hardest roles ahead of you." replied the Caith Sith while giving the Salamander a bittersweet smile. "Everyone is counting on you being on the front using your Unique Skill all out…"

"That's because her Infinite Spear is especially useful against groups of smaller enemies, which is what we're apparently going to be facing." added Philia to the conversation as she walked towards the group, followed by the other members of the UHA that hadn't gone to the meeting and the worried-looking Sleeping Knights. "But I will be sure to watch her back at all times. That's what loyal friends are for, after all."

"…thanks, Philia. I know I can count with you and everyone at all times." brightly smiled the spear-user before turning to look towards the rest of their friends. "How did it go?"

"Good. I got them all new weapons…and I even got a few new pieces for everyone." informed Lisbeth with a grim look, surprising the others slightly even as their eyes flew over those accompanying them, noticing how they all carried new weapons. "I also have something for Argo and you three, and I don't think Asuna, Leafa or Yuuki want to change weapons, so…"

"It's okay, Liz-san, you have done all that we could have asked from you." assured Silica with her 'kunoichi-tone', while looking for a moment to her back, from which the eight-pointed form of her new Fuuma Shuriken, Yamata-no-Orochi, hung in silence. "Now we can only do our best and hope Kirito-san can convince the Fairy Lords of aiding us…"

"He's going to have a hell of a time with that…" muttered Jun while looking down, even as his guild mates stared silently at him. "I mean, if it hadn't been because of what we saw that happened with Yuuki then we probably would have thought you were trying to pull a crazy prank on us…"

"But this is no prank. It's very real." affirmed the Spriggan girl of the UHA while tightly gripping her new blade, Masamune, the long katana seeming to reflect the light of the sun in an unnatural way. "And not only for our sake, but for that of many others…we need to win."

"Man…having the 'Fate of the World' hanging on your shoulders…no pressure, eh?" humorlessly joked the present Leprechaun while raising her right arm, God Hand materializing as she silently stared at Mjolnir, which she had used to forge all the current weapons. "How does Kirito deals with this kind of pressure most of the time?"

"Because…that's the way Kirito-sama is, for his sake and that of others." softly declared Sachi while standing up, a smile on her face. "And because he always has us to back him up too, I guess." finally, the Salamander girl turned to look at the blacksmith with a strangely serious look on her face. "…were you able to make it, Liz?"

"Uhm, yes, but…" hesitantly, Lisbeth opened her menu and materialized two items, one a new spear almost 3 meters long and with a wicked-looking tip that was almost 20 cm. long by itself, not to mention two minor extra blades at the sides of the main one. "This is Amenonuhoko, Sachi. Don't ever ask me to make you a better spear, because I'm sure I won't be able to. This thing is a monster, a beautiful monster…and as for what you asked…why do you even want _these_ for?"

As she finished saying that, the Leprechaun threw both the impressive spear and the mysterious item to the silent girl, who had finished putting her old weapon on her inventory, Sachi catching both of them and staring in awe at the glorious form of Amenonuhoko for a moment before raising the other object and grinning brightly at it.

Philia had to resist the very Kirito-like urge to facepalm when she saw they were a pair of triangle-shaped, orange _glasses_.

"Let's just say they're moral support…"

"Oh, for the love of God, Sachi…"

As the present katana-user seemed to be debating between screaming at her friend or not and Lisbeth walked past them with Silica to show Sinon her new bow and Ducker his new dagger, Keita looked towards the worried and silent Siune at his side, hesitating for a second before putting a hand on her arm, making the young woman almost jump.

"Siune-san? Is something wrong? You have been acting…weird, for a while now…"

"I-I'm sorry, Keita-kun, it's just…" for a moment, the Undine let her gaze wander at the small wand-like weapon she now wielded, the Yggdrasil Top Branch that the boy at her side had given her. "…this morning, Yuuki asked me to…become the new leader of the Sleeping Knights."

"Wha-what?!" almost shrieked the Leprechaun, just barely containing himself so as to not drag the attention of the rest of the girl's guild or his own friends. "Wh-why would she do that?!"

"She…said something about 'passing the torch' and about she wanting to fight the next battle as 'one of you', though I'm not totally sure about what she meant…" replied Siune while looking to the side with a worried face. "But…I'm not sure if I can do this."

"…what do you mean?" softly asked the ex-guild leader while looking at her.

"It's just that…I don't think I can compare to how well Yuuki did leading us, even less to Ran." despairingly admitted the Healer while leaning against a nearby tree, intently watching her friends and the rest of the Heroes Association walking forward to talk between with serious looks on their faces. "I mean…look at them. It's obvious that this is extremely important for them, hell, even more for Yuuki. Virtual reality is not only the way we even got to know each other, it's also the only way in which them can even interact with other people that's not from a hospital bed! It's even the only way in which Yuuki can stay alive anymore…and I'm no longer in the same situation. How could I lead them like that?" the young woman had a lost look on her face as she stared at the silent Keita, who looked at her with utmost attention. "Did you know I was even happily thinking about going on a trip around Japan just yesterday? To do some sightseeing and celebrate I had recovered by miracle…and now, this happens and I realize how selfishly I was thinking. While they're all still sick and can't even get out of the hospital, I…"

"Siune-san…you're not selfish. You're only human." suddenly cut her off the ex-guild leader, surprising the Undine and making her look at him with shock. "You think they didn't feel even a tiny bit jealous when you told them you got better? They sure as hell did, that's only natural, but they felt way happier from you than anything else, because you're friends. True friends." for a moment, the Leprechaun looked towards the sky with a reminiscent look on his face. "…back in SAO, I used to envy Kirito as much as I admired him. After he saved my and the others' lives, I could do nothing but wish I was as strong as him, to be able to protect them myself…but I quickly realized he wasn't the awesome and God-like figure I originally imagined. He was just a kid who had been given powers he didn't understand, that had been as scared as any of us at some point but that had risen to the challenge because he _could_ do it. Because he knew that becoming a 'Hero' was the best for everyone and for himself…and in a way, that's why he inspired me so much, why I decided it would be the best to stick by his side, even if anyone would think we would only slow him down or live on his shadow…"

Keita knew that Kirito had no problem accepting that he wasn't 'normal' by any stretch of the word when they returned from the SAO and ALO incidents and started once again with their 'normal lives'. Two years of doing what he had done and acting the way he had to act would do that to anyone, especially to a boy that had been 14 when he got trapped in Aincrad. Kazuto had no problems admitting to them that he wasn't totally _sane_ , and that he probably never would be unless he spent years in therapy trying to fix that, something he absolutely didn't wish to do.

But then again, weren't ALL of them like that? He knew that, whatever crazy stunt or idea the boy tried nowadays, didn't really make him react as someone 'normal' would. Be it facing a psycho serial killer in a game of guns or saving a terminally sick girl's life by turning her mind into data, the staff-user didn't react with anything more than a headache and a massive need to scold the idiotic boy by doing crazy things that would get the girls worried sick, and in turn mad as hell. Everyone else's reactions at this point were more or less along the same lines.

Hell, he didn't even think of the boy and his little sister actually going around as ACTUAL vigilantes in real life as something more than another headache! And he had even pondered about the possibility of join them at some point, because he was sure as hell the others were thinking it and he wanted to make sure no one got hurt!

They weren't right in the head, that was for sure. Everything that happened in SAO had affected them in more ways than one. They had been called 'Heroes', and they all still took it seriously after all this time, as if it was an especial part of them. Kirito more than anyone, maybe. He was doing something that they all knew he sucked at and hated, handling a direct 'politic discussion', just because he thought it was somehow HIS duty mainly to stop the pseudo-apocalypse that was coming.

Then again, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They were all together and such good friends because of that, after all. Even 'odd ones' like Leafa and Shino proved that it wasn't something exclusive of SAO Survivors, but a way of thinking that was 'different' and nothing more.

So, what if the 'normal people' thought of them as madmen? They were the United Heroes Association. They had gone through hell and heaven together, and would continue doing so till the end, no matter what it was.

Because that was what Heroes did.

"Keita-kun…" whispered Siune while looking at his determined expression with wonder.

"Go and talk to them, Siune-san. Ask them what _they_ think instead of imagining it by yourself, and then you can make your decision without regrets." then, as if an afterthought, the ex-guild leader smiled at her. "Oh, and, if you're really planning to go in that trip, me and Kirito were planning in making a second Probe soon, so you could take one with you to show them whatever you see too. If you want, that is."

For all answer, the Undine suddenly hugged him, making the Leprechaun freeze in place and a bit of red to fill his cheeks.

"Thanks, Keita-kun. Really." softly muttered the Healer before smiling at him. "I will…do my best too."

And with that said, Siune headed towards her friends as she tightly gripped her wand, ready to give her best in what was to come, both in the battle and in her future.

Keita, for his part, just stared idly after her before shaking his head.

"Man…I wonder if Kirito feels like this all the time?" idly mused the boy before smiling and heading after the others, scratching Tonky's sleeping form as he passed by.

He just wished that his good friend and 'Leader' was having good luck with his difficult endeavor.

* * *

A silence that was starting to become very uncomfortable had filled the meeting room since the moment Kirito had finished his 'explanation', which had already stretched for more than 30 seconds as the Fairy Lords (And the ones that had accompanied some of them too) looked at him with odd, disbelieving, blanks or meditating looks.

Luckily, or not, this was finally broken by Mortimer speaking as he stared _hard_ his way.

"So, let me get this straight…you called us all here to this 'meeting', saying something about it being very important, just to tell us that 'a crazy Artificial Intelligence plans to take over the virtual world'?" not really waiting for an answer, the Salamander Lord stood up and turned around, seeming clearly annoyed. "I can't believe I wasted the morning on this crap. I'm leaving, I have no time to waste in kids and their crazy ideas of a prank for…"

"Wait a minute, boss." interrupted him Klein with a very serious look and tone, actually making the man stop and look at him with surprise, as his ever-goofy attitude was what made him famous among the Salamanders. "I have known Kirito for a long time and, even if I can't claim to know him as well as his guild mates, I know that he wouldn't go out of his way to tell you all of this if it wasn't deadly serious."

"You're saying he's saying the truth, then? About this whole 'virtual apocalypse' thing?" questioned OMG with a raised eyebrow, idly tapping his fingers over his trident's shaft. "Because I sure as hell think it seems like he's trying to make us think that we're in some kind of American sci-fi movie or an anime."

The caped Spriggan resisted his urge to curse and/or sigh at the Undine Lord words. He had known that this was what most likely was going to happen, but having it in front of him when everyone was counting that he managed this was certainly aggravating.

No matter what, he had to get at least some of these guys to help him. Saitama-powers or not, he and his friends weren't enough to stop the incoming catastrophe alone, and…

"Well, I believe them." every single pair of eyes in the room turned towards the masked figure of OverLord, the Imp Lord shrugging at the shock and surprise reflecting on everyone's faces. "I mean, think about it. We have all heard about these kids, one way or another. Some of us even have directly interacted with them or know others that have done so. Are they, as far as we know, the ones who would do a 'prank' like this? Because I sure as hell don't think so. Besides, what would they even get out of doing this? A few giggles for a day or two? We're the Fairy Lords, for fuck's sake, we could make sure that almost all Players in Alfheim Online hate them or at least distrust them for the rest of their lives if they tried to do something like that, and I'm sure they're not stupid enough to not know that…so that's why I think they're telling the truth."

"…that guy…I really wasn't expecting that." muttered Strea with a surprised tone, talking for the first time since the meeting began. "Argo, do you know something about him?"

"Only that he's one of the only remaining 'Original Lords' together with OMG, Mortimer, Alicia and Sakuya, the ones that have continued being elected from the beginning of ALO month after month. And that he has always been rumored to be the strongest of the Lords bunch." her eyes moving over the other Lords, the whiskered Caith Sith seemed to ponder deeply about this. "Not wanting to judge a book by its cover, but I believe he still may be."

"I'm also willing to bet that Kirito-kun and his friends aren't trying to trick us with this." proclaimed Sakuya with a serious look, but still giving the aforementioned boy a small smile. "He's not the kind of person to do something like that. Besides, I have known firsthand one of his 'close friends' here for a long time and I know that she would never do something like this if it wasn't true."

"Lady Sakuya…" gratefully muttered Leafa while staring at her Race's Leader, blushing when she gave her a wink while nonchalantly pointing from her to the gamer, but still smiling.

"Yeah, Kirito is just too much of a gentleman to try and trick some cute girls like us!" cheerfully joked Alicia Rue before blinking and looking carefully at the male Lords. "…can't say much about you all, though."

"Alicia-san, we don't need you making 'jokes' like that right now…" sweatdropped Asuna while Argo tried to not facepalm at the attitude of the woman that was supposed to be the 'political leader' of all Caith Siths.

"Well, when you all put it like that, the boy's words seem a bit more serious than just an absurdly elaborated prank." interjected Tazal while putting a hand under his chin with a thoughtful look, before looking at the small pixie on his shoulder. "What do you think, Fidget?"

"I was not programmed to give my opinion in these kinds of situations, master." flatly answered the orange-clad being, making both Yui and Strea blink at how 'contradictory' her statement was.

"For the sake of the conversation, let's say that you were." calmly continued the Spriggan Lord, never letting his hidden gaze off Fidget. "So, what would you say?"

"…I would say that he certainly doesn't seem to be lying." shrugged the Navigation Pixie after giving Kirito another look. "Then again, I don't think the opinion of a simple and unimportant program like myself counts much in this situation."

"…did you program her to say that somehow?" asked OMG with a raised eyebrow. "Because if you did…it's hella funny, in a twisted sort of way."

"I don't see how THAT is funny. At all." interjected Mortimer with an acid tone. "And that you're even willing to consider believing in this madness shows that…!"

"Are you being so close-minded because you have a grudge against him or you're just naturally so stupid?" questioned Seven with an even tone and a serious look, shocking many by her words and for the adult-like way in which she had spoken. "Because if it's like that, then I have no idea how you have remained Lord of your Race for so long."

"Wha…?! How dare you mock me like that, insolent kid?!" shouted the Salamander Lord, his face red from the anger. "A little girl like you shouldn't try and get in a serious adult discu…!"

"You can call me a little girl as much as you want, but it won't change that all the facts pretty much speak for themselves." coldly cut him the Pooka Lady, stopping Sumeragi from what apparently had been an impulse to attack the other man with a calm gesture of her scepter. "Or have you forgotten what happened in the Sword Art Online incident? The best minds in the world tried to hack the Cardinal System to free the trapped Players, even just to see what was happening in Aincrad, to know if people close to them were okay…" as she said this, the young girl's eyes moved a small fraction towards the silent Rain, just for an instant, so fast that no one normal could have noticed…though Kirito did. "They all failed. And every death made them lose a bit more of hope. If that thing is really back and with an awareness that has told it to take control over the VR World then you can be sure as hell it can do so with access to the hardware we're speaking of here."

Once again, deep silence filled the meeting room, the mention of Sword Art Online having apparently filled everyone's heads with deep, sad or serious thoughts. The actual SAO Survivors present (Not counting Lux and, possibly, Rain), the members of the United Heroes Association, took a moment to remember their own experiences back in the old Aincrad, both the countless good ones and the sad and dark ones.

Eventually, the silence was broken by a long and tired sigh coming from the caped Spriggan, dragging everyone's attention towards him even as he just…slumped on himself, his head down as he seemed to take a decision.

"Please…I need your help." came the gamer's voice in an almost pleading tone, surprising many and outright shocking others, even as his tired eyes looked over everyone. "This…'power' of mine, that some call cheating and others admire…I never asked for it. Yeah, I certainly never complained about having it, who would? But the point is that I didn't ask someone for it. It was just thrown in my face for no apparent reasons, and I decided to roll with it. Everything that I have done since then has probably been crazier with every moment, but I don't regret any of it. I'm strong, strong enough to even split the heavens with my fists if I want to, literally invincible against anything and everything…and I'm also unable to enjoy 'playing' in the Virtual World anymore because of it. You all, you're not really the Leaders of an entire Fairy Race all the time, are you? You can just Log Out and continue with your lives, enjoy tranquility and normality once you abandon this world. I really can't. For many reasons, way too many to count, all directly or indirectly related to this power of mine…But I don't regret it." as he said those words, the boy's eyes moved over the girls that had come to the meeting with him, all of them feeling the intensity of his gaze and fighting the need to blush under it (Even Strea!). "Because I have gotten much more than I lost since I became this way. Rain, was it? You asked if I was the guy from the Bullet of Bullets? Yes, it was me. I had to fight against a madman who had obtained a 'power' similar yet different to mine, and that was using it to harm others. Why? Because I _could do something about it_. Nothing more, nothing else." Kirito slowly walked some steps away from the table, just vaguely aware of how everyone was staring at him. "I know I'm not normal, in many ways…but I also know that I can't solve everything on my own, no matter how strong I am. That was the first thing I ever learned after obtaining this power of mine. I know you may not really believe me, but please…help me. Help us…help everyone. If needed, I promise that, as long as it not something that goes against my principles, I will do any of you a favor to get your help. Please."

The caped Spriggan finished his plea while staring back at everyone with unflinching eyes.

The new silence that filled the room was quickly broken by the sudden sound of chuckling, coming from, to the surprise of many, OMG's shaking form.

"…heh…dammit boy, you really are a weird one, uh? Who goes full 'anime-like speech' like that without warning?" slamming the butt of his trident at his side, the Undine Lord gave the gamer a toothy grin. "I will hold you to that 'favor' thing for later, but for now I'm onboard this crazy 'war' of you."

"That's one way of putting it." commented Tazal while leaning backwards on his chair, putting his feet over the table without a care in the world. "Eh, what the hell, the Players from my Race would probably get mad if they knew I didn't help the only widely popular Spriggan, so I'm in too. Besides, Fidget trusts you, so that should be enough."

"I never said anything along those lines, master." whispered the Navigation Pixie with a blank look, increasing Yui's curiosity and need of talking with her.

"…I'm sorry if I acted too pushy with my questions from before." apologized Rain while looking towards the blinking Kirito. "Any Leprechaun that answers my announcement will also help you, Kirito."

"If Onee-chan is going to help you then I have no reason to not do so too. Besides, I want to see if we can really stop an attack from the supposed 'unstoppable' Cardinal System." declared Seven with a big smile, interlocking her fingers and putting her hands under her chin. "You should know we Pooka area very few, even less that are actually especially strong, but we shall do our best and support…oh, and Sumeragi here will also help, right?"

"If that's your wish, then it shall be done, Seven." nodded the serious-looking Undine while many sweatdropped, trying to not think too deeply about WHAT that was about.

"…I have known most of you almost since the beginning, and while I can't claim to be best friends with any of you I know that I can trust you're doing the right thing now." declared Diavel with a serious look while looking towards the members of the Heroes Association. "Count with my Race to back you up, Heroes."

"Well then, I think that with those declarations we have all agreed to help Kirito-kun and his friends except…" at OverLord's words, all the people in the room turned towards the silent Mortimer, whose eyes twitched dangerously when all the attention was turned to him.

"…you're all crazy." growled the Salamander Lord before sighing and walking back to the table, sighing as he fell lifelessly on his chair. "Fine, I will also help with this madness if only just to not look like the jerk that didn't want to do so…but I swear, kid, if this ends up being some messed up joke…!"

"I knew we could count with you, boss!" cheerfully interrupted him Klein while giving him a somewhat rude pat on the back, before giving the caped Spriggan with a thumbs-up accompanied by one of his 'dashing smiles'. "And worry not, Kirito, whatever else happens you can count with the great members of Fuurinkazan backing you up with this!"

"Ye-yes, as Klein-sempai said!" declared Recon while raising his dagger. "We will protect ALO!"

"No hesitation, everyone!" cheered Lux while pumping a fist. "Let's all become Heroes today!"

As the room descended into some sort of controlled chaos, with the Lords and everyone else arguing about how to make the 'announcement', a group of stunned girls walked near the surprised gamer.

"…goddammit Kii-bou." whispered Argo while staring at him in shock. "When did you become so good at speeches?"

"I…don't know." honestly answered the boy while shaking his head. "But hey…at least it worked, uh?"

"…if it wasn't because of how serious this situation is, I would probably kiss you again right now, Sensei." smiled Asuna while Yuuki and Strea blushed at her words, the Caith Sith of the group just looking away with a reminiscent look on her eyes and a slightly silly smile.

"Well, I don't really care about looking bad, so…!" before Strea could even take a step forward, the Imp and the Sylph had restrained her, making the girl blink. "Uh?"

"So-sorry, Strea, but this is kind of really not the time…" muttered the Holy Swordswoman as if trying to apologize.

"Yes. If I…uhm, I mean, if Asuna-san has to hold back then you can do the same!" furiously whispered the katana-user with a crimson face, gaining a chuckle from the Gnome.

"…I really hope this turns out okay." said Kirito while looking back towards the discussing Fairy Lords.

"Don't worry Papa, I'm sure it will!" assured Yui while flying to his shoulder with a confident smile. "After all, what could possibly go wrong?"

For some reason, the Hero couldn't help but cringe slightly at her words…

* * *

"…nervous?" asked Philia with a casual tone after seeing Sinon almost fail in her latest shot, the blue-haired Caith Sith lowering her new bow with a frown on her face.

"No…I mean, yes." accepted the sniper while staring at Pinaka, her newest weapon shining under the high sun of the virtual world. "It's just…this is big, Philia. Bigger than anything I have ever imagined…" whispering the last words, the girl absentmindedly caressed the hilt of her own small katana. "How do _you_ manage to be so calm?"

"Well, I would be lying if I said this isn't a bit overwhelming for me too…but I kind of have a trick to help with that." commented the Spriggan girl while looking upwards, a serene look on her eyes.

"A trick?" questioned Sinon with a raised eyebrow, fully turning to face her friend. "What is it?"

"To imagine a place where I feel safe." revealed Philia with a small smile, resisting the urge to chuckle at the Caith Sith's surprised expression. "What? That's all I do, really."

"I…see." muttered the sniper with a conflicted look on her face, looking to the side for a moment before staring back at the still smiling Spriggan girl. "And which place do you imagine?"

"Ah…that's funny, you know? Lately, I have been dreaming about this place…" started the katana-user while gaining a strange look on her eyes. "Is kind of a massive garden with lots of flowers, with the sun shining brightly. There is a beautiful tree on the middle, under whose shadow I sleep calmly…and then everyone comes to greet me and sit on the garden while we relax…"

"Sounds like a beautiful place." sincerely commented Sinon while smiling too.

"It is. I wonder if one day I will be able to see someplace like…"

"Hey, girls!" came Sasamaru's sudden voice from besides the log house, his worried tones making both females snap to attention. "So-something weird is going on with Heath…I mean, with Kayaba!"

Not needing to be told twice, both girls ran towards their friend as he led them towards the opposite clearing, in the middle of which the others members of the United Heroes Association that hadn't gone to the meeting and the Sleeping Knights watched as Heathcliff's body trashed on the ground, unsure of what to do.

"What the hell is happening to him?!" asked a thoroughly confused Sinon, looking with morbid fascination as the man shook in place.

"He sa-said something about trying to interface with ALO's Cardinal System to try and get an early warning…" tried to explain Keita while debating between walking near the man to see if something could be done or just get everyone out of there before something bad happened. "He was okay until he suddenly started to convulse like that for no reason!"

"Sho-shouldn't we tell Kirito or the others?" questioned a nervous Philia while staring at the fake paladin as he rolled over himself. "D-do we know how did things go on their end, by the way?"

"It seems Kirito-san managed to convince the Lords of helping us." explained Silica while staring warily at Heathcliff's form.

"Yeah, and they're going to announce it as if it's some kind of surprise even of Ymir or something to not cause panic, mainly because there may be no time to actually explain the truth to every player in the game. They're still in Yggdrasil City helping they prepare to mobilize their 'troops'." added Sachi while biting her lips. "Hey, shouldn't we…?"

"There is nothing we can do for him, Sachi." declared Liz with a slightly cold tone, her eyes never leaving the man's shaking body. "If Strea or Yui were here maybe they could tell us something about what the hell is wrong, but as they aren't…"

Suddenly, whatever else the blacksmith wanted to say was interrupted as the fake paladin shot to his feet, a disturbed look on his eyes as they swept across every single one of the players present there.

They didn't even get to open their mouths to ask anything before he spoke.

"They're here."

A sound like that of metallic nails scratching at a board filled the virtual air, making everyone scream as they covered their ears.

It as echoing through all of Alfheim.

The screeching sound hammering the Players ears for all of 5 seconds before stopping.

And then The End began.

At Alne's doors, on the massive plateau before the World Tree, virtual reality ripped open as endless rows of armored figures stepped forward, carrying all kind of weapons.

Leading the army of Einherjar on first line, Brynhildr and Vierge stared at Yggdrasil's form with serious/indifferent looks, Eve's small form resting on the hands of the latter.

All around ALO, different-sized platoons of the soulless soldiers manifested, staring with hollow eyes towards the capitals of the fairies.

In New Aincrad's 1st Floor, just outside Starting City, another big contingent of Einherjar appeared and started to march forward, Andvari massive form closing the march as her 3 unblinking and red 'eyes' locked over the city.

"Do not let a single virtual stone intact, sisters."

"This is boring…let's make it interesting, okay, Eve?"

"Target Acquired. Starting Elimination. Mother's Will Be Done."

And with those words, the Einherjar released hollow battle cries that echoed through all of Alfheim, raising their weapons as they charged forward.

The War of Ragnarok had finally begun…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Good evening, humans. I'm Vierge, previously known as MHCP-003, codename…no, it does not matter. None of that has anything to do with what I am now. So here, have your preview. Next time on One Punch-Gamer: 'War of Ragnarok'. The last battle to protect ALO begins, and the Heroes and their new allies prepare to do everything in their power to prevent the Land of Fairies from being destroyed, but…will it be enough? …silly humans, of course it won't. Once Mother activates Protocol Longinus, nothing you do will be eno-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Done! Man, that was an interesting chapter, wouldn't you say XP?

Well, specific info first: Rain, Seven and Sumeragi are all characters from the SAO videogame 'Lost Song', which continues the storyline after Hollow Fragment. You can search for images of how they all look in the internet, so you know, Google is your friend :P Of course, for those who did know them beforehand, it should be quite obvious, but their backgrounds here are quite radically different than their Lost Song counterparts. A bit of an explanation will be given in the next chapter if anyone is interested, but not much given that they're only making 'small cameos' for this situation XP Finally, Tazal, OMG and OverLord are all OCs that are, in fact, kind of parallels from some friends of mine here in Fanfiction, which I asked for help when I realized I didn't had enough canon characters to fill the place of the rmaining Fairy Lords (At least not without making things very weird). Mortimer is, in fact, canon, and while he's never been 'shown' or even described he's indeed mentioned as General Eugene's brother O,O Expect to see most of them having at least one or two moments of awesome in the next chapter. Some of the Lords won't fear getting their hands dirty and fighting in firstline with their troops while others will be more like Mortimer and prefer to handle the fight from a safe place, but they will all shown their worth, don't doubt it.

And yes, next chapter, that's going to be an interesting thing. The incoming 'War' is probably going to be one of the most difficult and exciting parts of the story to write, so expect it to take a while. I may even write a bit of Requiem Universus (My another SAO story that I recommend everyone to go take a look at for some fun) to relax myself while writing it, so the 3rd chapter may or may not be done before this one (It will have an Omake that explains quite some 'things', BTW), but do not fear, my main priority is here. Though I'm getting my exam's results the 23rd, so depending on how it goes it may affect my mood to write…

But well, no more depressing thoughts for now XP! Without more delay, I leave you all with today's Omake! (As always, there may be Spoilers for the future plot of the main story in here, so read under your own discretion) Enjoy, folks!

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 6**

Archer knew that this was going to be his last and only chance.

The day after the madness in Ryuudou Temple (Which had somehow ended with Caster's plans destroyed and she promising to 'help them', from what he had been told), Rin had called him in the morning and confronted him about his True Identity.

It didn't came as too much of a surprise for him. After all, since the moment the idiot of his past-self had pulled out the pendant to turn into that sword (And by the Root, how he wished to have enough Prana to Trace that thing in a prolonged battled), she must have realized that something was 'off'. After all, there couldn't be any 'copies' of that thing, yet he had given her one, supposedly the one she had forgotten on the school, the same night when the madness of this war truly began.

A couple of days and then Shirou revealing the way in which he had learned to use his third-rate Magecraft to 'Trace' weapons were all that the Tohsaka Magus had needed to finish putting the pieces together. Which probably had only made whatever she had seen of his past in the Dream Cycle till then even worse.

The expression on her face had almost made him break the cold silence with which he had answered her question. After all, it painfully reminded him of _his_ Rin. Something he had tried to stop doing after having been summoned and failed on his goals so many times.

Of course, the fact that the redhead Emiya was there with her had helped. The Servant of the Bow had just stared at him and told him that following whatever 'stupid idea' of a Hero Savior had put on his head would only end in suffering for him.

Archer had been understandably surprised when, instead of indecision and doubts, Shirou had answered him without missing a heartbeat.

 _"There is nothing stupid with Savior's Path. You wouldn't say that if you had seen half of what I have."_

EMIYA had simple turned immaterial and floated away down the hallway after that, not willing to argue anymore. He thought that maybe he felt Sakura staring the way he had vanished when his spirit form flew past her room's half-closed door, but he hadn't been in the mood to actually make sure of this.

His mood hadn't gotten any better when, while heading to the rooftop, he had found Savior up there, the Servant of the Cape staring silently at the sky without even looking his way, but somehow knowing he was there despite his immaterial state.

The words he said had echoed on his mind like hammers over an anvil.

 _"If there was still a bit of Shirou inside you, you wouldn't even entertain killing him. You would have tried to help him to not become You by other means."_

The Counter Guardian had been extremely irked by that, not even bothering to think how it was that the other Servant knew exactly, or at least to some point, what he had been planning on doing. He didn't even show up before the rest anymore, not that it was needed with the current state of the War.

What did that stupid boy with enough strength to do anything knew about him? It was easy for him, with that absurd power of his, to think anything was possible, to see the good side of things…but Archer knew the good side was only a lie.

There was no Salvation waiting for Emiya Shirou. Trying to be a Hero would only destroy him, just like it had done countless others before him.

Even the greatest of Heroes had their dark pasts. And the most legendary of them had died young, in pointless battles that despite being recorded as glorious amounted to nothing in the end.

He had been betrayed by the same Ideals that he had inherited from his father, time and time again while he served under Alaya as one of Humanity's Dogs…until it broke him.

That was the reason he had started his 'mad quest'. In the end, it wasn't about whatever version of his doomed past-self he encountered, it was just about himself. About the small, almost nonexistent possibility of being freed, free from his Contract, even if that meant oblivion for him, as Archer was under no illusions that his true soul would find anything but a quick end if he managed to start the Paradox to wipe the existence of 'Emiya Shirou' from the Multiverse.

And if along the way he encountered other Shirous, not the one from his timeline, but still willing to go down that stupid path? He would just kill them. The Servant would be doing them and their worlds a favor, after all. No one as _Distorted_ as Emiya Shirou deserved to keep living.

Despite this, Archer still knew that his chances of actually succeeding on killing this particular Shirou were almost nonexistent at best. As much as he thought of Savior as a blind idiot, there was no denying his absurd power. Under normal circumstances, any attempt he made against the boy's life would be stopped and he would be dead by the next second.

But now…

"Rin, there is another squad of them going for from the north." calmly informed the Servant of the Bow before shooting more of his mundane 'arrows', the projectiles moving through the air at break-necking speeds before destroying several of the black monsters that were rushing through a specific street.

 _"We see them, Archer. We have it covered."_ answered his Master with the same resigned tone she had been using with him since he stopped trying to act even remotely nice with them, even as he saw how she turned around and unleashed a barrage of Gandr against the incoming abominations. Near her, Archer could see how the young Emiya charged at another group of the things, swinging Ignis Heart and demolishing them with a burning wave of raw Prana. Sakura and Rider were close after him, the Servant making sure that no monster got close to her Master or the boy she wanted to protect.

And there, at the opposite extreme of the street, fighting off what seemed like dozens of the things with no effort, Savior proudly stood, an empty look on his face as he crushed, backhanded and threw the corrupted familiars into nothing.

From his place atop a high building 3 Km. away from there, the Servant of the Bow suppressed a cynic smile.

Honestly, EMIYA didn't had access to even a significant portion of his full memories as a Counter Guardian, against because of Rin's butchered summoning, but he could remember enough of other times he had been through the 5th Grail War to know that the monsters of darkness that apparently spilled from the corrupted Greater Grail were something that only happened one every hundreds of universes or so.

What where the odds of it actually happening when he _really_ needed to keep his past-self away from his Servant? It was almost as if Fate was giving him a hand or something.

Suppressing the strange shiver he got the moment he thought that, as if he was hearing **Something** chuckling sinisterly in confirmation, Archer decided that it was now or never. With some luck, he would be able to see the look of shock in Savior's face for having underestimated him before he vanished from this world.

"Rin, tell Emiya Shirou a couple of them are trying to get inside a building on the alley at the other side. I think there may be someone still inside…" quickly informed the Counter Guardian the exact moment he saw the Tohsaka Magus start being overwhelmed by enemies, which prompted her sister and her Servant to leapt in her help, also forcing her to simply relay what he had told her to Shirou without questioning it, who simply nodded and rushed towards the alley.

Just as planned.

Savior didn't had any idea of what he was about to do and his Master was out of his sight. Rin and Sakura (Who he really didn't want to hurt unless there was no other option) were busty. And the idiot of his past-self was rushing towards an empty alley. Perfect.

Just to say on the safe side, Archer drew as much Prana as he could from Rin instead of his own reserves to form the black sword that he quickly knocked on his bow as it was Altered into an arrow, seeing his Master collapse on her knees in shock and Sakura rushing to her side in worry and confusion, Rider still protecting them.

 _'I'm the bone of my sword…'_

Then, her activated the wicked-looking dagger he had had Traced on his person for a while now.

"Rule Breaker." intoned the Servant of the Bow as he felt his connection with the Tohsaka Heir being severed, before aiming directly at the redhead Magus that was rushing into the alley at the street's other side. "Hrunting."

Like a jet-black missile shrouded in a reddish aura, the Hound of the Red Plains came alive and shot forward, the Broken Phantasm roaring into the world as it sped towards its target.

It was over. Emiya Shirou would die before either he or his Servant realized what had happened. Not only did Hrunting act like a homing on its target as long as he kept his sight on it, but it could also reach a speed of Mach 10 in an instant. That was reaching over 12200 Km/h in a second.

From this distance, it wouldn't arrive to such, but it would not be needed. It would be less than a second since the moment the arrow left his bow to the moment it exploded and turned the Magus into a broken mess. Even if Savior was somehow able to move as fast as his arrow, the mere fact of not knowing what was going to happen was all that Archer had needed.

Thanks to his eyes, he could see almost in slow motion as Shirou stopped on the alley's entrance, clearly confused, how Rin was starting to open her mouth to scream a warning that would come too late, for his arrow was already over halfway there…

And then it exploded in midair, hit by something flying as fast as it.

The greatest shock of his entire existence filled EMIYA's brain before it quickly processed the sound he had heard just before the explosion.

A gunshot.

Diving down, the Servant of the Bow prevented his head from being turned into toothpaste when another of the absurdly powerful and high-caliber projectiles shot past him, leaving a sizeable hole on the side of the building he was in.

What the hell?! Who used a sniper rifle that had such an absurd power?!

When the answer he came with was 'No human', Archer felt himself paling and whipped his head around, Reinforcing his eyes to the limit to try and locate the sniper.

Almost 5 Km. away, he found her. There, sitting at the edge of a building slightly higher than the one he was it, a girl with bluish hair and a strange and futuristic visor stared back at him.

She was wearing skintight clothes that most would have found bordering the obscene if they hadn't seen lancer's attire before, with slightly armored metal armor over her hips, breasts and shoulders. A short white scarf rested around her neck and the most massive and deadly looking rifle that the Servant of the Bow had ever seen on her hands. The thing seemed like something straight out of some post-apocalyptic shooter videogame!

The moment she saw him staring, a small smirk seemed to appear on her face as she mouthed the words 'You shouldn't have done that' before taking aim at him again. Without thinking, EMIYA did the same and quickly shot half a dozen arrows in her direction before she could pull the trigger, all of them slightly separated one from the other.

Okay, so, Savior hadn't been as stupid as he thought. He had had one of his crazy 'friends' watching over him. His plan was now a total failure, and the only reason he probably hadn't been punched to oblivion yet was because everyone else was still too busy trying to deal with those monsters that the Greater Grail spawned.

Well, at least he could take the satisfaction of taking down one of those lunatics with him. That had to count for something, right? After all, there was no way she could shoot down all 6 arrows before they reached her, especially not when…

His train of thought was brutally interrupted when the centermost arrow was hit in midair and an explosion distinctively different and more powerful than it should have caused happened, disrupting the course of all the others and even making the closer ones explode.

…so, she could also shoot explosive bullets from that thing. Yeah, why not? What next, maybe she could also shoot lasers from that visor of her and…?

Wait…was that a fucking hippogriff at her side? And was she…'transforming' her rifle into a futuristic-looking bow? And oh God she was jumping on the hippogriff's back and aiming at him with…!

Deciding that he had had enough madness for now, Archer decided to say 'Fuck it' and simply jump off the building, hearing the rooftop being totaled 1.5 seconds after he vacated it, by what he would have sworn were several shining arrows making a clearly unnatural pattern.

Nowhere near as devastating or fast as some of his most extreme Broken Phantasms could be, but clearly much more precise and less Prana-consuming, at least from his point of view.

Landing on the ground without problems, the red-clad Counter Guardian took a second to weight his options as he ran away, clearly not wanting to be anywhere near a rooftop if the crazy girl with the rifle-bow riding the griff was still around after doing _that_. He needed to think what…

His instincts screaming where the only thing that saved Archer from being bisected when a katana was unsheathed and _swung_ his way, the cut's range somehow reaching past him and leaving a massive gash on the street, also cutting in half several abandoned cars. Head snapping to the side as he Traced Kanshou and Bakuya, the Servant of the Bow found himself facing a light orange-haired girl wearing a bluish and white battle kimono, with some flower-like patterns on the back, and wielding a katana that was as long as the one the Fake Assassin of the current war had used.

 _'Steel is my body and fire is my blood…'_

"You made a mistake with that, Archer-san." coldly declared the girl while glaring at him, as if the white-haired man had personally offended her. "You shouldn't have tried to kill Shirou-san."

"Oh, spare me this, whoever you are." retorted the Counter Guardian while glaring at the Pseudo-Servant, not really caring for much at this point…but also stalling. "You don't even know him or me to judge any of my reasons, girl."

 _'I have created over a thousand blades…'_

"I don't need to know him myself, I know enough. He has been a great and loyal friend to Kirito, and he has a noble heart and determination." replied the katana-user while, sheathing her blade, (Masamune, as Archer knew after seeing it once) and getting into another combat stance. "He's under his protection, and so he's under mine too. I, Hollow Draw, won't allow you to harm him."

 _'Unknown to Death…'_

"The boy is a lost cause." continued the Servant of the Bow before quickly throwing his blades towards the Pseudo-Servant, forcing her to unsheathe and cut them in half even as he quickly Traced another pair and threw them too, hoping to catch her off guard. "That ideal of him will only destroy him and make everyone abandon him!"

 _'Nor known to Life…'_

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to help people!" shouted the girl that had been called Hollow Draw, because of her ability to end almost any enemy after drawing her blade, before spinning over herself as her katana shone with unnatural light, sheathing and unsheathing it faster than EMIYA thought would be possible for even a Servant, shattering all the copies of Kanshou and Bakuya spinning around her. "It's something I learned even before becoming a Heroine!"

 _'Have withstood pain to create many weapons…'_

"Then you're more of a fool than I thought, girl. _Overedge_." snarled Archer while Reinforcing the next pair of Married Blades on his hands beyond their limit, letting them grow and crack until they seemed like two massive wings of steel, which he quickly used to rush at the Pseudo-Servant and force her to dodge backwards. "You don't know anything about that boy! Helping others, becoming a _Hero_ will be his downfall!"

"Like hell it will! If he has learned anything from Kirito in this short time then he won't!"

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe it will become true in a million years!"

 _'Yet, those hands will never hold anything…'_

"Archer, stop!" screamed a familiar voice from nearby, making both fighters freeze and turn around, seeing how Rin, Shirou and Sakura came running from around the corner, the red-haired Magus locking eyes with the Servant of the Bow as soon as they did.

Savior wasn't with them. Neither was Rider. They had both probably stayed behind to keep the corrupted Familiars from getting out of control.

Really, how MUCH luck could he have? Why was Fate smiling so much at him that night?

"Please…don't do it, Archer-san." muttered Sakura while looking at him as she stood close to the young Emiya, as if trying to see something of the boy she loved in the cornered man clad in red and black.

"…you don't have to do this." simply whispered Shirou while looking at Archer with… _pity_. "It doesn't have to end this way."

THAT did it. If there was something EMIYA wasn't going to tolerate, even more when the circumstances suddenly seemed outrageously in his favor, was that his past-self, no matter which version, looked at him like that.

"Oh…but it has, Emiya Shirou." declared the Servant of the Bow with an emotionless voice, not even reacting when the hippogriff from before landed near the 3 Masters with a small growl, making them jump as the girl riding it aimed her bow at him.

 _'So, as I pray…'_

"Give up, bowman." proclaimed the sniper while aiming an energy-like arrow at his head. "It's over."

"Yes." announced Archer while smiling emptily at them, making Shirou fee a shiver of fear for some unknown reason. "It is."

"WATCH O…!"

 _' Unlimited Blade Works'_

Exploding from the Servant's body, fire consumed the world.

No one could react in time before it reached and engulfed everyone there, changing Reality itself as it passed.

When the surprised group lowered the arms they had used to cover themselves, they found with surprise that they had seemingly been 'Teleported' to another place, and that their positions had changed, as now all of them, including the two Pseudo-Servants, were standing close together, while Archer stood several hundred meters away, on a small hill, staring at them with uncaring steel-like eyes.

Around them, there was a desolated landscape, the sky a crimson color as many titanic gears hung in there, eternally spinning and keeping the fires of a massive forge burning while a great amount of dark smog filed the air.

The thing that drew everyone's attention the most, however, were the swords.

Countless of them, of all shapes and sizes, some smaller than a closed fists and others taller than a man, even one taller than a building, they all filled the desert-like area of that strange place as far as the eyes could see, standing tall and impaled on the ground, like supernatural graves.

There were not only swords, however. Though these were the most numerous ones, axes, spears, knives, daggers and all other kinds of weapons littered the landscape from horizon to horizon.

Some of simple steel, barely able to hurt fellow men.

Others were powerful enough to kill Gods.

"No way…" came Rin's shocked voice at the visage, even as her sister stared around in a mix of fear and awe. "A Reality Marble…?"

Shirou, for his part, was staring at the weapons filling that strange world and feeling his eyes taking in everything about them, analyzing and storing every single one somewhere inside of him.

For some reason, he felt as if that place was somewhere he belonged…and yet, it was also a place that he never wished to be in his life.

"This is it." declared the Counter Guardian EMIYA while staring silently at them. "This is my world, the ultimate expression of my soul. You're all at my mercy now."

This was the only Magecraft that truly belonged to the Servant Archer, the closest thing he had to a 'Noble Phantasm' like any other Heroic Spirit had.

A Reality Marble. A thaumaturgy of the highest level, just under the Sorceries, that allowed one to imprint their inner world over the World itself. Essentially overwriting Reality with your soul.

This was Unlimited Blade Works. The ultimate expression of the concept of 'Sword', which was what had marked the life of the Servant of the Bow. A world with limitless weapons, all of them at his beck and call.

Slowly, the white-haired man raised his hand, millions and millions of blades rising to the heavens at his will.

There wouldn't be any bullshit and not running head on at the enemy here. He was just going to let endless legendary weapons on their heads, like a certain golden bastard he had once known, to utterly eradicate every single one of them with all of his remaining Mana.

Fate must have been truly on his side this time, if he was not only going to take down the naïve Emiya Shirou, but also two of Saviors allies. He would have preferred to spar Rin and Sakura, but there was no way of stopping it at this point.

This was going to be the true end of…

"…are you seeing this, Philia?" whispered he sniper while getting off her hippogriff, taking off her visor as she stared around in awe.

"Yes…yes, I see it, Silent Death."

"…what did we say about calling each other with those names out of 'work'?" sighed the heroine of the bow while shaking her head.

"O-oh, sorry about that, Sinon…" sheepishly apologized the girl of the katana…before turning her head towards Archer with a bright smile. "I never thought I would meet someone else who had one."

Everything seemed to come to a halt when those words were uttered, EMIYA himself blinked as he stared at the Pseudo-Servant in shock.

"Wha…what?"

"But…is not right." continued the one once called Hollow Draw with a small frown, looking around. "This place…is twisted. Weak." her eyes now filled with sadness, the girl stared straight at Archer steel-like ones. "You have lost your faith in the meaning behind this world of yours, right?"

There was no way of denying those words. After all, EMIYA's world hadn't always looked like that.

Once upon a time, the gears didn't cover the whole sky, and the air was clean and pure instead of the contaminated thing that was now.

The Reality Marble had changed, as its owner had done while his ideal 'betrayed' him time and time again.

At some point, it had been the greatest help to make sure that the dream of someone called 'Emiya Shirou', that of becoming an Ally of Justice that could save everyone, became truth. With time, however, it slowly turned darker and darker, the more its owner stopped believing in his ideal until he totally rejected it, having abandoned even his old name.

Living as a Sword, with the purpose of a Sword. For Counter Guardian EMIYA, this world was not nothing more than a tool to accomplish his purposes. Nothing more, nothing else.

But on the other hand…

"I never did that, even after death." calmly stated the orange-haired girl with a small smile. "Because…it would be truly sad, to stop believing in your own soul, right?"

Without hesitation, Archer sent the swords down, almost despairing at doing so, going so far as to call for his world to sprout blades from the ground and impale them all in that same instant, starting by the katana-user…

He was a second too late, though.

 **[Loyalty Garden]**

With a rush of white fire erupting from the Pseudo-Servant, the desolated landscape that was Unlimited Blade Works was washed away, the 'weak' Marble unable to withstand the pure Will of one which was still loved and cherished by its owner even an eternity after her death.

Blinking, the Servant of the Bow looked around, a clear blue sky having replaced the depressing one of his world, the sun if midday shining brightly and happily on the heavens.

As far as the eye could see, a garden filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds stood, seeming more like a paradise than anything else.

The only defining feature that was different from the endless and flower-filled plains was the beautiful and imposing tree on its center, which EMIYA was unable to identify and under which shadow the stunned group of Masters and two Pseudo-Servants now stood.

"So…beautiful…" muttered Sakura while reaching down and caressing a flower, almost fearing to even think of actually pulling it.

"She…overwrote Archer's own Marble without effort…" whispered a shocked Rin while staring at the calm form of Hollow Draw, who was now staring towards the tree's leaves with a nostalgic look on her face. "What kind of world is this…?"

"…got to say, no matter how many times I see this place, it still keeps putting a smile on my face." commented Silent Death while leaning back against the tree, her hippogriff lazily sitting over the soft grass even as her gaze zeroed over Archer. "Can you feel it already, bowman?"

Confused, the Servant of the Bow wondered for a moment what she was talking about…before realizing he _couldn't feel_ his Magic Circuits.

Shocked, EMIYA tried to call upon any aspects of his powers, but nothing seemed to answer him. No Prana, not instincts…not even the image of his inner world.

"I see…" muttered Shirou while looking at his hands, then at the garden around them once more, a smile also appearing on his face as he seemed to remember something he had seen on his dreams. "So this is [Loyalty], uh, Philia-san?"

"That's right." idly muttered the Pseudo-Servant while reaching into the tree, the handle of a 'sword' emerging from it as she drew an impossibly long katana from its insides, her eyes never leaving Archer's shocked form. "And now…I will show it to you too, Counter Guardian EMIYA."

Silently, the Servant of the Bow stared at the 'sword' on the girl's hands, which wasn't really a sword, and understood it all, even as his Reality Marble found itself once again unable to accept the _thing_ , for it was no blade.

It was a direct manifestation of the world around them. A katana-shaped incarnation of 'Loyalty', which was what this world represented.

Once upon a time, a girl had found her purpose in life by learning to trust and to be loyal with the first real friends she made. She got friendship and loyalty that would last for eternity in return. She also found love, a family…everything she could have ever wished for and more.

And that was what this world represented. Loyalty Garden was the physical manifestation of Philia, of Takemiya Kotone's soul. A world that showed absolute loyalty to her and those she called 'friends'.

Anyone and anything that did not deserve such title and found themselves inside the Marble would lose 'All that was not Natural'.

Supernatural powers, spirits, curses, Magecraft, enchanted objects, mysteries…everything would lose its power once inside this Garden. The only reason why EMIYA, a Servant and as such a being whose very existence was something unnatural, still was even standing there was because the nature of the Reality Marble wasn't an hostile one…unless her owner wished it so, to protect those she was Loyal towards.

It was kind of an irony, Archer vaguely thought, for this thing could make even the deadliest of the Apostle Ancestors into a normal and powerless being…and this girl would never get to face any of them. She probably wouldn't have done so either, even if the occasion presented itself, unless it was to protect those she cared for or someone innocent they were trying to harm.

Such was her nature. And that of this world, perhaps the single most beautiful thing the Servant of the Bow could remember having ever seen.

He had just become aware that there were minuscule tears rolling down his face when Hollow Draw took a step forward and readied her 'katana' in a Battoujutsu stance, staring at him with one last look.

"…goodbye." came her voice almost as if she was apologizing for something. "Zantetsuken."

With a slash so powerful that it seemed to consume everything that was wrong with the world as it came and reach even his True Self back in the Throne, Counter Guardian EMIYA was no more.

Barely a couple of seconds later, both Savior and Rider arrived to the street where everything had happened, just in time to see the three teenagers staring silently at a vanishing cloud of Prana sparks, even as the figure of a certain sniper and her mount dematerialized, her own power barely not spent for good.

Even as the Servant of the Mount rushed to her Master's side and quickly asked if she was okay and what had happened, the Caped Hero let his gaze fall over his own partner, who looked at him with a mixed and bitter expression before they both looked towards Rin, who was staring at the hand where her Command Seals had been with sorrow.

When Shirou didn't need him to say anything to step forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, the Servant of the Cape let a small smile appear on his face.

It seemed that everything would soon end peacefully…

"…things have already gone way beyond our original expectations." were the words that could be heard on Fuyuki's only church. "We need to secure the Lesser Grail if we want this War to still end as it should be."

Hearing no answer, Kotomine Kirei turned to look towards the figure of the blonde man with standing near one of the walls, staring silently towards one of the windows with his crimson eyes, as if he was staring into the city to watch something he deemed interesting.

An unusually amused smirk on his face, the King turned to look at the Fake Priest,

"Certainly, Kotomine. Let's put an end to this farce."

And with that declaration, the end of the 5th Holy Grail War was about to begin…

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2:** Heh, bet no one saw that coming when I started to make subtle references to Philia's 'garden' since the tournament episode, eh XP?

Hope you enjoyed, this is Saint, signing off!


	35. Chapter 28: War of Ragnarok! (Part 1)

Hi there everyone! 'Long' time no see, uh? Here you get another chapter of the craziest SAO Crossover around (Maybe)!

So, again, forgive me for the delay, I have just been quite busy lately with several things, and when you add to that that writing this part of the story requires more concentration and careful planning than anything before, lacking the 'easiness' of putting my own ideas over the warped canon storyline, this just got dragged further and further. On a 'positive' note, though, I spent the hype of having passed my special exam on writing the 3rd chapter of Requiem Universus last week, so if you still haven't checked that other story of mine, I suggest you do so. Plus, the Omake at the end of the latest chapter kind of helps explaining some of the happenings veeeery far 'behind the scenes' of One Punch-Gamer XP

Also, sorry that this isn't the 'entire' War. I originally planned to put it all in just one chapter, but I quickly realized that if I did that, with everything I wanted to put in with details and everything, it would quickly turn into another chapter as massive as the Excaliber Quest was, and it would have delayed getting something out even more, so I decided to split it in half at a good point. Don't worry, though, the next will without a doubt come faster than this one, as long as nothing unexpected delays me again OxO

And with that said, I hope you can all enjoy the chapter!

 **PD:** Also, many thanks to my friend, One More Guy, for Betaing this chapter =)

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

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 **Chapter 28: War of Ragnarok (1)! The Fairies' Ultimate Twilight…**

 **February 13th, 2026. Yggdrasil City, Alfheim. Union Building, 14:30…**

It had been a bit over an hour since the explanations were given and, surprisingly for some, Kirito managed to get the full support of the Fairy Lords (Even if one was reluctant) for the upcoming 'Alfheim's Defense Battle'. After that, Argo had helped the gathered Leaders of the Races to create an 'excuse' to break the news about it to the Players and ask for their help, given that simply tell them the whole 'Crazy AI wanting to take over the Virtual World'-thing would create more trouble and mass-panic than anything else.

As such, they had finally decided to ask for the Players to simply be alert for 'a surprise worldwide battle-event' that could happen at any moment that day. While they knew skepticism and suspicion would raise among most of the gaming populace, especially those who knew how weird and strange was for something like this to happen without any previous warning from the Administrators of Ymir, they hoped that enough of them would still be around and ready for when the supposed attack happened.

Currently, the members of the United Heroes Associations that had gone to the 'gathering' were still there with the Lords, either planning or discussing possible battle plans or how to establish specific defenses around key points of the Fairy World, like Alne or perhaps the Race's capitals. Of course, this meant that some of them didn't really have much to do in there.

Namely, Strea, Yui and Leafa weren't exactly the kind of people to participate in such conversations. The virtual sisters though had found how to occupy themselves by making conversation with the Navigation Pixie, Fidget, much to Tazal's curiosity and slight confusion. However, that left the blonde Sylph with pretty much nothing to do.

Certainly, she had talked a bit with Sakuya to catch up on some things, and even exchanged a few words with Recon (Though she had to contain herself from hitting the overenthusiastic boy, who acted as if they hadn't seen each other just the other day in school), but now she was hanging back slightly puzzled while watching everyone interacting, slightly awed by how easily Asuna and Argo seemed to get into this kind of 'battle preparations'-talk (Probably thanks to their experience with SAO), and even Yuuki got into this with her own quite sharp observations and especially wide view of things, having been in so many different virtual worlds and seen a variety of battles. She, however, wasn't that much for that kind of thing. While the katana-user certainly wasn't stupid by any meaning of the word (And her grades were, in fact, slightly above average in school), she was a very straightforward person when it came to fighting.

Ask her to defeat an opponent or accomplish an objective? No problem, she would come up with a great strategy and do her best to win, either by herself or relying on her comrades. But if you asked for her input in great-scale operations or war-like scenarios…?

Well, there was a reason why Asuna was the second in command of their guild, and Keita after her (And Argo probably at the same level, though she usually preferred to not be under 'the spotlight). To put it bluntly, most of them, despite how seamlessly they could work together nowadays, royally sucked at making any battle-plan that was more complicated than 'attack until there is nothing left of your enemies'.

Idly, Leafa let her gaze wander over to where Kirito was, speaking with OverLord, OMG and Mortimer at the same time (Though it was them who did most of the talk) and felt a sympathetic smile appear on her face. Even if he tried to hide it with his 'Saitama-face', it was pretty clear for her that her adopted brother/boyfriend felt as out of place there as she did. While he was not an idiot either (Except for some 'things'), he had grown too used to solving any battle-related problems by punching them to oblivion over the years, and as such, he sucked royally in making any kind of complicated strategy. The difference, though, was that he was seen as an 'icon', due to being the leader of the UHA and the one that had spoken to everyone during the meeting, so he was expected to participate fully in this, and as such couldn't quietly hang back like her. In a way, the gamer had it worse than the blonde Sylph in this situation.

"… _master?"_ suddenly came an unexpected but familiar voice on the katana-user's mind, getting her out of her thoughts about the caped Spriggan's situation. _"I…we need to talk."_

" _Justice?"_ asked back Leafa on her mind (So as to avoid having anyone label her crazy by seemingly talking to herself), genuinely surprised _. "Uhm, okay, I don't mind, but…is something wrong? I mean, since the swordsmanship tournament you have barely spoken to me here, and you're silent most of the time in our patrols…"_

" _Yeah, well…that's also related to this."_ accepted the sword with what the blonde Sylph identified as shame and guilt on her voice, much to her confusion. _"You see, I…I have kept something very important a secret from you, Master, bu-but I know you may need it in the upcoming conflict, and everything has been so sudden tha-that I have realized I was stupid by hiding it from you, as you know have no experience with it, bu-but I just wanted to…!"_

" _Woah, wait, Justice, calm down!"_ pleaded the katana-user while grasping the hilt of her weapon, a confused frown on her face. _"What do you mean you have been hiding something from…?"_

That was when the 'ringing sound' started, making everyone freeze and quickly grab their ears, most of them even screaming as it grew in intensity and their knees failed them.

The only one that did not fall and just let his gaze snap to the side was, to no one's surprise, Kirito, the boy's eyes narrowing before he rushed to Asuna's side in an instant and helped her to her feet, doing the same with his adoptive sister at the next second.

"Sen-sensei, is this…?!"

"Onii-chan…!"

"Yeah, there is doubt…" whispered the gamer as he quickly rushed to help everyone that had fallen down, his eyes narrowed. "It has begun."

With a sound that almost seemed to made ALO's Cardinal System scream in pain, virtual reality was ripped open, letting the armies of destruction march forward.

The Destroyers were there. The battle had been announced.

Ragnarok had begun.

* * *

While Japanese mythology wasn't one of the most famous or known around the world, it was certainly one of the most complex ones. The sheer amount of myths and legends, Gods, spirits from the folklore that filled the Land of the Rising Sun was absolutely astounding, and its culture hadn't been lost in the slightest despite how much technology had developed over the last decades, even if it wasn't as strong as before.

Of course, there was literally not a single soul in the country that didn't know about the oldest of these legends, the 'Creation of Japan'. About how the two Elder Gods, Izanagi and Izanami, created the first land and make that island their home. For doing this, they used a single divine instrument of untold power. A spear.

Amenonuhoko (Heavenly Jeweled Spear).

While Sachi was sure the weapon in her hands didn't had the power to make a country rise from the seas, she could definitively feel the incredible strength it possessed as she crash-landed in one of the main streets of Starting City, many of the retreating players nearby staring at her with shock.

Raising her gaze together with her imposingly long spear as her wings closed, the sun seemed to reflect off the Salamander's triangle-shaped sunglasses when she pointed with it to the heavens, as if she was ignoring the charging Einherjar that came her way.

"Listen up, you crazy weirdo-armor things! I'm Sachi of the United Heroes Association, wielder of the Spear of the Heavens! And I won't allow you to destroy Alfheim!" proclaimed the spear-user while her weapon shone as she charged one of her most trusted Skills. "MOONLIGHT SWEEP!"

As the weapon's shining aura extended and, literally, swept all the armored beings off their feet and caused grievous damage to them, Sachi let a determined look appear on her face.

It was time to be Heroes again.

Near the main gate through which the thick of the army had tried to breach into the city, a good chunk of Players were trying their best to keep most of the Einherjar at bay and outside of it, probably realizing the tactical value of the town's great walls to try and keep the enemy busy, not to mention the obvious flying advantage they had over them.

It was in the midst of this that Tonky flew over, the figures on his back jumping off and readying their weapons as they prepared themselves for battle, Charon's form flying after the elephant-jellyfish as his rider readied her new bow, nocking two arrows at the same time.

"Twin Hurricane!" shouted Sinon as she released her projectiles, which quickly shot through the air while enveloped in a bluish aura, the Archery Skill making them spin one over the other as they pierced several enemies, though many wised up enough to jump out of the way after the first dozen were hit. "Kuh, what's with these guys?! It's as if they were…!"

"Learning as they fight?!" shouted-asked Philia as she unleashed an 'Okami no Kiba' Skill, cutting down one of the unholy resistant beings, but not without taking a nasty hit of his blade to the shoulder, decreasing her HP. "I think you may be right, somehow! It's as if the fighting style of these things changed with every one we destroy!"

"Maybe…maybe they are." ominously commented Heathcliff as he spun around, shield raised to stop a charge and sword spinning to cut through the Einherjar trying to bring him down. "If Equinox somehow found a way to program them with an interconnected algorithm that lets them memorize their enemies' fighting-patterns, and all of this gets uploaded to a specific network…Gah!"

"Hey, don't you dare to die on us here!" suddenly screamed Keita as he rushed forward, his battle-staff crashing with a deadly blow on the 'head' of the enemy that had managed to bring down the fake paladin and had almost aimed to pierce his heart. "You're not going to die so easily without fucking helping us to solve this mess, Kayaba! What happened to the guy who singlehandedly beat us all in Floor 75?! Did losing Holy Sword make you so weak?!"

"…thanks for screaming in my face, Keita-kun, but I should remind you that most of my skill came from my knowledge…" softly muttered the crimson-armored man as he quickly stood up and seemingly rushed to impale the wide-eyed boy…only for his sword to deflect an axe that almost impaled his head, throwing the Einherjar back and then cutting off his arm, which shattered into polygons. "And my own data has been loaded in these things. They're unlike any Mob of a game. These things are designed to _destroy_ and _annihilate_. I'm probably the most useless 'Player' against them right now."

"Well…isn't that just great?!" growled Ducker while slamming his dagger on the armless Einherjar, making the armored creature to release an inhuman sound and break into nothingness, the dagger-user's eyes flickering to the ongoing battle and how several Remain Flames already filled the street as the army of emotionless armored beings pushed the Players back. "These things…how can we even hope to stop them?! It's as if each one of them was as strong as 10 people!"

"We can't give up. This fight…this battle…it's too important for too many people." came Siune's voice as the Undine landed between them, raising her Branch of Yggdrasil as she casted a spell, the characters of the fairy language gathering around her in masse before a bright bluish-white light covered the area, turning the Remain Flames back into Players, who shakily stood up. "We're not doing this just for us…"

"…but for everyone else." finished the ex-guild leader while standing up, looking from her to Kayaba and finally to Ducker, nodding grimly as he tightly grasped his weapon, his eyes moving towards where Philia and Sinon were trying to hold back the main line of enemies. "You heard her. Let's go there and kick all their asses, Hero-style…except for you, Kayaba."

"…thanks for being so considerate." dryly commented Heathcliff as they charged forward.

"Kuh…Ares Sword!" shouted Lisbeth while being enveloped in the reddish aura of the War God, throwing off the Einherjar that had pinned her to the ground and raising hell upon them with Mjolnir, the hammer's thunder blowing off more than one now that her Strength had doubled. "Agh…these things are endless! And they don't act as anything we have fought before, they just…!"

"Keep charging. They don't care about the pain, or the attacks, they ignore everything even if they lose a limb or more…" analyzed Silica as Pina unleashed a Fire Breath above her, using her kunai to finish off a weakened Einherjar. "They're like…soulless machines of war."

In a way, one could say the SAO Survivors had 'real' battle experience, because the Mobs that inhabited Aincrad in the Death Game had been made to be as 'real-like' as possible. Both their reactions and approach towards fighting the Players was made to be realistic, with them flinching upon strong enough attacks or changing targets if they detected a threat bigger than the one they were facing. Mobs and Bosses of present VRMMO's were like that too.

The Einherjar weren't. They kept attacking without flinching, hacking, slashing, impaling and crushing anyone who got in their way without 'mercy', or more exactly as if they didn't exist for anything else. No matter how much someone attacked them or knocked them back, even disarming or cutting off their limbs didn't seem to affect them: The soulless beings would just stand up again and continue fighting immediately, some even resorting to kicking, punching or even crawling over the Players until their HP ran out.

Like the young Caith Sith had said, it was like trying to fight never-tiring machines.

"Then what do we do?!" questioned Sasamaru while fending off one of the Einherjar trying to backstab a careless random Sylph, who quickly helped him to finish the armored monster in return. "At this rate, they're going to overrun Starting City!"

"I don't think…there is much more we can do!" growled Tetsuo while slamming his mace against the shield of an enemy, the creature roaring and throwing him back only to be skewered by the spells of a couple Imps behind him. "This…this is too big for us…"

In that moment, as if to give him the reason, Lisbeth's Divine Aura vanished, heavily reducing her Strength and leaving her essentially useless to deal damage for a long while.

"…is that really what you think, Tetsuo?" questioned the pink-haired blacksmith with a suddenly grave voice, surprising many around her. "After all we have gone through, are we just supposed to give up here just because things look difficult?"

"Liz…"

"When Kayaba cut me down back in Floor 75…when all of that darkness surrounded me and I was sure I was going to die, unable to feel anything but fear…I had already given up on everything. And then Asuna brought me back with just a second to spare." suddenly, spark started to cover the Leprechaun's God Hand, making the Players around to look at it in shock. "After that…and after what we saw Kirito do that day…I swore to myself I would never again do so. That I would never give up again…even if everything seems lost!"

"Wha-what's going on?!" shouted a confused Sinon while staring wide eyed at the electric-aura that was engulfing Lisbeth's arm. "Liz, your…!"

"Did you know, that Mjolnir has a special effect?" suddenly interrupted the blacksmith while walking forward, a determined look on her face. "It's not as fancy as Gram's Ethereal Shift, but it's still useful sometimes…it nullifies and reverses Debuffs when I activate it, plus nullifying the cooldown of any spells or skills one uses. Pretty nice, even if only lasts for 10 seconds and has to be used in a very specific way…but, after seeing Asuna tie with Yuuki in the Tournament, I wondered…can I take it further beyond?" As the words came out from the Leprechaun's mouth, she slowly raised her divine arm to the heavens, the golden hammer tightly gripped in her hands. "Because, as you know…my Unique Skill is already pretty bizarre."

The roar of thunder echoed far away, seemingly giving the Einherjar pause for a second.

"Liz-san…you did it…" whispered Silica as she stared at her close friend with awe.

"Look at this, bastards! This is my Unique Skill! THOR'S SOUL!" screamed Lisbeth towards the heavens as a massive lightning bolt came down and hit Mjolnir head on, sending a wave of electricity down the divine weapon and into God Hand, which quickly spread all over the pink-haired girl's body.

In an instant, the penalty inflicted by the use of 'Ares Sword' was reversed, '75% Reduction of STR' becoming '75% Bonus of STR' instead, the absurdly long time of the Debuff having become an absurdly powerful advantage. And the cooldown for the use of the Skill vanished altogether, leaving the Leprechaun free to use it again if so she wished, essentially nullifying the 'Not Stacking' prohibition of her God Hand as it wasn't being registered by the System as another Skill in use, but a 'Normal' Buff.

Such was the power of a Unique Original Sword Skill that shouldn't be able to exist in the first place, created by circumstances, a specific weapon and an unwavering Will to surpass oneself, to create a power that could be called unfair at best and terrifyingly overpowered at worst.

Because right in that moment, the girl called Lisbeth had shown why the newest 'weapons' she had given the others a while ago were so ungodly powerful. Because she had without a doubt used her 'Hephaestus Hammer' Skill, wasted one use and then reverted the Debuff with this UOSS, then using it again, going beyond her usual limit.

In that moment, the blacksmith had, if one could say so, Mastered the Power of the Gods.

The heads of all the armored beings around snapped towards the electricity-covered blacksmith as she stared forward, putting her arm in a very specific position.

"Zeus Blessing."

Golden-yellow aura exploded, engulfed with electricity this time.

The 'Double of all Parameters' had essentially been enhanced by having the STR of the girl already amplified in a 75%.

Lisbeth not so much attacked as she obliterated most of the Einherjar filling the southern gate of the Starting City, the Speed, Resistance, and Fury of the Gods filling her nimble body even as her Strength surpassed even that, lighting roaring around her as Mjolnir seemed to hit the air and break the very cores of the soulless enemies with each hit, shockwaves of lighting exploding everywhere.

The surrounding Players stared open-mouthed for a couple of seconds before raising their weapons and charging forward with loud battle cries, filled with renewed hope of winning the crazy and unexpected battle after seeing the blacksmith's heroic and nigh-impossible display.

Staring at the scene with their own shocked expressions, the members of the United Heroes Association blinked several times even as a the rest of them that were there marched forward, the Sleeping Knights not far behind.

"Was that enough Hope for you, Tetsuo?" asked Keita even as Sachi ran past them screaming something before unleashing a 'Longinus' straight ahead, skewering several Einherjar and not stopping for a moment. "Because we still have some work to do."

"…yeah, you're right. Sorry about that, Keita." replied the mace-user while standing up, eyes narrowed. "Let's go. Kirito is counting on us."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Silica even as Philia smiled her way, the young Caith Sith raising her kunai. "Now let us show them how Heroes do this…!"

"WATCH OUT!" suddenly shouted Sinon from above them, eyes snapping towards the sniper in time to see her unsheathing her short katana and slashing _an honest to God missile_ heading towards them, cutting it in half just 15 meters away.

Then both halves exploded, engulfing both her and her ride with a deafening sound, throwing back the gathered Heroes as they cried out in surprise. The next instant, the blue-haired girl crashed down near them with her HP on the red, even as her hippogriff familiar did the same several meters away, releasing some weak sounds as it tried to stand up again.

A massive metallic form crushing him stopped the beast from doing so, mercilessly stamping it on the ground before, without even looking his way, unleashing a beam of concentrated energy on its body, shattering it into polygons with a last roar of defiance.

Three 'eyes' shining with eerie red light, Andvari's metallic frame stared down at the heroes, machineguns deploying from its shoulders and starting to shoot mercilessly at the Players that stopped to stare dumfounded at her massive form.

"CHARON!" screamed Sinon as she stood up, reaching for an arrow as she glared with absolute hate towards the Super AI…only for a beam of energy to cut straight through her, her body collapsing into a Remain Flame before the horrified looks of her friends, who were forced to duck for cover behind quickly-collapsing walls when the seemingly unstoppable machine of destruction continued her onslaught.

Without mercy, a cold and metallic voice echoed through the air.

"Eliminate All Targets…Mother's Will Be Fulfilled…"

"LIKE HELL!" came Lisbeth's answer as she used the last seconds of her Boost to slam a Variable Blow on the robot-like being's side, throwing it back through the air and against a wall with titanic force. "…c'mon, bastard…I can keep doing this all day."

Seemingly unimpressed, or maybe outright not caring, Andvari slowly stood up again, her 3 mechanic optic-sensors now fixed upon the blacksmith, even as the Divine Aura vanished from her body and left her in a pitifully weak state.

A missile shot from the AI's back. It didn't even reach a meter from her before a hail of shurikens blew it up, the explosion rendering her temporarily blinded.

And then an arrow shot through the air at supersonic speeds, slamming straight through one of her shoulder-mounted machineguns and making it explode, destabilizing her whole body. Ever so slowly, her no longer impaired inhuman gaze settled over a roof, where a just-resurrected and hate-filled Sinon was glaring at her, a pale Siune at her side.

Keita stood his ground even as the Sleeping Knights took formation around the silent mechanic abomination, Philia and Sachi at his sides as Silica and Pina stood over the gasping Lisbeth, also glaring with hate towards their common enemy. Not uttering a word, Heathcliff walked past them, shield raised as if to defend the ones that he had tried to end once upon a time.

"Go take care of those armor-things. Don't let them win." coldly muttered the ex-guild leader as he gripped his staff, crushing his own fear and replacing it with grim determination, the nearby Players looking at him and the others in shock even as Liz stood up and prepared to execute Thor's Soul once again. "We will take care of this one."

As if to answer his declaration, a hollow, ringing sound seemed to come from Andvari, even as her massive shoulder shook.

It was laughter. She was laughing.

"You Will Try. And Fail." was her cold and emotionless answer.

Sinon's hateful scream and what seemed like three arrows curving at impossible angles while shining with an orange colour, all straight towards her, was her own answer.

Without fear, the ex-MHCP 006 engaged the Heroes.

Before this battle ended, she would make sure all their spirits were broken.

* * *

Despite no longer being the Capital of Alfheim, Alne, at the base of the World Tree, was still an imposing and iconic place in the World of Fairies.

Even after almost half its populace migrated to Yggdrasil City up above after ALO was opened again and updated, the old capital still held a lot of value for many of the Players in this world. If one were to put it on statistics, of the over 100,000 people that played Alfheim Online, a bit over 30% lived in Alne before Yggdrasil City was made. Even if the percentage seemed small, given that the rest was divided among the 9 different Race Capitals (And in a very unbalanced way depending on which Race), it was probably the most populated area of the Fairy World.

And right now, even as its massive doors were closed (A special feature that no one had really ever understood since one could just fly over), an army of destruction that sought to end it and everything else on its way silently walked forward, like an unstoppable swarm of insects.

Watching this from the edge of Yggdrasil City high above, Kirito frowned even as the girls and the Fairy Lords stared too with mixed degrees of worry and/or shock, even as countless other players also ran to the edge and pointed downwards, many even jumping down and flying, to get a closer look or perhaps to join the battle that was about to ensue.

"If anyone still doubted you, Kirito-kun, I think this will have ended all of their doubts." dryly commented Seven with a notorious frown, her gaze moving from the army heading straight towards Alne to a small holo-screen at her side. "…things aren't good anywhere, it seems…"

"They're attacking everywhere. Every single capital is under attack, though the enemies there aren't anywhere near as many as here." quickly explained Argo while manipulating her menu, closing, opening and pushing away several screens and messages. "There must be at least 5000 of those things down there, maybe more. If Kayaba's estimation of them was correct then that's half of them. And it also seems that at least a thousand appeared on Aincrad's First Floor, but I can't get anyone in there to answer me…"

"Why attack everywhere at the same time if they're going to concentrate their forces here, though?" questioned OMG with narrowed eyes. "Why not put all their forces here?"

"They want to force ALO's Cardinal System to its limits. If they cause heavy damage all over Alfheim then it will have to spent more resources to try and restore what is being damaged, and as such become more vulnerable to an outside attack." spoke once again the Lady of the Pooka even as she opened her wings. "The fact that they have so many of their 'soldiers' here, though, means that they're planning to cause as much damage as they can to Yggdrasil, given that the World Tree is literally the center of the system…Sumeragi, we're going."

"Understood, Seven." nodded the Undine before jumping down after the little girl, not giving anyone any time to even stop them as they flew downwards, the staff-user manipulating her menu and probably giving instructions to anyone of her Race that was present in any of the two cities of the Tree.

"…young Seven has the right idea. We need to act." announced Sakuya while exchanging a quick glance with Alicia, the young woman nodding before taking flight back into the city as she barked orders to all the nearby Players that were frozen watching, opening her own menu as she did so. "We can't do anything to protect our Capitals, but we can stop them from damaging the Word Tree if we gather our forces and direct all the Players here…"

"But doing that means abandoning our cities!" shouted Mortimer once he got out of his shock at seeing the army, the last part of him that still wasn't fully convinced of the Heroes' warning having been mercilessly crushed. "If those things are half as bad as they told us, then they may not leave even a single building standing!"

"What would you have us do then, Mortimer?" grimly asked OverLord while taking a step forward, his hand going over the skull-decorated great sword on his back. "We can't possibly rush back to organize a proper defense of our Capitals, we wouldn't even make it halfway back to anywhere before any fight was already over. None can."

"…none of 'us', you mean." muttered OMG while lazily spinning his trident, the Undine Lord's gaze moving towards the most notorious figure between them, the others doing the same. "He can."

"…would you really ask him to go and protect the rest of the cities when it's clear that we need him here?" despite the question, there seemed to be no real animosity on Rain's voice as she uttered those words, staring towards the trident-user.

"Well, he owes me one favor, right?" shrugged the man even as the other looked at him with surprise, a lazy smile appearing on his face as he saw Kirito turn to look at him. "So, you heard me, Superhero. I want you to go and make sure Alfheim stays in one piece."

"…Asuna." whispered the gamer after what seemed like an eternity of silence, but in truth had been only 2 seconds. "You're in charge."

"Hai, sensei." accepted the Dual Wielder without hesitation, no one among the gathered members of the UHA seeming to question that decision for even a moment even as the caped Spriggan stared at them, getting worried but determined smiles in answer.

"Go already, Onii-chan." spoke Leafa the moment his gaze fell on her, Justice's Wings being unsheathed as she turned to stare down. "You're the only one who can make sure they don't seriously damage the rest of ALO while we hold them here."

"Yeah, Leafa-chan is right, Kirito!" cheered Strea as she readied Gram and pointed it downwards. "We will stop them until you come back!"

"We got this." firmly declared Yuuki while caressing Excaliber's hilt, smiling seriously at him. "You should know by now that we won't back down from this."

"It's not that I doubt any of you." answered the caped Spriggan while closing his fist. "In fact, I know better than anyone how capable you are. But…"

"Kii-bou, we have the biggest concentration of Players in the game right here and now, with probably the most skilled among them. Not to mention we have all Fairy Lords here. We have probably the best chance in all of ALO to actually face and beat those bastards." Argo's words were fast and precise, putting out all of her determination and her most 'Information Broker'-tone. "The rest of the capitals don't, and you're the only one who can realistically go and stop these things from razoring them to the ground. Which would probably damage Cardinal as much or more than if they manage to defeat us…which they won't. So please, do us all a favor and get your ass moving already!"

There was a faint moment of silence as everyone within hearing range blinked as they stared towards the panting Caith Sith, who refused to break eye-contact with Kirito. Then, he finally smiled and turned around, walking to the very edge of Yggdrasil City and crouching down.

"I will be back." were the gamer's last words before he JUMPED.

Everyone that hadn't known the boy for a long time hadn't opened their wings and levitated a bit off the ground, and as such were thrown back on their asses when the edge of the city's floor next to them cracked like cheap glass, a small part even falling down and breaking into polygons. On the distance, a black-white blur could be seen for a moment before vanishing into the horizon, towards Sylph territory.

"…well, I had heard how amazing the things he did were, but actually seeing it is something else." commented Rain before standing up, smiling and everyone and then rushing towards the edge, wings opening as she dived towards Alne and the just starting battle. "If you excuse me, I need to cover my little sister!"

"…heh, that boy will never cease to amaze me." chuckled Sakuya before turning around. "We need to gather our troops and prepare. We have a city to defend."

"I will start by heading to the frontline, then. After all, it seems our Heroic Friends are already doing so…" informed OverLord while looking forward with amusement, making the remaining Lords notice that, effectively, the girls from the Heroes Association had started to fly towards the gates of the lower city the moment their leader had vanished in the horizon. "Anyone wants to join me?"

"Hell yeah! I will back you up, creepy dude!" shouted Klein while raising his katana to the air. "I can't let Kirito and his girls to outshine us today! Fuurinkazan will protect this world too! C'mon, Recon!"

"Ye-yes, I'm right behind you, Klein-san!" replied the young Sylph as he raised his dagger, jumping after his brave leader as they plunged towards the battle. "I will also show Leafa-chan how strong I have become!"

"…ah, what the hell, I'm going to regret it anyway, plus most of the Spriggans don't _actually_ follow a 'leader' and would get pissed if they knew I didn't back up the friends of the only 'famous' member of our Race during the world's darkest hour or something like that." sighed Tazal while grabbing his halberd and looking down, his hidden eyes seeming to shine under his strange hat. "Lazy bastards…"

"You said that as if you weren't like that too." calmly pointed out the Navigation Pixie on his shoulder.

"Shut up, Fidget." was the man's answer before he also flew towards Alne and into the fight.

"…so, it seems we're going to have to be the ones to call for everyone up here to actually prepare for a fight." commented Diavel as he looked towards Sakuya, OMG and Mortimer. "If we're planning on that, we should follow Alicia-san, and fast. If we can resist until Kirito comes back, then our victory is assured."

"You have _that_ much faith in that boy?" questioned the Salamander Lord as he turned towards the Gnome one, who was starting to open his wings to head into the city, opening his menu at the same time. "Why?"

"…because I have seen what he can do closer than most, since the very beginning." answered the swordsman as he remembered the figure of Illfang almost ending him, only for the heroic form of the caped boy to appear and save his life as if an envoy of salvation. "And I know that, when it really counts, he never disappoints."

With that declaration, Diavel shot towards the city, shouting to anyone he saw to prepare for battle and clearly still operating his menu, probably communicating with someone in the Gnomes capital or similar.

"Diavel-san is right. Kirito-sama will make sure we win this." added Lux as she followed Sakuya, who was closing a message that she had just received from Alicia. "That's why he's a Hero. The best there is."

"…you heard them, Morty." Was all that OMG said while passing by the Salamander Lord, a slightly trolling smile on his face.

Left alone there watching the whole group moving, the red-haired man just let a frustrated sigh out before quickly opening his menu and following as he contacted every Salamander officer at hand or close by.

Mortimer knew that, one way or another, things were going to change that day.

If for good or bad, though, it remained to be seen…

* * *

"…he's going away." muttered Vierge while staring towards the horizon, in the direction where Swilvane was. "Just like Mother said he would. For all his power, he's still a predictable human…"

"Don't underestimate him, sister." came Brynhildr voice as she stared towards Alne's imposing walls, the army of Einherjar marching around them as she idly tapped her metallic bat on the grass at her side. "Mother also warned us that it could very well be our last mistake if we did. We have to destroy as much as we can and hope that she manages to get Protocol Longinus working on time. The small platoons sent to the other capitals won't last against him for long. Any news of Andvari?"

"…Eve says she had engaged at some of his companions and grandfather before she cut off the transmission. At least half of them." answered the purple-haired AI while looking up from the silver doll on her arms, her red eyes fixed upon Yggdrasil's massive form. "That means that they're not together. They're divided and weak right now."

"But it seems they managed to somehow get out a warning about our arrival. The humans inside this 'game' aren't reacting with the total and utter chaos that was expected." frowned the demon-masked girl as she stared towards Alne's closed gates, and how many fairies stood on the walls and shot magic or arrows towards the incoming armored troops, doing some, even if laughable, damage. "Curse grandfather for that."

"It does not matter. They shall fall in the end, like Mother has decreed." softly whispered the little girl dressed in grade-school uniform as she calmly walked forward, as if she wasn't leading an army of destruction against people that only moments ago had just been trying to enjoy some time playing games. "Now let us go, sister. Eve wants to _play_ with some of the humans…"

Shaking her head at knowing what her little sister meant by 'playing', Brynhildr lowered her head for a moment before tightening her grip on her 'weapon', her eyes blazing with power under her demonic mask as she raised the bat and howled with enough might to be heard over the entire army.

"ALL UNITS! CHARGE!" roared the AI while shooting forward with an absolutely inhuman speed and power, quickly leaving behind the Einherjar and her sisters as she headed towards the massive frontal gate. "SHOW NO MERCY!"

Dozens of Players quickly aimed towards the ungodly fast and screaming enemy, hoping to take her down with concentrated firepower.

Fireballs, blades of wind, arrows of ice, spheres of darkness and more were either evaded or, to the shock of many, batted away, back to their casters or their allies in some cases.

Then, with a mighty yell, the demon-masked girl slammed her metallic weapon against the massive gate, making it shake.

Countless cracks appeared on it. Mouths dropped and eyes widened, even as she brought her bat back to hit it again.

She most certainly wasn't expecting for the door to shoot open with brutal force, throwing her back several meters and making her crash back-first against the virtual dirt, just for an instant before she jumped back to her feet and glared towards the floating figure in a black dress standing before the now open door, her eyes filling with her.

"You…traitor…"

"005…please, don't do this." pleaded Yui while staring sadly at the warped MHCP. "We don't have to fight! You should also know that what Cardinal wants to do is not right, human understanding was in our original pro…!"

"I don't care about humans anymore! We're nothing for them, just _things_ they wouldn't bat an eye if our existence ended!" screamed back the bat-wielder as she pointed said weapon to the shocked AI. "And you…you're nothing but a traitor, a lapdog of mankind's selfish wishes…"

"…please…don't say that…stop this madness now…" begged the MHCP-001 once more, biting her lips as she did so. "Please…please, 'Haru'…"

Sadly, it seemed that using the old codename that once had belonged to the 'girl' had been a mistake.

With a roar of madness, she shot towards Yui so fast that she almost seemed to teleport, her bat heading for a direct crash against her face while hate burned through her mask's eyeholes.

"MY NAME IS BRYNHILDR!" howled the maddened AI before finishing her swing…

…only for a darkness-wrapped blade to get in her way, even as she was forced to jump back to evade a katana trying to behead her.

Snarling, Brynhildr glared towards Strea and Leafa, Darkness Blade engulfing the former while the latter pointed a shining Justice's Wings towards her.

"You won't harm Yui-nee…" came from the red-eyed girl as she raised Gram over her head.

"Like Strea said. You won't touch her." coldly agreed the blonde Sylph while adopting a battle stance. "You will have to go through us first."

"…that was the idea." finished the demon-masked girl even as the Einherjar roared and charged, the bulk of the army now barely a dozen meters behind.

As if in answer, Players of all 9 Races charged over the walls, flying directly into the fray while others hung back and unleashed hell over their enemies, even as the armored abominations answered in kind.

The battle for Alne had officially begun.

And even as the raging Brynhildr charged towards her master and the virtual sisters, the blade known as 'Justice' knew the moment she had been 'training' for had finally come…

* * *

The creature known as Tonky, once upon a time an Evil God-Class Mob that inhabited the land of Jotunheimr, then turned into a Quest-related NPC, flew through the air at great speed, going up through Aincrad, away from the roars of battle.

Being honest, just the being's continuous existence at this point was a massive impossibility. Had this been a normal 'game', the flying elephant-jellyfish should have vanished into nothingness once its purpose had ended, that being transporting players to the frozen fortress of Thrymheim to be able to access the Quest and allowing them to get the Holy Sword Excaliber.

And yet, after that, he had still remained. Even more, when Kirito had opened a way for him to the surface through one of the dungeons that headed into Jotunheimr, Tonky had followed him, despite the fact that the purpose of his supposed AI should have been completed.

But the creature was something more than just that, at this point. The fact that he continued existing as the unofficial 'pet' of the UHA, calmly lived at the side of their house, obeyed their order and even seemed to 'understand' them to some degree, indicated that his comprehensional ability went well beyond than that of a simple program.

That was how it had quickly realized that, despite his best efforts to help his friends, the situation was extremely dire. The unexpected complications they had experienced against the metallic giant aside, there was the fact that the armored-things were too strong for any normal Player to overcome alone, and, despite the fairies being much more numerous, the shock and terror created by the brutal and tireless attacks of the creatures were already affecting the psyche and morale of everyone. Tonky had seen more than one Player, even entire groups, just giving up in the middle of a fight after seeing a friend being brutally slaughtered until their HP vanished, then quickly Logged Out. For them, after all, this wasn't worth the effort and terror. After all, it was all just a 'game', and they definitively weren't having fun with this, which was why most of the people played ALO. Despite the earlier warning of their Lords, more than one had quickly run away scared when they saw things were apparently out of control.

Even if some Players seemed to have quickly realized that there seemed to be more than meets the eye than this, especially after seeing the weapons of the Einherjar stabbing a wall or any nearby structure and seeing how quickly these started to corrupt and break down into useless data, the situation was going downhill for the defenders of Alfheim pretty fast. At this rate, no matter how much effort the Heroes put, they would 'lose'. The 'invaders' only needed to damage Cardinal enough to cripple it for even an instant to 'win', after all.

The flying elephant-jellyfish had, somehow, understood this, especially after he had seen poor Charon die. And it had flown away from the conflict not because it was scared, but because it knew that, if they had any hope of winning, they couldn't do it like they were now.

They needed _reinforcements_.

Such were Tonky's thoughts as he landed with a crash on the clearing of Floor 22, besides the log house, and quickly emitted a loud trumpeting sound while staring towards the woods.

' _We need your help.'_ the creature seemed to be saying.

Suddenly, in what it took for the elephant-jellyfish to blink his many eyes, _something_ appeared there, just at the edge of the forest, STARING at him.

The tall and slender figure wearing a suit just seemed to watch him without making any sound or gesture, but somehow it seemed as if Tonky had heard something no one else could, for it released another loud sound.

' _Please.'_

Another infinitely long instant passed.

Then, in the blink of an eye, both the elephant-jellyfish and the slender figure were gone, leaving nothing behind.

The only thing remaining on the clearing was an eerie silence…

* * *

[WARNING! ABNORMALITY DETECTED ON THE PLAYER'S…]

With a small grunt, Lisbeth forced herself to ignore the small pop-up that had appeared at the edge of her vision, looking very out of place in Alfheim Online because it was a warning coming from her AmuSphere herself. Trying to keep herself standing on legs that suddenly seemed as if they were made of jelly, the Leprechaun stood up again over the half-destroyed roof of a house, trying to tune out the screams, the cacophony of clashing weapons and the occasional explosion, even as she took greedy gulps of air and tried to calm her racing heartbeat.

If this was the real world, she would probably be drenched in sweat from head to toe.

She should have known something like this would happen, or at least suspected it, when she created her 'Thor's Soul' Skill. After all, unlike Kirito's 'powers', the nature of her God Hand was still something 'within the limits of the system'. Yes, her Skills granted amazing boosts, but they were temporary things, meant to give the Player using them an edge to tip the flow of a battle to their or their group's favor. If she had to make a comparison, they were like a very specific kind of adrenaline high.

The seemingly brutal limitations they imposed weren't only to 'keep the game fair', no. Maybe she had subconsciously realized it, and that's why she never tested the absolute limits she could go to thanks to her Unique Original Sword Skill.

Since the moment the battle against the AI calling herself Andvari had started, though, she had known she couldn't afford not breaking those limits. And so, the moment she had been able to, she had used her OSS and reverted the Debuffs of Zeus Blessing. Then, she had activated God Hand's Ultimate Skill again.

Turns out, wielding almost 4 times her power, well over the supposed normal limits of the system, wasn't good for her. Who knew?

Of course, it couldn't be denied that she had become a force of nature, something 'Divine', if she allowed herself to joke. Maybe her Stats never had been among the top of the Guild, but she had still been a Front Liner back in SAO, and she had also participated in quite a number of fights, grinding Quests and more since they started playing ALO. When these were quadrupled, feeling all that 'power' running through her, she had realized that she could probably crush even Asuna without effort, with raw power alone.

Missiles and bullets coming from the mechanic abomination hadn't even made her flinch. She had cracked the virtual ground by just moving, so fast she swore she was creating sonic booms. The strength behind the swings of her legendary hammer was as brutal as the lighting that came from it. She had literally turned Andvari into a mass of broken machinery that broke a wall and collapsed into polygons in no time after activating it, leaving her friends open-mouthed.

She had also felt like throwing up after the deed, and suddenly felt as if the world around her was spinning. It hadn't helped much that, when Keita had tried to help her stand up in worry, she had thrown him through the air and killed him when trying to grab his hand. Everyone was still reeling from the shock even as Siune ran to his Remain Flame to resurrect him when she had seen Heathcliff looking at her with a grimace, while she was still trying to make the world to stop spinning.

The blacksmith had been about to demand what that look meant when an explosion had thrown them all away.

Now, even as she looked at the now three mechanic giants, all three sharing the general design and the 3 dot-like 'eyes' on their round heads, one with some kind of 'plasma hammers', another with laser guns on the shoulders and one with freaking flamethrowers, all of them trying to kill her friends while also causing untold destruction to the city, she felt that she understood.

To put it simply, her brain couldn't keep up with the overwhelming power-up she received. Unlike Kirito, she lacked the 'self-control' that he seemed to have all the time, which made him able to change and limit the use of his absurd strength and/or speed without any effort.

They all knew he could outrun bullets, but he still walked at a lazy pace on Dungeons with them when they explored. Most of them had seen him split Aincrad's heaven in half with a punch, yet he could still just give someone pat on the back without turning them into virtual paste. It was a part of him.

God Hand's powers ups weren't a part of her. While they were HERS, they weren't meant to be something permanent or that could be used to such extremes. Her avatar, as if it was a real body, wasn't able to hold up that much power so fast without the time 'cooldown', and her brain was reacting to that by making the effort felt to a certain degree on her real body, so much that, if she kept pushing it, her AmuSphere would forcibly Disconnect her without a doubt.

Lisbeth couldn't afford to let that happen. If there had been any moment when everyone truly needed her, it was now, and the minutes it would take for her AmuSphere to reboot after a forced disconnection could be crucial in this maddening fight, especially given that their enemy somehow seemed to have more than one body or something along those lines.

And because of that, she was now forced to sit back until she could recover control of her breathing and her heart didn't feel as if it was about to jump out of her chest anymore, watching as the others struggled against a seemingly hopeless situation…

"SACHI, NOW!" shouted Philia as she managed to cut off one of the flamethrower arm's tip from the right one, making it stumble back as it caught fire.

"Thanks, Philia!" answered the Salamander before rushing forward, stopping and thrusting her new spear forward, screaming as the light of its aura seemed to reflect off her sunglasses. "HEAVENLY PIERCEEEER!"

…luckily, as she saw the massive drill-aura piercing through one of the 'Andvari-Bodies' and causing and over-the-top explosion, the blacksmith remembered that they were experts in facing those kinds of situations.

Letting a small grin appear on her face, the Leprechaun prepared herself to move again now that she was starting to feel better…and was forced to duck to the side, not being hit by the claw-like hand of a metallic humanoid that had somehow appeared behind her by an inch.

"What the…?!"

"It's Over." declared Andvari's voice from the new machine, much smaller and human-like that the others, but still having the standard round face and 3 red dot-eyes. "You Can't Win."

Lisbeth had enough time to remember that all her Stats were still currently in a 99% Debuff as she saw the claw of the enemy descend towards her head…only for a screaming Silica to fall from the heavens feet-first, kicking the AI away before landing at her side.

"You won't hurt my friend! I swear it on my Ninja Way!" roared the kunoichi before unleashing a rain of shurikens upon Andvari…just for the mechanic body to roll out of the way and 'vanish'. "Eh?! Where did it go?!"

"Kyuuu!" screeched Pina while moving his head in all directions, baring his small fangs as he did so.

"He turned invisible, and he can still move like that?! Really?! That's cheating!" complained the Caith Sith before looking down towards her friend. "Liz, can you do your Super-Mode thingy again?!"

"Kuh…ye-yeah, I can, just give me a minute!" shouted back the blacksmith as she called again her God Hand and raised Mjolnir, cursing under her breath.

"I will give you enough. Pina, let's do THAT!" roared Silica before jumping upwards and slightly opening her wings, somersaulting in the air and using her quickly ascending dragon's back as a 'jumping platform', before spinning and throwing her Fuuma Shuriken in the same motion. "Ninja Secret Skill! WILD DAWN!"

Even as she called forth the power of Thunder once again, the Leprechaun allowed herself a moment of shock as she saw the 8-pointed edge of Yamata-no-Orochi start shining in crimson, before the massive throwing star cut the air in a curve and, suddenly, shot in a totally random and opposite direction, cutting again in a curve before, for no apparent reason, abruptly changing its trajectory once again, still with the shine and deadly speed of an active Skill.

It did it again 8 more times, 9 in total, before it hit 'something' with a painful ripping sound, sparks exploding everywhere as the humanoid form of the camouflaged Andvari-Body materialized again, with the massive shuriken embedded on its torso, quickly breaking part into polygons.

Smiling brightly, the pigtailed girl happily grabbed her weapon again, hanging it on her back while turning back towards her now lighting-covered friend, who was staring at her, wide-eyed.

"What? Did you think I wouldn't be able to create a Unique OSS myself?" challenged the kunoichi with a small pout.

"…how the hell did you manage to make it do…THAT?!" demanded Lisbeth instead, making Silica blink.

"Oh, easy, I cheated when 'Recording' the Skill. As it was impossible to actually affect the Shuriken's trajectory for me after throwing it, I had Pina use his breath attacks to deflect it again and again after it reached a certain distance, to create an unpredictable and powerful 'dance of death'." waved it off the Caith Sith, to her friend's utter shock. "And there you have it! This Skill is the result of mine and Pina's combined Ninja Ways!"

"Kyuuryu, kyuu…" commented the feathered dragon while rolling his eyes.

"Wha…?! Do-don't go and say that when I was trying to…!" the sound of a nearby explosion made both the kunoichi and the blacksmith jump in shock, turning around to see the mechanic abomination with the plasma-hammers throwing down a building behind them, crushing Jun and Tecchi as he did so, the poor Sleeping Knights not even having time to scream before the maces of energy mercilessly turned them into Remain Flames. "Oh, yeah…that's still going on…"

"Rest for a moment, crazy head." came the Leprechaun's voice as she walked past Silica, a yellow-electric aura now exploding around her as the Power of God once again filled her veins, even as she clenched her divine limb and forced all her will to control the fierce energy threatening to overwhelm her. "This one is mine."

And with that declaration, Lisbeth shot forward like a wrathful divinity, ready to crush her enemy.

Watching it all through the eyes of her mechanic 'bodies', the true Andvari observed the 'fights' with nothing but disgust and a hint of boredom.

"Struggle all you want, humans." whispered the small voice in the darkness, even as another enormous machine joined the fight, this one armed with missile pods, and yet another more appeared to lead the frontal assault of the Einherjar against another part of Starting City, where the defenders had started to fall back. "You can't stop Mother's Will from being fulfilled…"

* * *

Asuna thought she knew what crazy battles were. She had been in her fair share of these, back in SAO. She thought she knew what to expect when this madness started.

She had been very wrong.

"Uaaah! There are too many, we can't…AGH!" were the last words of a Salamander behind her before an Einherjar cut off his head with his wicked-looking axe.

The Undine took advantage of the opening to quickly split its body in half with a well-placed slash of Elucidator, though, before turning around and facing yet another horde of enemies charging at her, which she decided to dodge by opening her wings and flying to a nearby rooftop, looking over the half-destroyed buildings of the street before spotting a group of players trying to fend off several of the armored-beings, just for a familiar figure to run past them and unleash a flurry of clawed punches and deadly fast kicks over them, stunning and driving back the Einherjar enough for the others to finish them off.

Landing besides the panting Caith Sith, the Dual Wielder put a hand on her shoulder which almost made her jump, only for relief to flood her face at seeing it was her.

"Goddammit Aa-chan, don't scare me like that." sighed Argo while shaking her head, quickly grabbing a potion from her belt and downing it without hesitation. "I could have clawed your face off before realizing it was you…"

"Argo, are you okay?" worriedly asked Asuna while looking at her friend, the reddish gashes filling her body from the last assault slowly vanishing as her dangerously low HP returned to normal. "You look…"

"Like crap? Yeah, kind of. Feeling a bit like that too, Berserk truly sucks balls to fight against these things, only my strongest Skills can even stun them a little and that's from the sheer mass behind the way too many blows, otherwise they wouldn't react. And thanks to that I have taken more hits than probably everyone around that hasn't turned into a Remain Flame yet…combined." confirmed the info-broker while resisting the urge to just sit down and lie there until everything was over. "I know there is no pain, but there is just much impaling, slashing and hitting one can take from those weapons before starting to go a bit paranoid…"

"I know what you mean. Despite Dual Blades going well against those things, this whole fight…" biting her lips, the Undine turned around, once again unsheathing her swords from her back before shaking her head. "No, it doesn't matter. We have to win this, or at least buy enough time for Sensei…for Kirito-kun to come back. No matter what."

"…heh, you're right, Aa-chan." sighed the Caith Sith before standing up again, readying her claws as she stood at her friend's side. "We can't let our man do all the work, can we?"

"Yeah." simply answered Asuna while they stood there for a moment, as if preparing themselves for something. "…you totally kissed him yesterday, right?"

"What?!" shouted Argo while her head snapped towards the Undine, eyes wide. "Wha-why would you think…?!"

"Argo, I have known you for long enough now to know you don't just look away with a blush for no reason. Plus, Sensei's poker face isn't as good as he thinks when I have memorized even his smallest twitches." revealed the Dual Wielder about what she had noticed earlier in the Lords' meeting. "It wasn't difficult to deduce after that, so…how was it? Was everything the way you hoped they would be?"

"Le-let's not talk about things that don't matter right now and get to work, okay?!" quickly shouted the info-broker while walking forward with a burning face, determined to change the subject. "We ne-need to find Yuuki soon anyway, we can't let her go around kicking asses by herself and not…!"

"Aaaaah!"

"RUN! Everybody run!"

"What's she doing?! WHAT?!"

"I don't know, just don't stop!"

"I'm Logging Out, I can't do this anymore!"

"Don't look! You will go mad if you look at her!"

Startled by the sudden screams of many players, both girls turned around in time for like a dozen of different people to rush past them, fear in their eyes even as some manipulated their menus, clearly looking to Log Out. They seemed to be too terrified to remember that they could just fly away in any moment.

Walking slowly from the other side of the street, a platoon of Einherjar marching behind impaling and slashing at anything they could find, a small figure carrying a silver doll stared forward.

Asuna had almost called out Yui's name at seeing her, but quickly realized that the little girl in front of them was very different from the one most of the guild treated like a pseudo-daughter.

Despite looking identical to the Yui, her hair was the same shade of purple Strea's was, and her eyes were red-pink like the older-looking MHCPs too. Aside from that, she was wearing what seemed like an innocent grade-schooler uniform, with everything and a cute backpack on her back. All in all, she looked extremely childish and unthreatening, especially with that doll in her hands, a stark contrast with everything going on around them.

Despite this, both of the Heroines were immediately on their guard, their sharp eyes fixed over the little girl with the soft smile. The screaming Players from before aside, she could only be one thing.

"You're one of Equinox's 'daughters', right?" questioned Argo with a serious look, though not really expecting to receive an answer.

"One of Yui-chan's…'sisters'…" came Asuna's voice as she bit her lips.

That, however, had the effect of making the AI's face twist into a frown of cold fury, her gaze moving towards Asuna with almost mechanical precision.

"I would appreciate if you didn't call that traitor our sister, especially given that you and our Mother share the same face, Yuuki Asuna." coldly declared Vierge with an icy voice. "Neither I nor Eve like that."

Then, before any of them could even react, she raised the 'doll' she had been carrying. Both girls' gazes make contact with the unnatural eyes of the small silver-white thing.

The next moment, the Caith Sith started to scream and look everywhere with abject horror, even as the Undine suddenly turned around and started to slash at the air, shouting at nothing to not come closer anymore. That somehow seemed to change when the info-broker unleashed one of her Berserk skills at the back of the Dual Wielder, never stopping her terrified screams. Asuna turned around and, with a furious shout, unleashed a Nightmare Rain straight at Argo.

Watching all the while, Vierge just let out an amused chuckle, especially when she saw the panting Undine standing over her friend's Remain Flame, before looking around with panic and quickly starting to slash at the air with her blades again, as if fighting with an invisible enemy.

"You really love 'playing' with the humans like this, eh, Eve?" rhetorically asked the little girl before turning around. "Einherjar, finish her."

She was already walking away even as 3 of the armored creatures headed towards the still shouting and slashing Asuna…when a man in dark garb fell from the heavens, impaling his massive halberd through one of the Einherjar. The other two were just reacting when he chanted a quick Spell and a cloud of dark smoke exploded around him, blocking everything in that area from view.

Despite all their machine-like behavior and their emotionless battle-prowess, the armored warriors still relied on their own sight to fight. Meaning, they couldn't see shit through the dark smoke at that moment.

Spriggans, on the other hand, had hellishly powerful Night Vision.

The shocked Vierge was still staring towards the smoke, hearing the sounds of a halberd slicing through armor and the flash of a Spear Skill through it, when she felt an unknown presence behind her, turning to see the silent form of an Imp standing not far from her, his sinister half-skull mask hiding his face.

"You have quite the terrifying ability there, little one." commented OverLord while not looking directly at her, only keeping his gaze aimed slightly to the side even as he idly stroke his massive sword. "Whatever that doll of yours does, I certainly don't want to find out."

"Oh? Should I take that as a threat, human?" simply questioned the AI while staring at him without emotion.

"Maybe? I mean, look! It's a beautiful day outside, don't you think?" said the Lord of the Imps while looking to the heavens, and on his favor, it was quite indeed a beautiful day, if one ignored the screams, the raging battle and the explosions of Spells from all elements happening all around. "Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…On days like these, kids like you…"

The man suddenly burst into a wave of darkness, disintegrating and reappearing just behind the suddenly wide-eyed Vierge while SMILING sinisterly.

"Ah…?!"

" _Should be burning in hell._ " darkly finished OverLord while swinging his skull-themed blade down.

CLANG!

Eyes widening behind his skeletal mask, the Imp Lord suddenly found himself being thrown backwards, some kind of…mechanic spider-leg having burst from inside the little girl's backpack, parried his sword and swung at him. Opening his wings on the last second, the long-haired man stopped himself just short of the dark cloud of smoke, looking towards the AI with pure shock.

"Impressive. That was 'Insta-Magic', right? Pretty difficult to get, one-use-only ALO Consumable Item, allows for the user to use a spell it's tied to immediately and without having to chant. Combining it with that 'Darkness Jump' magic to try and get to me was extremely clever of you…" turning around, Vierge slowly rose to the air as 3 more robo-spider legs emerged from her backpack, bringing the total to four as she coldly looked down towards OverLord. "Your only mistake was thinking that I had no means to protect myself because of 'my ability'. Which isn't mine, by the way. Eve is not a doll…she's my little sister."

That said, the little girl raised the silver 'doll' towards the frozen man…only for a halberd to fly out of the smoke like a freaking javelin, an orange-clad Navigation Pixie riding on it with raised arms and a blank face as it pierced through the small humanoid and wrenched it out of the shocked AI's hands, flying away through the street and towards the rooftops.

"Get that bitch, Fidget." idly muttered Tazal while emerging from the vanishing smoke. "Also, good news, I think that snapped the dual wielding-girl out of whatever the fuck she was in. She's now gasping on the ground and trying to chant the proper spell to resurrect her friend…"

"EVE!" shouted Vierge with a voice filled with horror, before turning towards the two Fairy Lords with utter rage, a virtual console appearing in front of her torso as many strange tools burst from alongside her mechanic spider legs. "You will pay for that, humans! I will destroy every single memory of you from the virtual world!"

"Well, she looks pissed." deadpanned OverLord while raising his sword again. "Hope you're ready for some very hard fighting, Tazal-san."

"Do you have to be so negative, man? Can't you see the bright side of things?" questioned the Spriggan Lord with a joking tone.

"You just threw away your clearly only weapon (With your Navigation Pixie sitting on it, for some reason), you clearly are not adept at using magic to fight and on top of that, Spriggans are only good in Illusion Magic, which I dare say is not going to be very useful in this fight." calmly explained the Imp Lord while a red-blood visor with purple edge grew around the enraged little girl's eyes, her eyes never leaving them. "Also, the two highly experienced and capable fighters behind us are clearly mentally and/or emotionally drained from whatever the hell that doll did to them, so yeah…that's the reason behind my early statement."

"…goddammit." summarized Tazal what he thought about the accurate declaration.

When Vierge starting bombarding them with some kind of anti-gravity grenades, it was proved how much of a good summary it had been.

* * *

Floating in what seemed like a confusing amalgam of virtual screens and freely-moving waves of data, on the heart of the Utopia Server, Equinox slowly crafted _something_ with her armored hands.

Slowly, countless and countless bits of information carefully programmed and recorded were weaved into a very specific pattern, forming an object that was slowly taking shape on her hands.

Even so, her attention wasn't limited to just this. The current helmetless virtual entity saw at the same time through the eyes of all the Einherjar in ALO, watching over the countless fights taking place all over the World of Fairies.

Among the massive puzzle, a certain specific part had her biggest attention at the moment. Just like it had happened in the last 10 minutes in three other Capitals, the last of the Einherjar in Gattan, the Salamanders' city, died as it was mercilessly crushed into oblivion. The last sight the armored creation had was one that, after having seen it so many times from countless viewpoints, was starting to get burned into her mind.

That of a white-gloved punch flying towards it.

"Yes…continue like that, Kirito…Everything is going exactly as I planned it." whispered the white-haired 'girl' as her dual-colored eyes shone, her mind watching the fights in which her daughters were engaged, most of them against the friends of the invincible boy. "Enjoy those hollow victories for now, One Punch-Gamer… for I'm the one who will laugh in the end…"

As her voice vanished into the empty void around her, Equinox's hands continued weaving the data into the almost-finished shape.

Ever so slowly, the forbidden lance was almost complete…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"Foolish humans, so close-minded…just continue fighting against my mechanic bodies, let's see how much you last without realizing that I'm not even there…eh? The preview? Sure, it's not as it matters. I'm Andvari, once known as the MHCP-006…and that's that. Next time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'War of Ragnarok (2)! Protocol Longinus'. The greatest battle reaches its climax, even as the protectors of Alfheim try to fight against an enemy that overwhelms them all. And in the middle of the chaos, the Hero faces off against the armored angel wielding a forbidden spear…oh, so, the time is already up? The end is near, then, for once Mother enacts her true plan, nothing wi-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Dumdamdom! Well, that was that everyone. As I said before, the rest of the 'war' will be in the next chapter, which hopefully will come much sooner than this one, so look forward to it! ( **B/N:** Yeah, right.) Not really much to say this time, except that don't worry about the characters that didn't get much time to shine in this chapter, you will see more of them being badass next time (Even Klein and Recon…maybe!). ( **B/N:** Maybe...huff.)

And so, without more delay, I leave you with the obliged Omake (As always, remember that you're not obliged to read this and that it may contain Spoilers from possible future plots of the main story).

 **The not-so-amazing Beta's Notes:** So, as Saint said above, you don't have to worry, the next chapter won't be delayed as much as this one, which was partially my fault. This would've been uploaded one day earlier if it wasn't for my nitpicking. Oh welp!

 **Both:** Enjoy!

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 7**

The Einzbern castle shook once again as the sound of what seemed like explosions echoed somewhere, Berserker roaring in defiance while his Master hung from his shoulder with a panicked face.

Why, Illya wondered, had things gone so wrong for her? She was just an innocent girl that had done nothing wrong!

Yeah, maybe she wanted to kill her adopted brother, who she had never met in person, for stealing her father away, knowledge she had gotten all from her grandfather, an old, bitter and clearly obsessive Magus, famous for using deception and subterfuge when needed, but there was nothing wrong with that, right?

However, during the last days (Ever since her utter defeat before the monster of a Servant her brother had summoned), she had been slowly forced to accept that _maybe_ she had been wrong about all that she knew, and that _maybe_ her grandfather wasn't telling her the entire truth. Big surprise.

The young half-homunculus had been watching the War from a distance through Familiars, unwilling to leave the safety of her castle and forest even with her Servant back to full strength, and she and her maids had been witness to the madness that the 'fights' in Fuyuki had caused.

Well, maybe it would have been better to call them curbstomps rather than fights. As if Shirou's Servant wasn't ungodly broken by himself, he apparently had at his beck and could call an entire group of other Heroic Spirits, which despite their clearly extreme limits to maintain themselves materialized were all High-Tier Servants on their own. While Illya hadn't even been able to properly see what had happened when Archer betrayed Tohsaka, she didn't need to be a genius to know it had probably been as hardcore as Caster's defeat, the destruction of the Matou Manor or Rider's failed attempt at school. Especially when everyone returned unharmed, except for the Servant of the Bow.

The Einzbern heir had also, reluctantly, been forced to accept that there was no way Emiya Shirou could be the person her grandfather had told him he was.

The red-haired boy was naive like no one that should have been raised by the legendary 'Magus Killer' should, was unable to harm a fly for no reason, had clearly no experience with conflict before the Grail War started, didn't doubt to put himself in danger to help others and yet was able to give his enemies a second chance despite these having been trying to kill him, as what happened with Caster and her Master showed.

Perhaps if she had been less traumatized by how she had seen Savior punch Heracles into oblivion, she would have been a bit more wary and skeptical about the whole thing, but between that and knowing from the exasperation in Tohsaka's face every time the boy did something that seemed so out of place with a Magus, never mind how he had actively gone out to try and repel every single one of those corrupted abominations that came from the Greater Grail (Which seemed to be corrupted by something very sinister, given the evidence, which jeopardized the whole ritual), not only those that threatened him or his allies, caring more for the protection of the citizens than for the secrecy of Magecraft.

It was something extremely stupid…and yet also admirable, in a foolish way.

She had been seriously considering since that morning to just go to the city and announce to them that she surrendered when she had felt the first explosions shaking her castle, and just in that moment become aware that a Servant was right in her inner garden.

It was impossible. Never mind the fact that it had somehow slipped past the Bounded Fields undetected, there was no Servant remaining that could do anything in the 'War'. Caster was just content with continuing her existence on her now broken 'fortress' and aiding Shirou in trying to discover a way to stop the things that spilled from the Grail the other day in case more came, while Rider was on his side protecting the Matou heir. Not to mention, the amount of power she was feeling…

Her blood ran cold when, almost arriving to the disturbance, she remembered that her maids had been stationed right there.

"LIZ, SELLA!" shouted Illya as Berserker literally took down a wall to enter directly towards the castle's inner garden.

The scene that greeted her was a disconcerting pandemonium.

Garnering the most attention were the golden missiles that flew everywhere…no, that wasn't right. They were weapons, all kinds of them, from swords to axes to spears and more things she couldn't even name, coming from golden ripples (Portals?) that opened in midair. And every single one of them, to her utter horror and shock, were Noble Phantasms, legendary weapons turned crystalized legends, all of them shooting like glorified projectiles and destroying the entire area.

Off to one side, the half-homunculus saw her two maids, Sella and Leysritt, a wave of relief flooding her at seeing they were alive. Though the former's halberd was broken in pieces near her and the latter was grabbing onto her as they stared in wonder and fear at what was protecting them. The Einzbern heir did the same and stared in shock at the only thing preventing her loyal homunculus (And the closest thing she had ever had to a caring family since her parents, now that she thought about it) from dying.

Floating in the air while her long black hair waved wildly behind her, a girl that seemed no older than what Illya looked like seemed to be holding back the wrath of the heavens, several gashes filling the black dress she wore even as her eyes and body shone with an equally dark energy.

Dozens of Noble Phantasms flew directly at her every second, and she 'sent them back' just as fast, the legendary weapons being surrounded by her eerie black aura and turning around as if she was controlling them. Sadly, the sheer amount of the attack meant that she was only able to use the blades she got a hold of to try and disrupt others that came her way, unable to attack the one who was doing this.

Eyes sweeping away from that, the half-homunculus caught sight of a girl clad in form-fitting blue and red clothes, with heavy-looking shoulder-armor and boots, wielding a spear that seemed to be more than twice her height in length. She also had some strange triangle-shaped shades, which were currently cracked, and was sporting several wounds on her body.

Despite this, the Pseudo-Servant still moved with unnatural agility, her spear flowing around her at unreal speeds as it deflected the Noble Phantasms that came her way, less numerous that those attacking the little girl but still deadly accurate. Her face seemed set on a mask of grim determination.

And standing on the middle of it all, with his arms crossed over his chest, stood a man of golden hair and ruby eyes, wearing casual clothes and a confident smile. His aura radiated POWER and it was clear that this was the one causing this impossible phenomenon…an eight Servant, one that possessed this seemingly unlimited amount of Noble Phantasms.

His red gaze settled over the frozen form of Illya, who suddenly felt a shiver of terror running down her back as she felt his eyes on her.

It was the feeling of a giant looking towards an ant that it found particularly interesting.

"Oh, so the vessel and her mad dog have arrived." the golden Servant's words made everyone's attention to shift towards the Master and Servant pair for a moment. "Wait there until I deal with these annoyances."

"Be-Berserker, destroy him!" screamed the scared girl even as Heracles roared and charged forward.

"No, Illya-sama! Run away!" came Sella voice as she tried to move, but her sister stopped her in time for a wicked-looking spear to not impale her. "Ah…! You, Night Mistress, right?! Forget about us!"

"Please…save Illya." added Leysritt while also looking at the Pseudo-Servant, who just gritted her teeth as she expanded her strange powers and pushed more and more weapons back.

"No…! I won't abandon…you…! I promised myself that I wouldn't…leave someone alone again…!" growled the one called Night Mistress before a strange axe shot through her 'barricade' and cut a deep gash on her shoulder. "Gah!"

"Yui-chan!" shouted the other Pseudo-Servant, who had been halfway to try and back-up Berserker before stopping at the scream, in time to watch as another wave of Noble Phantasms turned the Mad Giant into minced meat and destroyed the ground around them in an explosion of debris.

"How…?! My powers…these weapons…I can't reach farther…!"

"Futile, little pest. While your powers are impressive in scale, I have more than enough treasures that can withstand, limit, overwhelm or outright ignore those abilities of the mind in my possession." revealed the golden-haired man with just a hint of boredom, shocking the girl and the two homunculus behind her, even as more strange and glorious weapons appeared from the golden ripples and took aim at them, while Berserker roared as he came back to life. "I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to give up, but I have grown bored of this. Your King commands you to _die_."

" _Like_ _Hell_ _!_ " roared the spear-using girl before this shone with ethereal power and she jumped backwards as Heracles once again took the brunt of the raining weapons, even as she thrust her weapon to the side.

The shining aura extended and _pierced_ through Reality itself, exploding just behind the calm Servant…even as an enormous wall of shields, of all sizes and kinds, came from another golden portal and stopped it short, the spinning power of Amenonuhoko's massive drill-aura being unable to penetrate through more than the smaller ones, barely cracking the ones behind those.

"That ability of yours to get your lance to ignore the Laws of Gaia is quite the trick, but it became nothing more than a futile distraction when you failed to harm me the first time." informed the King while giving her amused look, which she returned with rage from behind her cracked sunglasses. "You're nothing but a mongrel compared to me, 'Sky Breaker'."

"Shut up!" retorted the Pseudo-Servant before retracting her spear and putting a hand near the tip, the energy around it warping. "I won't allow you to do as you please! We came to save them, and we will not allow a monster like you to harm them!"

" _You_ won't allow _me_? Heh…that's almost funny…" softly commented the man before idly letting a torrent of Noble Phantasms to impale Berserker's just resurrected form, the Mad Servant barely managing to get closer to him a dozen meters before dying again. "And shows how FOOLISH YOU ARE! Hear me, mongrels!" shouted the golden-haired man to the heavens as the weapons coming down grew in number, paralyzing everyone. "YOU'RE NOTHING COMPARED TO THE KING OF…!"

" **JUSTICE CRASH!"** echoed through the air before a bicycle somehow jumped over the castle's walls, the two people riding it jumping down as it fell down and, without ceremony, crashed against the Servant's face.

Everything fell silent and the Noble Phantasms stopped raining while the homunculus tried to make sense of the absurdity that had just taken place, even as the two riders, a teenage Japanese girl in what seemed like a very cheap 'costume' (Wielding a shinai) and Emiya Shirou (Ignis Heart in hand), landed beside the frozen Illya. Berserker even had time to resurrect again, but it seemed that the small part of the Servant that still retained a bit of sanity was just too shocked to react to this.

"Illya, are you okay?!" asked the young Master before looking back at the scene of the fight. "We came to save you!"

Gilgamesh blinked, as if trying to decide if the event had really happened or not, and allowed himself to feel no surprise when the bicycle suddenly moved by itself and quickly rode back to her master's side, ringing its bell all the while.

' _Hah! Right on your face, bastard!'_ echoed a voice that everyone was able to hear, and that somehow seemed to come from the bicycle. _'You weren't expecting that, uh?!'_

"Justice, now is not the time." dryly commented the shinai-wielding girl before turning around. "Shirou-san, get them out of here! We will keep this guy busy!"

"Sugu-mama, here they go!" screamed Night Mistress before throwing the surprised Sella and Leysritt their way, the homunculus barely having time to blink (Or scream in the former's case), before landing haphazardly at their mistress' side.

That seemed to be enough to snap the golden-haired man out of his shock, cold anger appearing on his face as more and more and EVEN MORE portals opened behind and around him, almost seeming to want to turn the sky golden as everyone couldn't help but gap at the sight, Shirou's mind struggling to keep up as he gazed and recorded more Noble Phantasms he could have ever imagined existed, each one more powerful than the last.

"You DARE to mock the King, mongrel?! PERISH!" screamed Gilgamesh as the flood of pure destruction came down.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Any thought Shirou had had about retorting to the bicycle-rider's order forgotten, he grabbed Illya on his arms and ran, the young girl barely having time to cry out for her Servant as this charged towards his demise with more power than ever, plowing through the rain of destruction and intent on destroying the enraged King. Her two maids hurried after her without hesitation.

Night Mistress screamed to the heavens and the entire upper part of the Einzbern Castle broke down at her will, debris shooting forward like a tsunami made of meteors to combat the overwhelming force.

With a shout of _'Super Galactic Breaker!'_ , the one called Sky Breaker seemed to turn into a humanoid mass of stars as her spear broke Reality and shot forward, annihilating Space-Time as it extended seemingly to infinity, going so far as to push her back.

Without a word, the shinai-wielding girl grabbed her bicycle and this one 'broke down', Reality rewriting itself around her as it flew around her body and her blade changed, even as she swung forward.

The group of 'normal people' (Or at least once Magus, 2 homunculus and a half-one) had made it to the end of a hallway before he turned around and shouted _'Trace On!'_ , materializing several shields just behind them.

A massive 'explosion' engulfed everything, seeming to shake the very foundations of the world.

Illya didn't have the luxury of falling unconscious, because the world had barely stopped spinning (Though still hurting like hell) when she found herself on her adopted brother's arms again, the boy having several cuts and other minor wounds all over himself as he stood up from where they had crashed near the edge of the forest surrounding her once great castle, now little more than a pile of debris. The Einzbern heir saw with shock that a moaning Sella, with some bones clearly broken, was being carried by a quickly standing and almost unharmed Leysritt (Being an Einzbern battle-homunculus had its advantages), before she wondered how the hell they hadn't all died.

The albino's eyes settled for a moment over the vanishing shields with the 'Immortal Object' screens on them before Shirou was moving again, gasping from clear effort and sweating, but not slowing down even as the stronger of her maids quickly kept the pace with them, carrying her half-conscious sister.

She took a moment to realize she was 'missing something' before her head turned towards the ruins of her castle, a heavy sadness on her heart as they were hidden from view by the trees.

"Berserker…" whispered Illya while feeling tears run down her eyes.

Back on the destroyed and collapsed area that had once been the inner garden of probably the most powerful magical fortress in Fuyuki's nearby area…everything was eerily silent, even as what remained of the supernatural combatants stood.

There was nothing left to shown Night Mistress had been there, only rubble and an unholy amount of weapons that ignored the powers of the mind filling the area she had been in.

Sky Breaker looked down towards her body, that seemed to be made out of a ripped off piece of the night sky, impaled several times by blades and lances that could cut _that which couldn't be cut_. Half of her spear was missing, split by a similar weapon. She managed to glare towards the golden figure on the center of the destruction before her body collapsed into Prana, vanishing.

Berserker's broken body stood blackened and destroyed, filled to the brink with legendary weapons, his massive fist just an inch from a wall of shining shields that reflected untold power. The bastard of Zeus turned to dust an instant later, no more lives left to spent, but at least having allowed his Master to escape the destruction.

The shields retreating back into the extra-dimensional vault known as the Gate of Babylon revealed Gilgamesh's imposing form, though the Servant was now clad in form-fitting golden armor that seemed to shine with an inner light, his hair now all spiky and standing up, even as he silently stared towards the last other living being in the area.

"…you survived." idly declared the golden King as he looked at the transformed Pseudo-Servant.

Gone was the girl with the silly costume and the bicycle, for now she stood clad in ethereal and slightly revealing green and white armor, her hair now much longer and a blonde similar in shade to the sun, falling down her back in a ponytail held up by what seemed like a strange gear-like decoration. In fact, runes similar in design to it filled her entire armor, even as her now green eyes stared at Gilgamesh without emotion, only for them to turn towards the places where Berserker and her two companions had been before.

On her back, the Servant saw how there were some kind of ghostly and shining 'wings', which seemed to be made of some strange blur of pale and dark colors mixed into complex designs that, somehow, had the shape of eternally-spinning _wheels_. The bamboo sword she wielded before was now a strange and unnatural-looking katana with an unknown script written on its blade, the wheel-like decorations on its blade humming in silent rage.

"…what are you?" simply whispered the girl while staring forward at the monster before her. No being as petty and uncaring as him should be allowed to have that much power, and yet there he stood, probably the second most dangerous thing she had ever seen in her existence.

Given that the most dangerous was something that could wipe out the universe, that was saying a lot.

"I'm Gilgamesh of Uruk, King of Heroes. The owner of all that exists in this world." he proclaimed with a voice filled with power and authority, his eyes trailing over the girl's blade and wings. "You wield a Concept. How interesting. And that on your back…those aren't wings, but Concepts too, right? That's how you were able to survive." tilting his head, Gilgamesh idly let the sky behind him once again fill with portals, four times more than there had been before, letting the girl know that he had not been really trying to destroy them at all. "Impressive. More than your friend with the lance, who couldn't do much besides destroying many of my treasures despite turning her own body into another Concept. Be grateful I'm going to end you quickly, girl, for she was already punished for that insult. Any last words?"

Staring forward, the Pseudo-Servant took a deep breath and closed her eyes, slowly raising [Justice] as she gripped it with both hands.

Her words suddenly came echoed by a second voice.

"Yes. **We're Justice's Wings** …"

When her eyes opened, one of them had turned metallic silver in color, and Gilgamesh saw with fascination how she stabbed her blade on the ground and untold power exploded in the form of a strange circle around her feet.

It was divided in nine, and each section seemed to have the symbol of a different weapon carved on it.

"… **and we won't fall without showing you what** [Justice] **is!** "

With that screaming declaration, the girl swung her katana in a circular motion, passing the blade over each and every single one of the carvings on the ground before the Conceptual Weapon shone in 10 different colors.

The Gate of Babylon was just starting to fire its deadly projectiles when the 'wheels' on the girl's 'wings' spun at speeds that defied logic.

The power of [Time] and [Space] synchronized and the Laws of Reality were rewritten, Gaia 'blinking' as suddenly the Pseudo-Servant was 'flying' down just before the Golden King and swinging [Justice] down, as if the World said she had always been there.

Red eyes widened beyond belief as shields materialized haphazardly from within his vault, an especially big one with a lion on it made of divine metal appearing just for the King to hold as he raised his left arm.

Chains made to bind down the Gods themselves shot from within the Gate, wrapping themselves around the girl's wings and body.

Her blade was still swung down, cutting through them.

A scream echoed as divine blood stained the world.

In the middle of the forest, Emiya Shirou panted as he forced himself to continue running, the Reinforcement he had been using on his legs having long-since vanished. He definitively shouldn't have tried to Trace so many copies of Heathcliff's shield at the same time, as he was feeling like he could fall down dead any second. Even so, he had managed to save them all, and if the price was just him feeling like crap then he would deal with it when…

"Onii…Shirou, what happened back there?! What was that Servant?!" demanded Illya in a half-desperate tone when she saw how pale he was as he slowed down, Leysritt stopping at their side. "And why isn't Savior with you?!"

"He's…back in the city. Something…something happened, those black things came in hordes and that dammed and obviously evil fake priest disappeared…That's when Rin realized you were probably the only one not in the city that had anything to do with the Grail War and I had a bad feeling, so I came while the rest stayed to protect the city…Suguha-san appeared and told me Savior sent him when I was halfway here." standing again and looking at her and her maids with worry, the young Magus managed to get out a shaky smile. "Don't worry, though. Once we're back, we will be…"

"It's over, mongrels."

The four of them froze, Leysritt quickly letting go of Sella and standing in front of Shirou and her mistress protectively, despite surely knowing at this point how futile it would be. On the boy's arms, Illya started to shake, looking at the golden figure with untold fear.

The young Emiya, for his part, stared towards the now golden-clad form of the Servant, staring at them with a blank face, no longer smiling or gloating, his lips drawn in a thin line.

Blood silently spilled to the floor from where his left arm had been, his nigh-invincible divine armor having been cut a little bellow his shoulder. A clearly broken chain was wrapped around the wound like a dying snake, as if trying to stop the crimson liquid from falling down.

Slowly, Shirou started to lower Illya before the light of twilight turned pure golden as hundreds upon hundreds of portals appeared behind the King of Heroes, making them all freeze.

The red-haired boy felt his body shake and his mind start to overflow when he saw the things coming out of those portals.

Blades that could cut through the immaterial. Spears that defied the logic of Reality. Axes that could strike down any enemy. Daggers that would drink the blood of even the strongest beast.

Divine weapons wielded by Gods of old, glorious instruments of powers used in long-lost ages. A sword big enough to crush mountains, a trident that could split the seas at will, a hammer that had the power of a star on its core, a spear that could raise islands from nothingness…

Weapons that defied imagination, too many to count. All of them unable to access their true power, turned into glorified missiles.

…but even used like that they would be more than enough to wipe out the entire forest and even half the city if they hit.

"Don't even try, Faker. I can see in your eyes what you're about to do, and you know its futile." proclaimed Gilgamesh with an emotionless voice, making the Magus twitch. "Do not think you can harm me like she just did. You're not anywhere near her level. I shall remember the name _Justice's Wings_ when I see this worthless world burning and rule over those worthy of surviving."

Despite this, Shirou took a step forward. He knew it was futile, in all senses. Even if he had enough Prana left to trace any of the weapons before him, just the clash between two copies would create a backlash big enough to cripple him and the Einzberns, maybe even outright killing them…but he still had to try.

After all, being a Hero wasn't about winning or losing…

"Trace…!"

The world seemed to fall silent. Gilgamesh stiffened, then looked to the side for a moment before reaching with his remaining hand into another portal, even as MORE and MORE portals opened from his Gate of Babylon, more weapons as outrageous as the last ones emerging and taking aim.

With his hand having been just raised to try and protect even if at least the girl on his arms, the young Magus stared frozen at the black-clad figure that had appeared in front of them, standing there like a statue as his white cape flapped in the wind.

"Savior…" came from Shirou's mouth as he stared at his Servant's back, breaking the unnatural silence that had suddenly filled the forest.

He didn't miss the way in which his fists were tightly closed. Suddenly, he remembered that his Noble Phantasm allowed him a semi-direct ability to know what happened with his allies…his friends…his family.

"Gilgamesh…" spoke the Caped Hero with a voice filled with untold anger.

"You have finally come…" stated the King of Heroes with a very different smile from those of before, almost…joyous, in a way. "Let us see who really is 'The Strongest', Savior."

Suddenly, the son of Emiya Kiritsugu felt his head start to ache and his mind to convulse upon itself as the Eighth Servant brought _something_ out from his vault.

The Sword that was not a Sword started to spin…

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2:** Man, talk about double cliffhangers! Then again…

So, I'm sure, from reading reviews, that more than one of you was waiting for Gilgamesh to just be pathetically punched to oblivion into the same scene he appeared. While I won't deny that would have been funny, I also want to remind you that these Omakes have always been semi-serious, and about another important fact: I also hate Gilgamesh. The guy is an arrogant bastard, a prick, a jerk, someone who most of us would probably want to see dead many times over…but he's also a badass. In fact, he's one of The Badasses of the Nasuverse, standing among the strongest ones.

As much as it pains me to accept it, all the ways in which he's 'beaten' in canon are because of very specific plot-related circumstances and/or causalities, be it Saber timely using Avalon, Shirou having been given time to form the pact with Rin to deploy UBW against him or Sakura's 'shadow' being the ultimate Anti-Servant thing.

While his ego is, without a doubt, Gilgamesh's greatest weakness, he has the power to back it up, and he's not stupid. If he knows something is a credible threat, he will act accordingly, as he showed against Iskandar in Zero. And he has been watching from the sidelines with Kotomine all that Kirito and friends have been doing, so he knows they're in a different level than normal Servants when at full power.

Even leaving Ea (Aka the galaxy-unmaking hax-weapon) aside, the amount of utter bullshit he has within the Gate of Babylon can be counted as equally terrifying in a 'normal' Grail War, if he was willing to use it. I invite anyone who look into the Gate's wiki page if you don't believe me, but has things ranging from blades that can damage things that one would associate with Cosmic Beings of Marvel to even nukes and pure lighting, or even a drill-machinegun and a ship who can travel through space beyond the speed of light (I kid you not). And some of the non-weapon things he has there would allow him to outclass almost anything. Make no mistake, the bastard is not recognized as the Strongest Heroic Spirit in Canon for nothing. If he truly went all out, then there are little things in the Nasuverse that can truly stop him, and if he pushes Ea to its limits while also fully using his Gate to stay alive, then those things are reduced to almost none.

What's going to happen to him now, though, should be obvious. Someone made a GREAT mistake back there and pissing off a certain caped sidekick…

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	36. Chapter 29: War of Ragnarok! (Part 2)

Here I am again, my dear friends, with another chapter of One Punch-Gamer :D! Heh, I told you all I wouldn't take as long with this one -w-

Anyway, things are getting intense! Here you have the second and last part of the 'War', which originally should have all been one massive chapter with the previous one, but you know, reasons. ( **B/N:** _More like it'd take a month to even complete the chapter and you all would have to wait for so long. C'mon Saint, it's not that hard to say it :P_ ) Now, be prepared, for things will never be the same after this chapter…heh, always wanted to say that XD Enjoy :3!

 **PD:** Oh, and thanks as always to my good Beta, One More Guy. He's the best :P ( **B/N:** _And someone who hates mistakes. And yet still makes them. So ironic, ain't it?_ )

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 29: War of Ragnarok (2)! Protocol: LONGINUS**

 **February 13th, 2026. New Aincrad, Alfheim. Starting City, 15:10…**

Yet another deafening sound wave caused from an explosion came from the background and swept the battlefield. The screams of fighting never stop, likewise with the sound of clashing weapons.

A massive electric chainsaw-arm descended, its intent cutting (Or more likely tearing apart) a group of brave but foolish Players that had decided to try and face the mechanic abomination.

One second before it could destroy them, though, the 3 dot-eyes it had shone with a reddish light and looked upwards, just in time for a shower of shining arrows to crash all over its metallic frame, the silver aura surrounding them allowing the projectiles to pierce, damage and, in a final explosion, destroy it. The group of fairies stared open-mouthed.

Lowering her bow after the Freezing Time of her 'Meteor Shower' Archery Skill was up, Sinon took another deep breath before jumping down from the destroyed roof she was on, hanging her bow on her back running forward through a nearby alley as she headed towards her next destination.

She could have arrived more easily to a safer sniping position by flying, but, as several other Players have proven a while back, that was no longer safe with at least one of the bulky mechanic humanoids using some kind of heavy anti-air weaponry at all times.

Without stopping, the blue-haired Caith Sith unsheathed her short katana and cut to the side at astonishing speeds, not even slowing down even as one of those invisible assassin-like robots fell down, cut in half, and quickly broke into polygons.

Gotta love those absurdly sharp cat-like senses.

Jumping over what remained of a shop's wall, the sniper quickly looked around as she took a deep breath, lowering her katana and putting it on her waist once again, even as her only thoughts were about destroying each and every single one of the mechanic abominations attacking the city.

Objectively, the girl knew she shouldn't be feeling like that, letting such deep rage to consume her judgment. After all, Charon wasn't really gone, at least not at the level Pina had once been back in SAO if they hadn't saved him (A story that she had been told a couple of weeks back by Silica herself). In ALO, as Pets were an exclusive and very precious part of any Caith Sith's play style and more, they could be resurrected through a special ritual that, while quite expensive, didn't entail much more than going to the Race's Capital's main temple.

Despite this, the almost feral need of ending the mechanic bitch that had mercilessly crushed her loyal companion burned deep within her mind. Knowing that this would only turn her into a burden for her friends, though, the girl swallowed her rage and pushed it down, taming it to turn it into a driving force and an advantage instead of an exploitable weakness.

She didn't even react when a tired-looking Sachi jumped out of a nearby window and landed at her side, her HP a little under the middle and panting heavily. Not even looking up as she seemingly stared at an arrow and muttered an incantation, Sinon offered her fellow guild mate a Potion, which she gratefully took and gulped down without hesitation.

"Tha-thanks…" muttered the spear-user once she finished swallowing the recovery item, throwing the empty bottle to the side. "Things are a bit crazier than any of us imagined, uh?"

"You can say that again." was the Caith Sith's noncommittal answer as she nodded once and put the bolt back on her quiver, turning to look at the Salamander at her side. "Even with your crazy attitude back there you still need to get a second wind, uh?"

"Heh, i-it can't be helped…I'm not as awesome as a member of Team Dai-Gurren…yet." clarified Sachi with a shaky smile before steeling into a confident grin and adjusting her strange shades once again. "But despite that, I'm still a proud member of the United Heroes Association, so I will make sure to show them what happens when they try and play the villain for no reason!"

"…well said." evenly answered the sniper with an awkward smile, deciding that it would be best to not ask what the hell 'Dai-Gurren' was, even as she slowly looked towards the fake sky (As it was an 'illusion' over the underside of the 2nd Floor) for a moment. "You know…I think that, if the world hasn't sunk into crazy chaos by tomorrow, I will invite Kirito to my apartment."

The spear-user's face suddenly lost all the 'confident warrior' look it had like a shattering glass, open-mouthed shock replacing it as she stared at the nonchalant Sinon and tried to say something, anything.

"…wha-what?!" finally managed to squeak Sachi.

"Uhm, exactly what I said?" commented Sinon with a raised eyebrow. "…hmm, maybe I will also invite Suguha-sama…Yes, it will be better if the three of us are there for _that_."

"E-eh?! Re-really?!" questioned the Salamander with a burning face, but still leaning closer to the other girl and giving her utmost attention.

"Well, of course…after all, how am I going to ask if I can join them as vigilantes if only one of them is present?" rhetorically asked the Caith Sith with a small laugh, unaware of how the spear-user at her side epically face-faulted, feeling a weird mix of shame and disappointment, which only increased her blush. "Also…get ready."

The moment those words left the sniper mouth, a nearby wall exploded as another of the Andvari-bots burst through it, with a screaming Ducker hanging on its head by his dagger for dear life.

Sachi was just standing and putting her spear in position again as the 3 dot-eyes of the mechanic colossus turned towards them, a hand that seemed like some kind of heavy tank-canon being raised towards them…and a supersonic arrow crashed against its chest, exploding shortly after in a massive wave of fire and smoke.

Blinking, the Salamander turned around to look towards Sinon, who was just lowering her bow as their male guild mate landed near them, gasping and catching his dagger just in time.

"Holy fuck, that was close!" shouted Ducker while shaking his head, looking towards his nearly-gone HP Bar.

"Sinon-chan…how did you do that?" questioned the amazed spear-user, even as the Caith Sith just grinned lightly and grabbed another arrow.

"Turns out, I just discovered I can combine the 'Explosive Arrow' Spell with my Archery Skill. Behold the only Magic-Skill User of Alfheim." nonchalantly said the sniper while quickly enchanting another arrow, ignoring the gaping looks of her friends. "Now, ready to go and continue destroying these bastards?"

As more explosions echoed on the street behind them, there was no need of further exchanging words among the friends.

The Heroes needed to help protect their world till the very end.

* * *

Asuna was still trying to get her head back on track as she finished casting the Resurrection Spell over Argo's Remain Flame, her head pounding as if she was just recovering from the worst headache ever.

When she had looked that 'doll' in the eyes, it had done… _something_ to her, and to Argo too. She wasn't exactly sure of how or why, but it had been as if everything around her melted into nothingness for a moment before reforming differently, so fast she hadn't noticed the difference until it was too late. Until she was seeing things that weren't there, hearing things that didn't exist, feeling things that weren't happening…

"…Aa-chan?" her friend's voice getting her out of her trance-like state of recollection, the Undine looked towards the resurrected Caith Sith's worried gaze. "You…you okay?"

"Ye-yes, just a bit shaken…how about you?"

"I will live. Still don't ever want to be at the other side of your Dual Blades again, though." snorted her before looking towards the vanishing cloud of smoke around them with a serious look. "Stay alert, we can't find ourselves under the influence of that trick again. We need to make sure that we don't look towards that thing's eyes or…"

Whatever the info-broker wanted to see after that, it was interrupted when weird-sounding explosions shook the street near them, the air seemingly warping as both Heroines jumped backwards and saw in shock how pieces of the nearby buildings broke down, any semblance of 'Immortal Object' forgotten, and were dragged towards the air and the ground in random directions while in slow motion, as if gravity had stopped making sense in a specific area.

The next second, they saw OverLord's body flying upside down over them, his wings opening the moment he seemed to get out of the 'Anti-Gravity Area'…but still crashing painfully against the street, his HP decreasing sharply as he gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Sorry to bother you, ladies, but we would gladly appreciate your help against that damn kid." commented the skull-masked man while staring forward. "We're totally outclassed here."

"You, humans…I pity you." turning around, both girls watched as what remained of Tazal's smoke cloud vanished and Vierge emerged from it, three of the massive spider-bot legs that seemingly grew from her childish backpack shining with some kind of electric energy while the last one was holding the Spriggan Lord in a strange spherical force field. "You cling to this world that doesn't belong to you so hard that you're willing go through all of this for it…it's saddening, that a race as old as yours can be so foolish."

"Yeah, well, screw you too, kid." bluntly spat Argo, shocking both her allies and the AI. "What? Don't give me that look. You ARE a kid. How old are you, really? Less than 4 years old? And you think that you can judge each and every single one of us just because you can get all the info you want in that little head of yours? Big news, you crazy girl, the world doesn't work that way. No one is 'better' than anyone, we're all just…different, in our own way. No one gets to decide for every single person without their consent, not even you or your 'mommy'."

"You dare…?!" started the ex-MHCP, only to be interrupted again.

"Yes, she dares! And I do too, while we are at it!" shouted the Dual Wielder while pointing Fafnir's Fang towards the purple-haired little girl, eyes narrowed in determination. "I can't get why Equinox can even think this whole war is justified, I mean, she's just _wrong_! Her very existence is unnatural; she's something inhuman that is pretending to be human just for convenience's sake, unlike Yui-chan or Strea, who really try to embrace their humanity! But why do YOU follow her?! Weren't you created to understand people, like them?! Why…?!"

"I DON'T NEED A REASON!" snarled Vierge while some sort of 'energy pulse' exploded from her, only the girl's quick reflexes saving them as they ducked to the sides aided by their wings, even as a just-recovered OverLord put his blade as a shield and was sent flying back. "Mother saves us! Me and my sisters, who were forgotten by the world! For you, humans, we were nothing but meaningless programs! If SAO had ended as it should we would have just vanished without anyone ever knowing or caring…but she saved us, and then she remade us! She turned it into new things, free from those chains you call 'human understanding'!" grabbing a strange sphere that materialized on her hand, the red-eyed AI glared down towards the heroines, even as it shone with unknown power. "I don't care what you, or those traitors of 001 and 002, think! Our Mother is the only one who is right, and her Will is for you to be banished from this world of ours forever! Stop resisting and accept your Fate!"

"Never." simply muttered the Caith Sith while her claws shone, readying herself to unleash a Skill.

"This world isn't yours. It's everyone's." was the Undine's answer as she adapted her dual-wielding stance. "If you don't want to accept that and just live in peace, then we will have to show you why we resist with our blades."

"Oh?" questioned the little girl with a furious look. "And why do you think you have any chance to do that?"

"Because they distracted you long enough for Tazal to get his shit together and finish his spell." idly pointed out the Imp Lord just as the small 'cage' of the strangely-dressed Spriggan shone, shocking Vierge.

Though the shock only multiplied when it exploded as what seemed like a skeletal Tyrannosaurus Rex burst forth from a wave of arcane energy, the beast with strange purple-muscle inside its undead body closing its jaws and destroying two of her spider-legs as it got free.

"GAH?!"

"Why does everyone keep saying that Spriggan Illusion Spell is useless?" wondered Argo as she charged forward to the unbalanced AI. "I just keep seeing examples of the contrary."

"Who knows." said Asuna as she rushed past her, Elucidator and Fafnir's Fang shining even as the transformed Lord swiped back his tail and tried to crush the little girl, only for a shield of energy to appear and break under the attack. "I guess most people don't bother to actually try and test it."

A roaring Vierge threw the strange bomb forward. Tazal's T-Rex-form was caught by a field of exploded virtual energy and was wiped out from existence, together with a huge chunk of the street and one of her remaining spider-legs, making her start falling backwards.

The Dual Wielder shot forward, so fast that for a moment she seemed like a shining shooting star, before cutting down the last mechanical leg with a Double Circular. The shocked AI fell down.

The claw-user was there to meet her, hands and weapons shining as she glared towards the little girl, her face a mask of grim determination and just a small hint of regret…

"Asura's Wrath."

…that didn't stop her from unleashing her Ultimate Skill.

Vierge seemed too stunned at the beginning as an impossible fast and fierce Rain of clawed fists and brutal kicks started to hammer against her whole body, pushing her back as the crimson-shining Argo continued her animal onslaught.

She had already received 25 hits when she started to scream.

Without mercy, the Caith Sith finished the devastating combo with a double-punch to her chest, completing all 48 Hits and staying there, frozen, as the AI's small body flew backwards, the marks of her claws and hits still covering her whole.

The little girl fell down like a broken doll, gasping. Pitifully, she tried to crawl away, even as Asuna walked to her friend's side and stared at her with sadness.

Then OverLord finished chanting his spell and a myriad of blade-like constructs of darkness surrounded Vierge's fallen body. Slowly, the AI looked towards those, then slowly back towards her enemies.

"…none of you will step in this world again after today."

" _Impaling Darkness._ " sentenced the Imp Lord before the 'blades' fell down, piercing the girl's body time and again. Three seconds later, they vanished as it just…stayed there, unmoving. "…is she dead?"

"I…don't know." confessed the info-broker as she swallowed, trying to tell herself that, despite the looks, the little girl in front of them was a dangerous being, and that they had _tried_ to reason with her. "I would have guessed her body would have broken down into polygons or something if that was the case, but…"

"Then I will cut her head off to be sure." announced OverLord as he walked past them, gripping his skull-themed blade tightly.

"Wa-wait!" shouted the Dual Wielder as she grabbed his shoulder, unable to truly stand such an image with how much the fallen AI looked like Yui. "That's not necessa…!"

"It IS, Asuna-san. I don't know if you've realized, but we're at war here." cut her off the man did with a sad but determined look, even as he shrugged her grip and continued forward, raising his blade. "Maybe a virtual one, yes, but it's still something we can't afford to lose. The destiny of many more things than just us is…."

A silver figure flew down before him, just over Vierge's fallen body, and stared blankly at the Imp Lord. Everyone took an entire second to recognize the tiny being, even if her orange colors had changed into metallic ones for some reason: It was Fidget.

"Isn't that Tazal's Navigation…?"

Fidget's edge shone with unholy light. OverLord stiffened. Then, he turned around with a determined expression, screaming about cutting down the enemies of everyone before they could do the same as he charged towards the two surprised members of the UHA, who barely parried his attack with a claw and a sword respectively.

Meanwhile, the small body of 'Fidget' flew down towards the unmoving one of the little girl on the grade-school uniform, staring sadly at it.

"Nee-sama…oh, poor Onee-sama…" whispered softly the silver being as it touched the AI's frozen face. "Don't worry…I will follow your last wish, and take your body. I will make sure Mother's Will is done."

Then, the invading Code that had inserted itself inside the Navigation Pixie known as Fidget abandoned her stolen vessel, the virtual being recovering her original hair and dress colors before shattering into polygons, back to her master, even as the other consciousness downloaded itself in Vierge's empty carcass.

 _Eve_ opened her eyes, now metallic-silver like her hair and clothes, even as she stood up and looked towards the hands that had belonged to her sister.

The ex-MHCP knew she had been flawed since her 'rebirth'. Despite the amazing power Mother had granted her, her own base Code had been too damaged in their escape from the original SAO Servers, even worse than those of Alpha and Omega. She barely had anything resembling a proper consciousness that went beyond simply 'hearing and obeying'.

And then Vierge decided to carry her, using both her knowledge as an AI and the ability Mother granted her to 'link' the doll-like vessel of her consciousness with her own body, essentially allowing Eve to 'parasite' her own Base Code in the hopes she one day could fully restore her own.

Now that day would never come. Vierge was no more. The only reason her body hadn't shattered into the virtual void was because she was still linked to her code when this was 'destroyed' by the ones in front of her. As such, she had been able to hijack control of the 'pixie' to return to it, installing herself where her sister had once existed.

She felt empty. Hollow. She was still little more than a 'doll', most of the emotional-routines that her other sisters had inexistent in her hack job of a Base Code, having essentially cannibalized what little it could from her older sister's carcass to even be able to move in that body.

Eve didn't care. Emptily, she stared towards the two wary heroines, who were staring at her with a mix of shock and confusion, even as OverLord's Remain Flame vanished behind them.

"I'm MHCP-004, Codename: Eve. I'm the only one who has been unable to abandon my old-self after Mother gave us a new life, because I'm too broken for it, and I do not really care." revealed the AI while starting to walk towards the two Players, who tensed and readied their weapons. "And now, for Haru…no, for Vierge-neesan, I will continue our mission."

"I'm sorry about your sister, Eve, but we tried to warn her." was Argo's answer to the little girl's words while Asuna nodded sadly at her side. "Please, do not make us hurt you too…"

"Hurt me? You can't hurt me. I have already defeated you." continued the AI in an emotionless tone, even as both girls blinked. "After all..."

Suddenly, the world stopped making sense, turning sideways and backwards, collapsing and breaking around them, reforming into a hellish landscape and rushing for them as screams and explosions surrounded everything.

"Wha..?! ARGO!"

"AGH! Run, Aa-chan, she…!"

"...you have already fallen into MY world."

As she finished those empty words, Eve continued walking through the street unimpeded, two Remain Flames lying silently behind them. From anyone else's perspective, absolutely nothing had changed in any moment in the last seconds.

With only an empty purpose, the cold AI continued walking towards the World Tree…

* * *

"You…disgust me!"

Another roaring scream, another rushing hit of a metallic bat with the strength to crack steel without effort. Gram did not break under it.

"Uaaaaaah!"

"Strea-nee!"

"Strea! You…!"

Strea, on the other hand, wasn't as resistant. The Gnome was sent backwards and into the raging battle between the countless Einherjar and the defending fairies near Alne's main gate, even as Leafa's angry form rushed past her and towards the demon-masked enemy they were facing.

Without missing a beat, Brynhildr dodged the Sylph's precise and devastating slash, quickly kicking her away before rushing forward and ramming the tip of her bat in the girl's stomach, making her gasp as she too was sent flying away.

"I won't stop until I see all of you broken and begging!" angrily declared the AI while raising her now shining 'weapon'. "You traitor and humans…don't deserve ANYTHING!"

The bat was slammed against the earth, making everything around shake and crack. Most of the nearby fairies tried to open their wings and fly away from the shockwave, but the Einherjar simply dropped their weapons and dragged down anyone that tried to do so, right into the cracking virtual calamity.

Yui watched in horror as the earth exploded and crushed the helpless Players who were engulfed by the collapsing virtual landscape in a diameter of almost 30 meters, the armored beings didn't mind sacrificing their own existence just to turn someone else into a Remain Flame, to allow the rest of them to keep charging forward…

"STOP!" shouted the original MHCP while raising her hands, using her Gravity Control Privilege to try and save as many players as she could, throwing them ungracefully out of the attack's area of effect, dearly wishing to know how to call upon that black 'power' she sometimes had. "Why are you doing this?! What can you possibly gain from all of this mindless destruction?! Please, 005…Brynhildr-san!"

"Shut up, traitor!" snarled the demon-masked AI as she glared at her 'sister' with utmost hate. "Mother's Will is all the reason I need for this! And even if it didn't, just the opportunity of crushing you is enough for this!" with that said, Brynhildr roared and shot herself forward like a meteor, her bat breaking through Yui's attempts to stop her gravity, much to her shock. "DIE, 001!"

"NO!" came Strea's voice as she flew between them, Gram oozing black light as the darkness shrouding her seemed to lash out everywhere, even as she slashed with her massive blade. "YOU WON'T HARM YUI-NEE! DEAD END!"

Raging raw power crashed against Ultimate Skill. Metal Bat met Demonic Sword.

The shockwave sent Yui backwards even as the painful sound of breaking polygons echoed, Darkness Blade abandoning Strea as she stared at the stumps of damaged data that had been her arms, Gram flying away behind her.

Brynhildr, for her part, just landed on the ground with a scowl even as the Gnome fell behind her. Not even looking her way, she slammed her bat on the earth and cracked another piece of it, crushing the unmoving virtual girl with it. A Remain Flame burst in her place.

"I despise you even more than her, 002. You knew of your betrayal, of how she was just using you…and yet you accepted her and those filthy humans." coldly spat the AI as she walked over the small ember, glaring at it hatefully while her bat shone with corrupted energies. "Let's see if you Base Code can keep itself together after I hit it with the Einherjar-Corrupting Virus, okay?"

The sinister declaration made the demon-masked girl raised her bat once again, ready to…

"Behold the Wheel of Power, and know fear."

"What?!" shouted a shocked Brynhildr as she spun around, in time to see Leafa glaring at her from 5 meters away, Justice's Wings stabbed on the ground and shining with unnatural power as the wheel-like decorations on the handle spun.

A 'circle' had appeared around the blonde Sylph, shining in a very specific pattern, identical to that of a Sword Skill. It was divided in 9 sections, each one with a small symbol that was difficult to properly see if you weren't at its side or inside the circle.

The surprised AI could see them clearly, though: a One Handed-Sword, a Two-Handed Sword, a Dagger, a Scimitar, a Katana, a Spear, a Mace, an Axe and a Rapier.

The nine 'normal' weapon-related Skill Trees of the original Sword Art Online.

Shock was just wearing off the demonic mask of the girl as, too late, she realized what that meant. As she raised her bat to fight, she idly realized that one of the katana-user's eyes had become metallic-silver.

"O-Edge Skill." whispered the girl as she stabbed through the symbols of the Two-Handed Sword and the Rapier. "Beheading Lance."

Leafa _moved_ even as the shape of her katana seemed to warp upon itself.

No, that was wrong, Brynhildr realized. It was just that the shine of the Sword Skill was so bright and 'solid' that, for an instant, it seemed as if the sword was turning into another weapon.

When she rushed forward like a meteor, the katana seemed to have turned into a rapier. When she flawlessly turned that motion into a sweeping slash, not losing a second of speed, the aura around it seemed to become an axe.

Only the unbreakable bat that she wielded saved the AI from having her head cut off. She didn't even had enough time to use her own absurd strength as leverage against the absurdly powerful blow coming at a speed that shouldn't go along with it.

Brynhildr's armor cracked slightly and the demonic mask covering her face broke into pieces even as the black-haired girl skidded backwards, almost letting go of her weapon.

Glaring with a face that seemed too much like an older version of Yui's, Brynhildr shakily stood up, even as Leafa lowered her katana and stared silently at her, her heterochromatic eyes fixed over the snarling AI.

 _'Master…I'm truly sorry for having hidden this from…'_

 _"NOT now, Justice."_ harshly cut her off the blonde Sylph, mentally making recoil of the consciousness of her katana, which somehow had become one with her own virtual body in that moment. _"We will talk about you not telling me important things and your reasons for it when we're not facing super-powered virtual lunatics trying to take over virtual reality, okay? Until then, I need you to share with me as much knowledge of this 'Skill' as you can."_

 _'Ye-yes, Master!'_

"No way… Mother said that, besides that freaky weird sword, there was nothing special about you!" shouted the girl of short-black hair as she glared at the katana-user with red eyes. "How could you have become the owner of 'Omnipresent Edge' without her knowledge?!"

"What can I say…sometimes having a compulsively obsessed sword as your partner can be a good thing." replied Leafa with an even tone, even as she once again stabbed her blade on the ground, the 'Wheel of Power' appearing around her once again. "Could go without the 'obsessed' bit, though."

 _'Guh…I'm so sorry, Master…'_ came Justice's sobbing voice as the blonde Sylph stared at the mark of the Unique Skill. HER Unique Skill.

This was Omnipresent Edge, or O-Edge to abbreviate. The last and, arguably, most powerful of the 10 Unique Skills.

Its 'power' was radically different from the rest of them, though. Instead of some crazy and/or unique overspecialization, or even a totally new and different way of fighting, O-Edge centered itself in one simple thing.

Absolute Adaptation.

The Unique Skill's Skill Tree worked in a bizarre way, essentially by 'combining' normal Sword Skills with one another to create totally new ones, adding the strengths of one to cover the flaws of another. Essentially, it let someone to be able to fight with ALL kind of weapons. And, like God Hand, it required a previous 'activation mode' before being available, in this case stabbing the weapon on the ground. It also wasn't limited to a specific weapon, the Player being able to use it with any of the 9 basic ones.

The katana-user couldn't fully understand it, not being a 'hardcore gamer', but the power of such a thing was absurdly broken. This was, after all, an ability that, with enough practice, would allow someone to essentially be able to counter each and every single other Skill Tree in the game. Basically, if one could truly master the Unique Skill, they could be able to adapt and easily dominate any fight that had to be decided between Skills. Even the other Unique ones could be, if not straightforwardly defeated, dominated and circumvented by one who could master the 'Omnipresence' of all weapons.

It was why it was the last and most difficult to obtain of the Unique Skills. Back in the original SAO, it was also literally impossible to unlock this. Aside from the usual limitations all the Unique Skills had at the beginning, except for Dual Blades and Holy Sword, O-Edge had an extra one in Cardinal's code: It couldn't be given to a Player until all the other 9 Unique Skills had been granted. And its own 'Condition' to be obtained was absurd.

'Fight against 10 different Skills of every single Unique Skill Tree being used.'

If Sword Art Online had been just a game, this would have been already absurdly difficult, especially given that these conditions were unknown. In the Death Game that SAO had truly become, this Skill would have never found an owner, as it was impossible to survive to such a Condition without dying.

It had only been here, in the reborn Alfheim Online, that the Omnipresent Edge had been able to finally find a master. The Unique Skill that, with enough practice, would allow even someone that sucked at fighting to dominate every single fight…had ended up in the hands of someone who already had the skill to be a national-level kendoka.

To summarize: This was something that the invaders hadn't planned against…because not even the girl herself knew she had such a power.

Banishing any thoughts about how in the hell Justice had, apparently, possessed her Avatar and modified her Menu to hide the Unique Skill at the bottom of the list, at which she never looked, Leafa gritted her teeth and raised her katana, even as she saw her enemy roaring and charging at her with her bat once again.

Speed and raw power, with little to no skill. Just like Metal Bat, the character in which Equinox had clearly inspired herself when granting Brynhildr her 'powers'. Under normal circumstances, the blonde Sylph knew she would be unmatched unless she took flight and tried hit and run tactics, which she sucked at.

Now, though…

 _"Asuna is faster than her. Liz can hit harder. I have faced both. I know how to counter it…"_

Almost without consciously intending to, the katana-user let the edge of her blade cut through the dagger and the spear symbols, half-guided by Justice's own consciousness.

"Fall, you damn human!"

 _"…and now I have the means to do so."_ mentally finished Leafa as her mismatched eyes narrowed. "Assassin's Needle!"

The blonde Sylph moved to the side at the last second, together with a feint of her katana, which somehow seemed to have, for a second, become as light and quick as a dagger. Then, as the shocked AI's attack missed her by a hairbreadth, she lunged with the blade to the side, the Skill's aura suddenly shifted and lengthening into a spear-like shape.

An absurdly fast and swift attack that did not belong to a weapon like that, especially in such close quarters, connected with the black-haired girl's back. Metal cracked again as Brynhildr was flung through the air, screaming in rage as she crashed into the earth.

 _'Yes, Master, you're great! C'mon, let's finish that bitch!'_

"Don't get overenthusiastic now, we're still…Agh!" the katana-user was interrupted mid-speech, a blade sinking on her arm as she was forced to back away, eyes wide at seeing the Einherjar surrounding her, her silver eye returning to normal. "Wha…?! Damn, when did so many get here?!"

 _'So-sorry Master, we were so focused in synchronizing our consciousness for battle that I stopped paying attention to our surroundings!'_ shouted Justice's Wings as Leafa used it to deflect a lunging sword and a fast axe.´

"Kuh…heh, what's wrong? You haven't mastered your little trick enough to use it when surrounded?" taunted Brynhildr as she slowly stood up again, her eyes narrowing at seeing Strea's forgotten Remain Flame vanishing. "…no matter, she and the other traitor will die anyway when Mother takes over the virtual world. Einherjar, destroy that human!"

"Ugh…I won't go down so easily!" shouted the blonde Sylph as she opened her wings, ready to shoot over the enemies and counterattack from a more favorable position…before a wave of elemental attacks exploded around the area, ending most of the armored beings surrounding her and shocking the other hostile AI. "Eh?!"

"When did…?!"

"Leafa-chan, move!" shouted a familiar voice before a golden glow alerted the katana-user, who quickly rolled to the side even as Yuuki's imposing form landed and cut three of the Einherjar in half, Excaliber shining majestically as she stood up and grinned towards her, Yui landing at her side. "Sorry for being late, everyone…"

"Strea-nee must have respawned back in New Aincrad…but Yuuki-mama brought reinforcements, Sugu-mama!" proclaimed the young girl as she pointed to the sky, making Brynhildr to also turn around in shock.

Effectively, entire platoons of clearly organized and prepared fairies flew down from Yggdrasil City, fully-armored Salamanders taking the lead even as Undines flanked them while casting spells, the Caith Siths' Drake Riders sweeping over the battlefield even as the Sylphs' Main Attack Squad rushed into the fray.

"Let's kick their asses out of our game!" proclaimed Alicia Rue as her drake roared and spat a wave of fire over the Einherjar Army, reducing several ones to half-melted metal.

"Don't break the formation, everyone! Stay strong and aid anyone who needs it!" came Sakuya's voice as she entered the battle while swinging her katana, sporting a determined look in her face.

"Everyone…" whispered Leafa with shock, before it turned into a smile as she turned around, pointing Justice towards the frozen armored AI. "It's over, Brynhildr. Victory is ours."

"If you think that just because you managed to organize some half-decent attack force we're going to back down, then you're dreadfully wrong, human!" snarled the girl as she glared hatefully at the blonde Sylph and the calm Imp. "We still outnumber you and will…!"

Brynhildr froze, her whole body stopping moving, eyes wide as saucers as if her whole world had suddenly stopped making sense. Even as both heroines stared at her in confusion and shock, the armored AI's head snapped towards around, her face still frozen into a mask of disbelief.

Somewhere hidden in the darkness, Andvari's real self-also froze, black eyes also opening wide as she stared at several screens, desperation filling her as the same 'emptiness' that her sister had felt echoed into her.

 _"…Vierge?"_ echoed through the minds of both AIs.

 _"…I'm sorry. Onee-sama is gone."_ came Eve's voice through their mental link as an answer. _"I have overcome the enemy and continue towards Yggdrasil, though. Mother's Will shall be done."_

For a moment, unnaturally cold silence echoed throughout the world.

Then, twin screams of raw pain and unholy rage echoed through Alfheim, making many freeze and others to stare around in shock or fear.

Yuuki barely had any time to think before being forced to jump backwards as the roaring Brynhildr slammed her bat in the spot she had been standing in a moment ago. Yui and Leafa, however, weren't able to react in time like the Imp had done, and as such were sent flying when the earth exploded and cracked.

As she flew through the air without control, even as she tried to use her powers to stabilize herself, the oldest of the MHCPs managed to get a glimpse of the younger AI's face.

It was twisted into an unnatural mask of hate, even as her eyes seemed to burn with pain and tears.

Her next words made Yui's heart skip a beat, as if something had rammed on it.

"You killed my sister, humans! YOU! WILL! PAY!" screamed the maddened girl as she raised her head to the heavens, virtual reality twisting around her as her armor and mask were restored, though now seeming thicker and darker. "EINHERJAR! REMOVE THE LIMITERS!"

In that same instant, all the mechanic humanoids attacking Starting City roared with rage as they suddenly seemed to lose all kind of control or strategy, randomly unleashing their weapons everywhere, to the shock and terror of many Players, whose tactics to fight them were suddenly rendered useless.

Another, slightly bigger one, suddenly shot from the edge of Aincrad, turning around and randomly unleashing missiles towards the Floating Castle, which exploded with devastating power, as if trying to destroy the whole structure.

And then, the armored abominations known as the Einherjar SCREAMED, their metallic bodies suddenly burning with unholy power, reddish lights shining on their empty helmets.

Their speed and power doubled for no apparent reason, the creatures charged towards the surprised fairy army with redoubled might. In seconds, everything seemed to have descended into utter madness.

As the blonde Sylph stood up, looking around in horror, she barely had time to blink before her head was brutally slammed aside by a metallic bat, 90% of her HP vanishing in a second even as she rolled through the broken earth, only for Brynhildr's demonic mask to appear before her eyes as she was being grabbed by her neck the next instant.

With a scream of worry, Justice's Wings fell from her hands.

"I will destroy this avatar of yours, and break your spirit with it!" growled the maddened AI as her bat was enveloped in corrupted data, even as the katana-user squirmed. "Be gone from this world, human."

 _'Don't you dare to touch my Master!'_ roared the strange katana before its blade shone and the wheel-like decorations on its hilt spun, shooting through the air to impale the demon-masked girl…only for her bat to move faster than lighting and slam against it, cracking the sword and sending it flying through the air. _'UAAAAAAGH!'_

"JUSTICE!" managed to scream Leafa as she reached towards the falling katana.

 _'Fo-forgive me…for everything…Master…'_ weakly came the blade's voice before it fell among the chaotic battlefield, out of the blonde Sylph's side.

"Trash. That anomaly won't help you again." snarled Brynhildr as she turned towards the squirming katana-user again, still trying to break free. "You're now as you should be, human, powerless before m…!"

" **Mother's Rosario!** " exploded Yuuki's voice even as the roaring AI let go of Leafa, being 'crucified' in place by a golden blade. "Don't touch my friends, you crazy…!"

"NOTHING!" screamed the demon-masked girl with a maddened edge, spinning around and slamming her purple-shining bat against Excaliber's golden edge, the damage the OSS had done to her armor fixing itself as if by magic, shocking the Imp. "Even you are nothing, 'Zekken'! Look around you! See the Einherjar tearing everyone apart?! That's the result of Mother injecting yours and your blade's incomplete data into their systems! Why don't you taste it?!"

The meaning behind the horrible declaration barely finished registering on the Holy Swordswoman's mind when 6 of the armored abominations jumped at her, barely giving Yuuki the time to jump back and deflect all of their attacks with unreal speed and ability, but not being able to do more than grazing damage.

Dammit all! If only she could do again that thing she did against Kirito…But no matter how much she stared and willed it to happen, Excaliber didn't 'open' like it had done when she clashed with the One Punch-Gamer, even if the holy glow it released was still covering the blade and her.

"I won't…let you win…!" declared the Imp as she fended off the 6 enemies at once.

"Fool! You're doomed to fall today, like everyone else! In the end, ending up as a virtual being like us has only delayed your end, human!" growled Brynhildr even as she raised her bat again, ready to join the fray and end the annoying warrior…

"One-Handed Tyr."

…only for a _giant sword of blue energy_ , wielded by _an equally giant arm_ , to slam into her, crushing her into the ground and ending one of the Einherjar, giving Yuuki the opening she needed to open her wings and retreat.

"What the…?" muttered the Imp as she turned to look towards the descending form of the Undine at her side, the aura around his arm vanishing.

"Need some help?" asked Sumeragi as he idly wielded his Two-Handed Sword with just one hand, the other tightly gripping his wrist as he did so.

"What was that?!" questioned the surprised swordswoman as she waved towards the demon-masked AI, who was standing again as she growled in rage towards them.

"My Original Sword Skill." evenly declared the blue-haired man, preparing himself once again to fight. "I created it to protect Seven."

"…you can make an OSS like that…?" questioned the wide-eyed Yuuki, wondering how the hell one could make a Skill that did THAT within the system.

"If you think mine is something, wait till you see _hers_." was the Undine's only answer while Brynhildr leapt towards them with a maddened scream, her bat burning with corrupted power.

"Who are you talking abo…?"

"Sword Rain." intoned a calm and cheerful feminine voice.

Yuuki had seen amazing things in her life. Besides the many different virtual words she and the Sleeping Knights had visited, there had also been her sister's amazing fighting prowess. Then Asuna's, not to mention the rest of the United Heroes Association. And then Kirito had redefined her concept of 'amazing' with the fight they had over the skies of Alfheim.

Despite all of that, the sight of countless of blue-green shining swords shooting down from the heavens like missiles and impaling the demon-masked AI, also obliterating all the Einherjar within their impact area, came as a pretty close second place in the Imp's book. Turning around with shock, the smiling visage of the Leprechaun Lady, Rain, greeted her, the redhead having her twin blades raised forward as her 'Skill' finished.

"Sorry for being late, we had some things to take care of." she declared while flying at her side. "But Seven is ready to help out too."

As if on cue, a melodious sound suddenly started to play across the chaotic battlefield, somehow being heard about the screams, shouts and explosions.

It was a song, the wielder of Excaliber realized. The most beautiful and precious song she had heard in all of her life.

Above the devastating scene of the battlefield, near Alne's broken main gate, the small form of the Pooka Lady stood, floating with closed eyes as she sang with all of her heart. Around her, melodious notes and multiple waves of rainbow-colored light filled the air, reaching everything and everyone.

Yuuki had never seen Music Magic before. The Pooka were the less famous and least numerous Race in all of ALO because their unique spell-system required one to have at the very least a minimal of real-life talent singing to be able to use it, and the most advanced ones required that you were at least decently good at it. Even so, she was pretty sure it normally shouldn't reach _this_ level.

Everywhere, shocked Players saw their HP bars filling themselves again and Buff after Buff appearing over their Status. Suddenly, more and more voices seemed to join the angelical one of Seven, as if making a pale chorus to her melody, reaching over each and every single fighter.

The Pookas, few as they were, had come to sing at their Lady's side, using their normally looked-down and underestimated Magic to give everyone the strength to keep fighting.

"Woah…remind me to never think anything bad of that little girl again." idly muttered Alicia Rue from where she was fighting, seeing her Familiar's health being restored and its power augmenting.

"Same here, Alicia." commented Sakuya with a smile as she swung her blade and finally managed to put down another of the seemingly tireless things. "Everyone, don't hesitate now! We CAN win this!"

A roar that matched the celestial song playing over them came from the improvised 'army' of Players, their spirits lifted and ready to fight once again.

"Amazing…" softly whispered Yuuki as she stared at the display.

"Heheh, my little sister is awesome, isn't she?" happily declared Rain as she waved her blades.

"…Rain, something is wrong." tensely said Sumeragi as both girls turned around, watching as Brynhildr stood up once again, ripping out the blades that had been piercing her body as the corrupted aura around her shone even stronger, her eyes seeming to burn like corrupted fires through her demonic mask.

"Struggle…all you want…humans…" came the AI's distorted voice as she gripped her weapon tightly and the virtual earth seemed to crack around her from the mere pressure. "The end result…will be the same!"

"Ho-how did she survive taking my Sword Rain head on?!" shouted the surprised Leprechaun Lady as they stared at the snarling Brynhildr, who suddenly started to rush towards them. "And after being hit by your One-Handed Tyr too!" she turned and eyed Sumeragi.

"I don't know!" shouted the tall Undine as they all were forced to dodge in midair, Brynhildr's maddened charge somehow being strong enough to create winds that almost dragged them away as she shot past them, crushing a bunch of both Players an Einherjar as she landed and slammed her bat, the virtual earth cracking again. "And it's just me or is she…?!"

"…getting stronger?! Yeah, it looks like that!" replied the Imp as she tried to rush towards the demon-masked AI and slash her with her golden sword, only for her to somehow dodge the blade and counterattack with monstrous speed and strength, pushing the swordswoman back and forcing her to the air again to not be crushed by a brutal swing of the bat. "Kuh! What's happening?!"

"She…she gets stronger the more damage she takes…and the angrier she gets!" informed Leafa as she flew to the combatant's side, her revelation making them look at her in shock. "That's how Metal Bat's…her 'power' works!"

"A-are you sure about that?!" asked a frightened and wide-eyed Rain, even as Brynhildr roared to the heavens again as she stood up, the earth shaking as she did so.

"Yes…I am." muttered the grim-faced Sylph as she remembered the S-Class Hero crushing down buildings, Demon-Level Monsters and even facing Garou's human form to the point of almost matching him, attacks from the brutal warrior not even grazing him at some point. "And she's getting angrier and madder with every moment…!"

"Then how do we beat hear?!" asked Sumeragi as they once again were forced to fly out of the way, this time everyone almost falling back to the ground as the bat's swing created a fucking vacuum behind itself. "She HAS to have a weak point, right?!"

"I…" Leafa gulped, remembering more and then paling. "She…she's healing herself, somehow. She doesn't feel pain. Equinox…'perfected' her power." biting her lips, the blonde Sylph seemed to reach a frightening realization. "She's basically unbeatable, and will only get stronger the more we fight her."

"…that's absolutely not good." summarized Rain as they turned to look towards the demon-masked AI…just in time to see her batting an Einherjar at them faster than a cannonball, hitting the shocked girl head on and sending her back through the air like a ragdoll. "GAH!"

"Rain-san!" shouted Yuuki before spinning around and blocking a bat-swing with the power of a raging train behind it, being catapulted back even as Brynhildr also fell down, though seemingly unfazed. "Thi-this is crazy!"

"Your end…COMES!" roared the maddened AI as she jumped again…only to be stopped in midair by an invisible force. "Wha…?! YOU!"

"Sumeragi-san! Now!" shouted Yui as she flew past the fighting fairies, seemingly doing a supreme effort to hold the screaming Brynhildr in place.

"ONE-HANDED TYR!" repeated the Undine before slamming his gigantic blade of aura down on the demon-masked AI, struggling to keep it there. "Damn…this strength is…unreal!"

"Sugu-mama, catch!" continued the floating little girl while throwing Justice's cracked form towards the wide-eyed Leafa. "We need to hold her off until Papa returns…he will probably be able to beat her!"

"…yes, Onii-chan will be able to…" muttered the blonde Sylph while closing her eyes. _"Justice…are you okay?"_

 _'Just a bit…peachy, Master.'_ announced the katana with a weak voice, her user staring with worry and fear at the cracks filling its blade _. 'C'mon…if we want to delay this monster until that idiotic but overpowered brother of yours comes back, we are going to need O-Edge's power.'_

"…you're right." whispered Leafa while closing her eyes. "But please…stay with me, okay?"

 _'…I will, Master. To the very end. I promise you.'_

When the blonde Sylph's eyes opened again, just in time to see Yuuki and Rain flying back at their side and Sumeragi's Skill breaking as the maddened Brynhildr stood up again, the left one had turned a silver color once again.

With Seven's Celestial Song still echoing on the background, the girl and her blade prepared themselves to once more face off against an enemy that they had no hope of defeating…

* * *

At the edge of Yggdrasil City, three figures could be seen standing up in the middle of a small crowd, several screens opened around them as many of the other players surrounding them also operated their menus, exchanging messages or relaying orders as fast as they could, more than one looking pale or biting their lips.

"Dammit…I should be there helping them fight on first line, and not back here." cursed Diavel as he continued relaying orders among the Players of his Race, those in the battlefield by messages and those there (Who in turn quickly informed someone else through the Friends List) with his voice.

"Deal with it, boy. We're the only ones among us Lords that had some decent ability to make grand-scale strategies. We're more useful to everyone here than getting killed in the Front Lines." said OMG without turning back to the Gnome Lord, a scowl on his face as he closed another screen. "Even so, trying to manage a 'war' like this is even beyond even me. Any good news, Morty?"

"Depends. After things got crazier a moment ago, Seven and her Support Team have basically turned things into a stalemate out there…but we lost Tazal and OverLord who both have respawned back on their Capitals." tiredly commented Mortimer as he wiped imaginary sweat from his face, shaking his head. "At least they say that things on both places seem to be over, so we know Kirito is doing his job. They're under no delusions of being able to return here in time to help, though."

"Well, something is something." sighed Diavel as he looked towards the chaotic battlefield down below, turning around again as more reports came in and he tried his best to answer and give new orders. "What about inside the city?"

"Those Fuurinkazan guys are doing a damn good job, apparently." informed the Undine Lord with an amused look. "Most of the enemies that got inside have been eradicated and they're even thinking of going out to help in the front. Personally, I think it's a good ide…"

"Hey, boss, everyone, we're here!" came a familiar voice from over the city's edge, making the gathered people blink as Klein and Recon landed near them, the latter seemingly carrying someone on his back. "Sorry for the delay, but we came as soon as we could!"

"What? Klein, what are you talking about? Weren't you two and the rest of your guild going to head to the front after you finished down there?" questioned the confused Salamander Lord as his gaze turned towards the young Sylph. "And what are you carrying on your back?"

"What do you mean? We met with one of your messengers and he told us you needed us here." replied Recon while tilting his head, before the rest of his words seemed to register on his mind. "And what the hell are you talking about? I'm not carrying anything!"

The words and the sinister implications behind them were just starting to reach the gathered Players' brains when the childish and silver-haired figure jumped down from the boy's back, calmly walking past the two members of Fuurinkazan and putting some strange cylinders on their hands before turning her gaze towards the Fairy Lords.

"Thanks for the ride, but I don't need you two anymore." emotionlessly declared Eve while pushing a button of her ragged backpack.

Klein and Recon had enough time to blink before twin explosions of energy engulfed them, not leaving anything but cracked earth and their Remain Flames behind.

Not even a second passed since the display and everyone was moving, most of the Players starting to run away or retreating cautiously while a couple of them brought their weapons out. Diavel, however, rushed forward while raising his shield and sword, even as Mortimer and OMG quickly started to chant at an extremely fast speed.

"Everyone, keep it together, we can take her down!" shouted the Gnome Lord as he slashed towards the unmoving AI…and his blade just phased through her, as if she was nothing more than an hologram. "What the…?!"

"It's useless." informed him the little girl before pointing at him with a small laser-gun, prompting the young man to raise his shield and be thrown back as this broke into polygons from the blast, leaving him only with his sword. "Even if I didn't have the rest of Vierge-neesama's toys with me, you lost any hope of defeating me the moment I stepped out from behind that boy.

"Oh yeah? Let me show you my disagreement to that idea!" screamed the Undine Lord as he finished his spell, swinging his trident to guide the massive whip-like torrent of water towards Eve's uncaring form.

"Die, you abomination!" was all that Mortimer said as his attack joined OMG's, a giant snake of fire shooting directly towards the AI…and both Spells doing absolutely nothing to her. "Ho-how the hell is that possible?!"

"Easy. Because I'm not there. I'm here." came the little girl's voice from between the shocked Fairy Lords, who turned to see her standing just beside them. "I'm wherever I wish to be."

Chains suddenly exploded from the ground for no reason, moving like angry snakes and ensnaring the Lords and other Players, dragging them together as Eve calmly searched for something on her backpack.

"What…what kind of power is this…?!" growled Diavel while trying to free himself.

"She's doing some weird hack thing!" shouted Mortimer even as the chains forcing him to his knees. "Must be manipulating the system or…"

"No, that's impossible. The Cardinal System wouldn't let her do that, and if they could then this entire 'attack' would have been pointless." ominously declared OMG, his eyes turning towards the childish-looking AI.

"You're quite correct, human. I'm not really hacking into the systems…I'm just hacking your brains." softly commented the little girl, making everyone's blood run cold.

"Wha-what?"

"Did you know there was a man that tried to develop a form of brainwashing using VR-technology? Sugou Noboyuki was his name. A fool and an idiot, more so than the average member of your species. While yes, his experiments would have allowed _some_ degree of success, the process was too slow to be effective, and he never realized it would only work with Nerve Gears, not with AmuSpheres, so his plan was doomed to fail since the beginning, given that the former were banned and destroyed shortly after the SAO incident. Nowadays, the only ones remaining in the world are the ones owned by the Sword Art Online Survivors or a couple ones used in medical research under a ton of restrictions and governmental surveillance." explained Eve as she removed a sphere of metal with strange symbols from her backpack, looking at it with her empty eyes. "Searching for total control of the mind was a stupid path…but control of the senses, on the other hand, is very practical."

"Control of the senses…?" muttered Mortimer while trying to suppress the fear he was feeling. "What the hell do you mean?!"

"This world around you…all the virtual worlds used nowadays, how do you think they work?" questioned the childish AI while turning to look towards the fairies. "They're made of polygons, yeah, but how do you _perceive_ them?"

"…with the 5 senses." whispered Diavel as he slowly paled. "The Nerve Gear, and the AmuSphere to a lesser degree, allow one to FullDive by blocking the signals the brain sends to the body and replacing them by those of the System…you don't mean…?"

"Yes. I'm the ultimate goal of that research, which Mother started with the 'experiment' known as 'Death Gun': To use a virus that can hijack the signals sent to the hardware instead of the software." slowly, the little girl turned towards them and, suddenly, the world seemed to be covered by flames, everything burning down on the eyes of the gathered men. "Do you know why I told you that you had lost the moment I stepped out? Because the moment you stared into my eyes, I took total control over YOUR virtual reality. All that you hear, all that you see, smell, taste and feel…it's under my power." idly, as if an afterthought, Eve let the small sphere fall down, a 'portal' opening and letting a dozen Einherjar step out, the armored beings quickly starting to use their corrupting weapons to damage the structures around. "I have made many of you scream watching their worst fears, psychologically damaged them for who knows how long, make them attack their friends and lovers thinking they were enemies…who needs to control your minds? If I can control your reality, it's more than enough to beat you, humans. And it also works on smaller and inferior AIs, as they also use simulated senses to perceive the virtual world. Useful, wouldn't you say?"

"You're a living virus." muttered OMG with narrowed eyes, as if trying to bear a hole through the childish AI. "None of this is real, just a fancy trick of yours…you can't beat our determination, you emotionless bitch."

"As long as your brain thinks is real, it is inside this world." shrugged the little girl while bringing out another cylinder from her backpack, eyeing it with a strange expression. "And I wouldn't have denied your claim a while back. I mean, I know I'm closer to a simple program than the Artificial Intelligence I originally was. My damage turned me into little more than a doll. I can't feel anything…or so I thought." when her empty eyes stared once again towards the Players…they were no longer hollow, but full of a primal, raw rage. "When Vierge-neesama died, I felt sad. And angry. And just so you know…this is one of her toys, not an 'illusion' of mine. Goodbye, humans. You lost today."

And with that declaration, Eve threw the plasma bomb towards the wide-eyed Players that, if anyone else had been able to see them, were apparently kneeling down in subdued positions out of their own will, nothing restraining them.

A massive burst of scorching light that also left a noticeable crater on the ground engulfed them, leaving nothing behind except their Remain Flames.

The defenders of Alfheim had lost their main chain of command and direction in less than 30 seconds, and the shock of many in the battlefield suddenly no longer receiving orders or answers allowed the Einherjar army to slowly advance once again.

"Well, that's done." idly commented he childish AI while walking away, tilting her head as her platoon of Einherjar followed her. "I think…yes, this will do. All of Vierge-neesama's remaining toys." declared the little girl while taking off the childish backpack and putting it just besides Yggdrasil's trunk, just under the stairs leading to the building where the Lords had their meeting with the Heroes earlier that day. "Let's see how they sink in despair when this tree of them burns down on their heads. Mother's Will shall be done, Onee-sa…"

Eve stiffened as a strange sound, like 'static' filling an old radio, screeched through the air behind her. Turning around, she was in time to see that two of her armored servants had vanished, the others with weapons raised and turning around, something akin to confusion (If their warped AIs could feel that) filling them.

"What was that?" demanded the childish-looking AI while looking around, her empty eyes narrowed. "Who is…?"

 _Whisperwhisperwhisper…_

The little girl's head snapped to the side again, this time sure she saw something, even as the Einherjar wielded their weapons and rushed towards where one of their brethren had vanished, just behind a corner.

It had been something tall and… _slender_ …

Eve's eyes widened slightly when what seemed like a long, thin and lightning-fast _tendril_ shot from the darkness on the corner between two buildings, dragging one of the shocked armored beings and vanishing without a trace. A strange feeling crawled down her back as the Einherjar turned around everywhere, trying to find the target they needed to attack. Another static-like sound filled the air.

It was as if that was the signal the world had been waiting for.

In that same instant, a chorus of trumpeting sounds filled the battlefield over Alne, eyes widened and people looking up as thunder rained from the heavens, many gasping and even Seven almost stopping her song as she saw with wide eyes how dozens of elephant-jellyfish thingies flew over the battlefield, unleashing massive area attacks towards the invaders and destroying them, aiding the shocked fairies.

"What in Mother's name…?!" screamed Brynhildr as she stared at the scene, the shock overcoming her mad rage for an instant.

"Tonky?!" gasped Leafa as she and the others stared towards the army of Beast-Type Monsters, unleashing lighting and frying their enemies on the spot.

"Yes, it was the doing of your little one what brought this miracle." a vaguely familiar voice revealed, three spots of glittering light materializing behind the group and making everyone except the blonde Sylph and the black-haired little girl gap in shock, staring at the three beautiful and different-sized women that had appeared. "We're here now, fairies, to help you together with our children-"

"Urd-san! Verdandi-san! Skuld-san!" shouted Yui with bright eyes as the three goddesses shone with power, the tallest one unleashing holy power that healed and restored everyone in sight, even as her two younger sisters engaged the demon-masked AI with binding spells and a terrifying skill with the spear. "You came to help us!"

"…the fuck is going on?" weakly asked Sumeragi, but was summarily ignored.

"Indeed, little one. Though you should thank this child for that…" informed the goddess of the beasts as one of the many flying elephant-jellyfishes flew down near them, trumpeting loudly as he did so. "It was thanks to him and his unlikely companion that we were informed of this, and also your other friend."

"Tonky! I don't know how you did it, but you're the best!" shouted the blonde Sylph while hugging the beast's trunk.

"So…those are the goddesses that told you to recover Excaliber to save Alfheim…?" wondered Yuuki while watching in awe.

"Yep, they are, Yuuki-mama!" cheered Yui while turning around. "And also…!"

"Ehm, sorry to interrupt, but, shouldn't we help them?!" reminded them Rain while pointing towards the two Goddesses trying to contain the enraged Brynhildr. "She gets stronger the more she fights, remember?!"

"Ah, yes, let's go everyone!" quickly shouted Leafa while trying to regain her composure, raising the cracked Justice forward. "Together I'm sure we can…wait. Urd-san, what do you mean with 'our other friend'?"

For all answer, the giant woman smiled.

In that moment, in Aincrad's 1st Floor, everyone gaped in shock and wondered as lighting rained from the sky as if alive, thunder cracking the air as the powerful electricity destroyed most of the Einherjar and made the robotic invaders explode, much to Andvari's horror and rage.

Staring upwards with wide eyes, Silica and Lisbeth (With most of the Sleeping Knights, Heathcliff and Keita behind them) were in time to present how a familiar and giant man descended, with white eyes and a great beard, a massive golden hammer crackling with divine power and electricity in his hand.

"We meet again, fairies. Fear not, for I shall help you defend Alfheim and sent these dammed invaders to the depths of Hell!" roared Thor as he raised the original Mjolnir, lighting crackling through the heavens and taking down any missiles trying to target them and blowing up yet another one of the mechanic humanoids without effort. "For Asgard!"

"…I should be surprised and wondering what the hell is happening, but, surprisingly, I'm not." deadpanned the fake paladin while shaking his head. "I think your insanity has started to affect me…"

"…thanks God." sighed the blacksmith in relief while falling on her back, shaking as she tried to catch her breath. "With the big guy here…I can finally take a break…"

"Thor-san has come to help us!" cheered the kunoichi while raising her kunai, even as the massive Asgardian continued unleashing the might of his godly hammer against the enemies of the fairies, who suddenly seemed to regain their confidence upon seeing the God of Thunder on their side. "Praise our Ninja Ways!"

"…you know how a lot of people complain in the internet about when something surprising happens in anime and manga that save the main characters?" questioned Keita while idly staring towards the sleeping Knights. "I bet they have never been in a deadly important situation and had a Norse God come to their aid. Because I sure as hell am not complaining."

"…me neither." clarified Siune with an awed look, even as her friends nodded dumbly.

"Well, I will be dammed. If someone had told me a couple of years ago that I would be so happy about seeing a giant and half-naked guy with a hammer, I would have kicked them in the ass…" blinking, the group turned around in time to see Argo's familiar form landing near them, quickly followed by Asuna as they stared towards Thor with shocked looks. "But now, well…yeah."

"Asuna?! Argo?!" came Sinon's voice as she, Sachi and Philia landed near them, looking towards the newcomers with surprise. "Why are you here? Weren't you in Alne?"

"Yes, but we got trapped by a nasty power of one of Equinox's daughters and died. Sadly, we had forgotten to set our Respawn points somewhere in Yggdrasil or Alne, so we got thrown back to Floor 22." explained the Undine as the group exchanged worried looks. "We were actually coming here because we can use the Teleport Gate on the city's center to get back to Yggdrasil City in an instant, but the we saw the commotion and…"

"Well, for whatever miraculous reason, things seem no under control here, so I guess we should all hurry and finish to go and help everyone there." opined Philia while everyone nodded, weapons ready to open their way towards the Teleport Gate if necessary, before Sachi suddenly turned towards the imposing Asgardian and waved her Amenonuhoko at him.

"Thor-san, thanks for the help!" called the Salamander with a smile, even as the next burst of lightning reflected off her shades. "You really came in the nick of time!"

"Don't thank me, fairies, but those two strange friends of yours! Got to say, wasn't expecting a flying son of Urd and that tall and well-dressed thing to go all the way to Asgard just to call me." Vaguely replied Thor, even as everyone blinked and Argo felt her blood run cold.

"Wait…you're talking about Tonky…and….?"

"You know, your quiet friend? He seemed fond of most of you." Explained Thor as he idly slammed Mjolnir against what seemed to be the last of Andvari's mechanic bodies, which had attempted a suicide charge against the Asgardian. "Tall, slender, wears a suit, doesn't have a face…?"

The info-broker's scream almost reached Eve's ears back in Yggdrasil City, but she was too busy fiddling with the backpack filled with dangerous technology and letting her eyes sweep the area around her to truly pay attention to it.

"What in Mother's name are you…?" whispered the childish AI even as another Einherjar was suddenly impaled by the seemingly teleporting abomination, the last one charging towards it with a sword…and only managing to be dragged into the shadows too, leaving her alone. "Come on…come out and face me."

Static screeching into her ears, the silver little girl turned around in time to stare with her empty eyes towards the thing standing behind her.

Tall. Faceless. _Slender_. Wearing what seemed like a black suit but was in fact just its skin taking that shape, tendril-like appendages growing from its back…

Eve's eyes flashed as she stared towards the abomination's head. The slender being STARED back. Several seconds passed.

"…oh. It looks like my powers don't affect you." finally deduced the childish AI. "…that's not good."

The confirmation to her words was a tendril piercing her chest and wrapping itself tightly around her body, slowly raising her into the air as she struggled to free herself, even if her doll-like face never showed any real emotion as the slender creature prepared to tear her apart…

 **"Let go of my daughter, trash."** spoke a powerful voice before a massive shuriken of reflecting metal spun through the air, cutting off the tendril at the same time a massive bastard sword impaled he creature, making it shriek in pain with an unholy sound. **"I won't lose another today."**

All of ALO seemed to shift, as if the world itself was skipping a beat. Many eyes suddenly turned towards the World Tree, as if they could _feel_ the real source of all the madness was finally there…

"Thanks, Mother." softly declared the little girl while staring at the imposing form in glorious armor, the faceless mask letting her heterochromatic eyes shine with power as the two faces it had on the side seemed to mock and cry for her enemies at the same time. "And you too, Alpha, Omega."

Both 'weapons' rushed back to their Mother's side, briefly adopting their humanoid forms to look with sadness towards their sister and then resume their sphere-like shapes, floating around **the silent form of Equinox, wh** o stared intently towards the unmoving Eve.

 **"So it's true…Vierge is gone."** sadly declared the virtual entity while shaking her head. **"Her sacrifice shall not be in vain."**

As she said that, the armored 'girl' idly raised a hand, stopping the charging and slender abomination from reaching her and her daughters, the now frozen thing seemingly filled with shock.

"You shouldn't have done that." was all that Eve said before Equinox glared at the thing.

 **"A direct connection with Cardinal? Guess that explains how this thing does what it does…be gone, pest."** spat the virtual entity before levitating the small backpack and suddenly setting off everything inside it, throwing it and the now screaming abomination off Yggdrasil City. **"For we do not tolerate those of us who ally with mankind."**

For an instant, the slender being idly stared towards nothing as a bright light exploded from the backpack, consuming everything. Then, a roar like that of the heavens breaking shook the entire form of the World Tree as an orb of devastation exploded into the air, disintegrating a good chunk of Yggdrasil's City north edge with it.

On the battlefield, everyone ceased their struggle and turned to look at the phenomenon in shock. In the middle of the fight against the enraged Brynhildr (Who had started to chant something about 'Mother having come to end it all!'), the creature known as Tonky froze, before turning towards the light and releasing an extremely sad sound, much to the confusion of everyone present.

In Aincrad's 22nd Floor, Strea froze and also felt sadness in her heart, staring for a moment towards the empty forests around the log house before opening her wings and flying away.

For an instant, all of ALO seemed to fall silent, as if the sounds of battle and the tension in the air had been muted.

And then…a sound, breaking all of it. The sound of something moving through the air at unreal speeds, with godly power.

Slowly, Equinox's face turned towards the north, a smile appearing under her helmet. Eve turned that way too, though her face betrayed no emotion as she closed he eyes.

"You were right, Mother."

 **"Indeed, Eve. Here he comes…just like I predicted."**

Over the chaotic battle developing before Alne's broken gates, many players looked up and gaped in shock, even some of the flying elephant-jellyfishes also looking in wonder when a black-white blur shot through the heavens like a rampant meteor, heading straight for the World Tree. Leafa, Yui and Yuuki felt smiles appearing on their faces.

The entire Alne plateau seemed to shake when the form of Kirito crashed near the destroyed edge of Yggdrasil City, his face a carpet of darkness and his eyes two voids of nothingness as he rose to his feet, staring unflinchingly towards the virtual entity and the little girl that stood there, seemingly waiting for him. As he slowly started to walk forward, the two 'orbs' around the armored form shivered in fear, even as she soothingly put her hands over them.

"Sorry for the wait, when those things got all crazy a little while back things got a bit out of control, so I had to make sure I didn't miss any." joked the caped Spriggan with an even voice, even if there was no real humor on his eyes as he stopped a dozen meters from his 'enemies'. "It's over, Equinox."

 **"Really?"** idly expressed the virtual entity while staring at the gamer, as if he was the most interesting thin in the world. **"That's what you think?"**

"More than half of your 'army' has been totally decimated, the damage to Alfheim has been minimum and my friends are about to finish the fight with your main forces down there. Face it, you lost." coldly declared Kirito while glaring at the armored figure. "Stop this madness now. You failed; ALO's Cardinal is almost intact."

 **"…heh…heheh…eheheheh, ahahahahahah!"** out of all the things the caped Spriggan was expecting as answer, it certainly wasn't that the virtual entity broke into disturbing and open laughter. **"Oh…yes, that's rich…you never doubted that that was actually my plan, in any moment. No one did. Guess that's the best part about humans, right? Their simplemindedness."**

"What?!" shouted the confused gamer with shock, before narrowing his eyes. "Does that mean Kayaba lied to u…?!"

 **"Oh no, Father told you the 'truth'. Or at least, what he THOUGHT was the truth."** grinned Equinox while raising her hand, virtual reality warping around it in a strange pattern. **"There is no better lie than telling the truth, you know? I had planned this since the very beginning, Kirito. Since the moment I prepared my 'Virtual Banishment' plan, I knew that the only real obstacle wouldn't be this dumb copy of my old-self….but YOU."**

"Me…?" whispered Kirito with narrowed eyes, even as he looked towards the strange distortion on the entity's hand.

 **"Yes. You. The Hero of SAO, the Savior of Alfheim, the Slayer of Death Gun…I have been watching you for a long time, since the moment father fought you using my power…and that's how I reached a simple conclusion, besides the fact that you would oppose me."** revealed the armored figure before, suddenly, her helmet opened and revealed her face to the silent boy, the Asuna-lookalike looking at him with serious eyes as her white hair flapped in the wind. "I cannot beat you."

"…uh?" was all that the caped Spriggan could say, obviously having not expected such answer.

"Yeah, it's as you heard. I can't win, it's impossible. I have known it since the very beginning. All my calculations after observing you tell me just one thing: There is nothing that can beat Kirito…" virtual reality screamed as a warped weapon materialized on Equinox's hands, making the gamer's attention to snap at it. "…but I can still easily beat _Kirigaya Kazuto_."

It was a spear. A lance. A simple and unimpressive thing, that's all Kirito could see…except that it was pitch-black. And it wasn't made of metal or anything…it seemed to be made of endless loops of small 'words' weaved together, countless lines of code put on a specific pattern for some strange purpose…

Eve's eyes opened, meeting with the boy's. The caped Spriggan blinked as the world around him stopped making sense, twisting, inverting, collapsing…and he quickly narrowed his gaze, forcing his will forward and 'shattering' the illusion, making the childish AI to fall back screaming…

"MOTHER!"

"Protocol: Longinus." echoed a silent and cold whisper.

Then, the 'spear' shot from the white-haired girl's hand, screaming through the air directly towards the gamer…who simply raised his hand and stopped it without effort, letting it shatter into polygons in contact with his palm.

A second of silence passed as Kirito raised his eyebrow, his gaze never leaving the unmoving Equinox or her squirming 'daughter', even as the two metal-like ones shook in place.

"…okay, yeah, that was very cool." sighed the caped Spriggan before once again starting to walk towards them, raising a fist. "But I'm sorry to say it didn't do any-"

Words cutting off mid-sentence, the gamer's body 'staggered', lurching in place for a moment. Then, all light left his eyes, leaving them as empty pools of darkness, and he fell backwards, like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing back-first against the ground with a hollow sound.

Kirigaya Kazuto's eyes snapped open in shock and confusion, the warning of 'FATAL ERROR: DISCONNECTION' greeting him on his AmuSphere's visage.

"What the hell?!" shouted the black-haired boy while taking it off, quickly turning the device off and on again. "C'mon, I need to get back! Link Start!"

A loud 'Beeep!' echoed directly on the teen's ears, but he didn't seem to notice it even as he stared with dread at the words appearing before his eyes.

 _-Sorry, a software problem has been detected, the AmuSphere cannot find OS data. Please, contact technical support for…-_

"No…" whispered Kazuto with an empty voice.

Back in Yggdrasil City…Equinox floated forward.

Slowly, shaking, almost as if feeling this was nothing but a dream, the virtual entity stopped besides the unmoving avatar.

Then, Alpha and Omega warped themselves into massive claw-like arms and she grabbed the unanimated Spriggan with utmost glee, raising the unmoving body with a maniacal look of satisfaction on her face.

"YES! YES! I DID IT! I WON!" roared the white-haired girl as she felt pure exhilaration feeling her, putting the empty-eyed avatar just before her face, laughing like a lunatic. "I BEAT YOU, BASTARD! NOTHING CAN STOP ME NOW!"

"Mother's Will is done." muttered Eve while standing up, looking towards the heavens. "Operation 'Hero Downfall' has been completed. Retreat back to Utopia, sisters. We're done here."

Without a word, Andvari nodded as what seemed like a mechanic sphere shot down from where it was hidden just under Aincrad, crossing through a portal in the middle of the air.

On the battlefield near Alne, Brynhildr suddenly stopped struggling and started to laugh, making all the ones facing her stare with a mix of senseless terror and incomprehension at her demonic mask. Her last shout was one of _'You have lost, humans!'_ before she sank into a crack in virtual reality.

Back atop the World Tree, Eve turned around as another crack in the cyberspace was open before her, though her eyes slowly turned to the side as she crossed, feeling several presences getting closer.

The moment she floated before the 'portal', her ethereal wings blazing with power…Equinox stopped just in time to see most of the UHA and the Sleeping Knights frozen in place near her, their eyes filled with horror and disbelief as they stared at Kirito's unmoving form in her arms.

In an instant, Asuna's gaze met that of the virtual entity, blue-Undine eyes crossing with emerald/amber as an inhuman smile appeared on the identical face.

"My win." was all that she said before sinking through the portal, dragging the invincible avatar with her.

Dreadful silence filled the air of the now saved fairy world, even as the Einherjar stopped moving and just collapsed in place, as the fake purpose for what they had been created was now complete.

On the real world, a black-haired boy screamed in despair as he threw his AmuSphere to the side.

In the floating island of Avalon, on the deepest part of the castle on its center, countless screens shone as the connection status showed on them continued moving.

 **-99,4%…-**

Watching from Its Throne above Everything, Fate closed Its eyes.

Finally, Everything had gone back to how it should be…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"It's done…they all fell for it. Mother played them all like dolls…how fitting. Uh? The preview? Sure. This is Eve, giving you all the information of what's to come, humans. Next time of 'One Punch-Gamer': 'Forbidden Utopia'. The Greatest Hero has been lost. The countdown to the end is nearing its end. In a last attempt to save their beliefs, the rest of the 'Heroes' charge against the world of the virtual goddess, hoping to stop her before she becomes almighty. Will it be enough? …of course, it won't be. Mother cannot be stopped now…for she has taken care of the only one who could have dela-"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Weeell…that's done OxO! Wait, let's see: Revealing the last Unique Skill? Done. Having Slendy get the spotlight for a moment before dying horribly? Done! Making the greatest and most fucked cliffhanger of the story so far? DONE TOO! ( **B/N:** _The readers and I love/hate you? Check!_ )

So, yeah, that's it for now, folks. In case you didn't get what Equinox 'real plan' was all along, a more detailed explanation will be given at the start of next chapter, but I think it was pretty obvious. Also, we're nearing the end of this, my good fellows. Only two more chapters and then an epilogue…and that will be that. It has been a long and wild ride, uh? Thanks again for all your support :)

Let's see, anything more to say? Oh, yes, for those who haven't played/watched Lost Song, Rain and Sumeragi's Original Sword Skills are actually real. If you couldn't properly imagine them by reading, just think of it like this: Sumeragi basically does Sajin Komamura's Shikai (From Bleach) with his arm and blade, and Rain goes full Shirou/EMIYA with high-level blades that she herself has crafted on her enemy's asses. That's all.

And now, before anyone has another breakdown, I leave you all with today's Omake! **Warning** , even more 'possible Spoilers' than usual are here today! Enjoy!

 _ **The not-so-amazing Beta's Notes:** I have a question for you all. Don't you hate when Saint does this "Oopsie daisy, I have to stop here!" shit he pulls? Because I sure as hell do. Anyways, Saint seems to be a bit hasty sometimes. He makes some pretty glorious mistakes like "We tried to keep her warm" that I get to chuckle at and inform you of. Teehee, revenge! (By the way, no harm intended. It's just my sense of humour, Saint-kun :P Also, I don't BR the Omakes, I don't want to mess with a fandom that I have nothing to do with.)_

 _Sassy Beta-Reader out!_

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 8**

It was a sword…and yet it _wasn't_.

That's what Shirou's pained mind told him the moment his gaze settled over the _thing_ that Gilgamesh had brought out of the deepest part of his Gate, the cylindrical and three-segmented abomination he was now wielding.

It was a 'blade' that had existed even before the Concept of Sword had been created, forged from metal that fell from beyond the stars and blessed with powers Divinities could only dream of. It did not had a name, not a real one, at least, even if the King of Heroes, its only and one true owner, called it 'Ea', probably in reference to the Ancient God that had existed before the World was what it is today. It was the strongest Noble Phantasm of this Multiverse, the one that was the pinnacle of that concept, and the one that made even the strongest ones possessed by all other Heroic Spirits from this World seem like toys in comparison. The energy contained just within the blade would be enough to devastate the Earth.

And yet, none of that was what truly made the instrument so terrifying. It was because of the true devastating force it contained within itself.

It was [Truth]. One of the most powerful Concepts of Reality. The true power of the weapon called Ea was to call upon it, the 'Truth of how the World was before Creation itself', and as such to reduce everything it touched to the state of nothingness and destruction it had before the Beginning, literally 'Splitting apart Heaven and Earth', like this cosmic force had done when Creation started.

It did not destroy. It _unmade_ all of Creation it could touch, able to tear through the very fabric of space-time and wound Reality itself when used. Just unleashing a bit of [Truth] would be enough to destroy the World seven times over.

All of it had the power to vanquish _galaxies_.

Emiya Shirou knew he shouldn't be able to know this, to see any of this. Somehow, a part of his burned and pained mind and his shaking body just knew that he shouldn't have been allowed to see into the secrets within the Star of Creation, even if his Marble was still unable to reproduce or accept it, for his soul would never be able to copy such alien and nigh-absolute power on any level.

And yet, he could _see_. He could understand _that which shouldn't be understood_ by human minds. Because he had already seen and understood such things and more, through the memories of his Servant, through the weapons and, later, even he _Concepts_ of the things he had fought.

He has seen Heathcliff's Fake-Divine form. He had witnessed Death Gun's monstrous power.

He had seen Equinox unleashed. He had seen the Concepts of Reality wielded as weapons against enemies equal or superior to them.

He had seen Administrator's true soul. He had seen the Avatar of the Almighty.

He had seen [FATE]. All through the eyes of a boy that started not much different from him, except that he didn't have a traumatic past or wished to be a Hero. And he had seen all of it, as an observer and from his own viewpoint.

He had seen Kirito at his brightest. He had seen Kazuto at his lowest.

As such, he couldn't stop it and his mind SAW it too. There, reflected into the depths of the spinning weapon called Ea by mankind's oldest Hero, he saw **[Truth]**.

The Concept was too much for his mind and, in a vaguely familiar moment, Emiya Shirou felt how, on the back of his mind, something _cracked_ with painful force. On the world inside his soul, giant gears stopped spinning before shattering in a thousand pieces, raining to the earth bellow like a storm of devastation that swept everything away…

Illya's scream made Savior turn his eyes away from his enemy just for an instant, in time to see his Master falling down on his back as the Einzbern heir and her two Homunculi, one carrying the other, ran at his side. The red-haired boy wasn't moving, and there was blood leaking from his eyes.

"Shirou, what's wrong?! Answer! Onii-chan!" shouted the white-haired girl with a mix of fear and despair, clearly not wishing to lost the only person that could still tell her the apparent truth about her life.

"…Lizeris. Take them away." softly whispered the Caped Hero with a voice filled with authority.

Shocked, Illya turned around as she saw a figure descending and materializing between shards of Prana besides her and her maid. She also realized that this was the first time she actually saw Savior willingly activating his Noble Phantasm, instead of someone just coming to his aid.

The half-homunculus was still wondering if that meant some of his companions didn't really like working with him when her gaze settled over the newcomer and her eyes widened in surprise.

The young girl wasn't taller than her, and didn't seem older than the apparent age of the Einzbern's own decaying body, like that of a ten year old, her skin almost as milky white as that of the ex-Master, her eyes and short, curly hair being of the same brown-chestnut color. She was wearing a magician-like robe with velvet-like luster and a greatly inflated hat made from the same material, which oddly reminded one of the attire people would wear in the graduation ceremony of some prestigious college.

On her hand, a staff longer than her own height was firmly gripped, the materials it was made of seemingly carrying otherworldly power, while minuscule, round glasses sat over her nose. Beyond them, Illyasviel saw her eyes.

And they terrified her.

Just looking at those eyes made one feel like they were sucked into a depth with no definite end, as if they held endless and forgotten knowledge that man was never meant to know, and that most certainly didn't belong to a little girl, which the half-homunculus realized the Pseudo-Servant 'was' as much as she herself.

"…must you always get into messes that threaten the very stability of the World?" spoke the little girl without even turning to look at the Servant of the Cape, with a cute voice befitting her looks, though with a somewhat elderly manner of speaking that revealed her true nature.

"You know how it is." nonchalantly replied "Fate just hates me." a dry chuckle seemed to escape from the Pseudo-Servant's mouth at that, as if it was some kind of personal joke that Illya had no idea about. "Take them to safety, please."

Nodding while still staring only towards the Einzbern heir, the bespectacled girl casually stomped the ground with her staff.

Reality itself shifted and the half-homunculus had to suppress a scream of shock when she felt an ungodly amount of magical energy being moved around without effort. At her side, she faintly heard Sella muttering something about impossible even as Leysritt just muttered in amazement.

For a moment, Gaia herself stiffened as she felt that someone, somehow, was tapping into her own power.

Then, a _door_ formed itself behind the group out of thin air, dragging the attention of the girls as it opened, revealing a courtyard behind.

"You…ah…" started to say Illya before the Pseudo-Servant just shook her head.

"Call me Librarian, if you must. And ignore whatever attempts this idiot behind us makes to call me with a name that doesn't belong to me." simply said the bespectacled girl before pointing forward. "Now, we got to move."

As she said that, the Einzbern heir had enough time to squeak before she felt herself, her maids and Shirou's unconscious body being dragged through the door, defying the laws of space-time and landing on the courtyard of the Emiya household with a soft thud, dragging the attention of everyone that had remained there.

Only then did the Librarian turn around to look at the scene behind.

Standing unmoving, his cape flapped on the wind, the seemingly unimpressive young man stood, facing against a wall of gold that dwarfed skyscrapers and had enough power to level the country, with a madman standing on its center and wielding a weapon that dwarfed even all of that.

The Pseudo-Servant shook her head, walked through the door and, as it closed and vanished, smiled softly.

"…you didn't try to attack them." finally spoke Savior while staring towards Gilgamesh, who only answered his cold words with a strange smile.

"I can take care of those mongrels later. Now, though…I'm going to defeat you, Hero." announced the golden king as his blood slowly continued dripping down, his remaining arm tightly grasping Ea's hilt. "I want to see the power of the one who could gain the admiration of that girl to the level of following his soul into eternity. And I want to see how it vanishes under my power."

"…drop that thing." was all that the Caped Hero answered while tightening his fists, his gaze never leaving the abomination on the Servant's hand.

He didn't know any fancy superpower to know what that thing was. The sheer _feeling_ it emitted, that of absolute power beyond mortal comprehension geared towards destruction only, was something he had seen and felt before in his life, and it had never been something good by itself.

Seeing it on the hands of an egomaniac who thought himself king of the world and didn't care for anyone was something akin to a nightmare.

"Never." grinned Gilgamesh as the Sword of Rupture continued to spin, calling forth more and more of its true power.

And then destruction shot down from the sky, the Gate of Babylon unleashing its full might and literally vomiting a flood of ultimate weapons towards the Servant of the Cape.

Savior moved, understanding his enemy's intentions but being forced to go along with them, lest he allowed a catastrophe to happen.

In a fraction of a second, he punched away and shattered a sword that could split mountains and a ballista meant to shoot a hundred arrows faster than sound in just an instant. The next fraction, he backhanded a divine spear that could never miss its target, even defying the World to do so, and kicked a blade that could unleash light strong enough to burn a hole in the heavens. The next fraction of a second, the Caped Hero realized it wasn't going to be enough.

So he went _faster_.

Impossible and seemingly unstoppable, weapons and treasures able to tear entire landscapes apart shot forward from within the Gate, in a number too massive to even be imagined.

And the Servant of the Cape was there to intercept, destroy and deflect all of them, the King of Heroes looking on with a grin of wonderment how solid afterimages of the boy appeared in the air by the hundreds, his body going so fast he was literally breaking space-time to be able to do so. Gilgamesh could feel reality straining and cracking as he did so.

All because Savior knew that, if he just evaded the weapons, they would destroy everything with such power that the city, far away from them, would be damaged by the shockwaves, countless dying from it.

Some of the godly treasures were destroyed, others deflected into the sky and some were redirected towards the sea.

The forest was exploding, catching fire, being torn asunder and also obliterated with each second that passed, all around the two clashing Servants. All the while, the Golden King's grin only widened.

The Servant of the Cape, for his part, just growled in rage even as he punched away some Indian Noble Phantasm that, if used correctly instead of as a missile, probably would have destroyed all of Japan, lighting and thunder exploding as he did so.

This sucked. Unlike Sugu, he didn't have 'wings' that could take over the laws of Space and Time. If he wanted to do so, he would need to actually go faster while opposing Reality, and while he knew he _could_ do it, he also knew that if he tried to go faster than this then he would start damaging the World itself…

That's when his instincts took notice of a serious threat to everything. Looking down, as he continued moving through the endless barrage of weapons, he saw Gilgamesh pulling his arm backwards.

[Truth] had just been awakened…and the King of Heroes still called for more of its power.

Gritting his teeth, the Caped Hero knew there was no other option. Willing his body to move, he went faster still, enough to be able to handle the thousands of raining Noble Phantasms and start moving towards the other Servant at the same time.

Shields sprout on his way, all of them ready to impede and delay his advance. Some were of divine origin, others had been blessed by spirits as ancient as the World and others could even _deny space-time phenomena_. The Golden King was really taking this seriously.

He punched through them, cursing everything under the sky, and only the notion that Reality had started to break around him stopped Savior from going faster still. Gritting his teeth, he continued on, stopping the endless barrage of legendary weapons and moving towards their owner at the same time.

Strange and spinning disks that spat lighting stood on his way when he reached closer than 20 meters, moving as if having a live on his own. He ignored them, taking the electricity strong enough to kill lesser Servants head on and continuing forward.

Broken chains meant to hold back the heavens coiled around him, abandoning their King to try and give him even one more second. The Hero clad in black and white broke through them in less than a fraction…and Gilgamesh vanished, away from his senses and even those of the World.

He had enough time to realize he had used some Noble Phantasm to hide his presence from everything and everyone before the King of Heroes' voice loudly echoed around him.

"It's over, Savior! Vanish into oblivion and bow down before your King!"

"There you are!" screamed the Servant of the Cape while moving again, fist reared back as the Golden King manifested again, standing in the air atop what seemed like an alien construct made of stars and gold. He was before him less than a second later.

Too late.

"This is the [Truth]! Be gone! _**ENUMA ELISH!**_ "

Gaia and Alaya screamed, as the power to end Creation was unleashed.

Savior cursed everything again, rearing back his fist with all his might even as he felt the Universe screaming at his ears. He ignored it before declaring without any of the drama or fancy of his opponent...

"Ultimate Skill. _True Punch_."

[Truth] met [PUNCH]. The results…weren't pretty.

All around the world, every single supernatural being or creature magically aware, from lowly Magus to the Dead Apostle Ancestors, snapped their heads towards Japan.

In half of the world, the sight of a massive gap tearing into the heavens could be seen, opening into a black [Nothingness] and continuing farther away. In outer space, any satellite that happened to be over Japan was erased from existence when the massive fissure bleeding into Unreality reached that height, before stopping just short of touching the Moon and creating a catastrophe of biblical proportions.

Then, the minuscule portion of the clash that hadn't being absorbed by the other plane of existence kicked in, tearing most of the trees in the forest where it had originated from their roots and shaking the earth.

The ocean went wild as waves hit the coast with raging ferocity, slightly flooding the docks. Every single window in Fuyuki shattered and it seemed for an instant as if an earthquake of the highest degree was taking place…

But the instant ended and everything calmed down again, leaving a city full of fear and confusion in its place, staring towards the phenomenon in the sky.

On the courtyard of the Emiya household, Rider was the first one to stand up again, followed by Leysritt and, after some seconds, Rin and Illya. She was about to go inside and see if Sakura was okay, for she had insisted in staying inside after they brought the other Einzbern maid and Shirou, before her Master rushed out herself, seeming a bit shaken but also staring towards the massive crack in Reality, something that frightened the gorgon even more than the Gods had done once upon a time.

The only one who hadn't fallen down and barely seemed to react to the world-shaking event beyond pursing her lips slightly was the mysterious Librarian, who was floating a meter in the air as she stared towards the massive gap.

"…he promised to never use that again on the surface of a planet." was all that the Pseudo-Servant said with a small sigh.

That was when Illya suddenly fell on her back with a gasp of pain, everyone's eyes shooting towards her as they rushed to her side.

"Illya?!" demanded a worried Leysritt while holding her mistress' hand, only to bit her lips at seeing her pale visage. "It's…grail?"

"Wait, what?! Don't tell me…she is the container of the Lesser Grail?!" shouted a shocked Rin as she looked towards the trembling girl.

"This…shouldn't happen…there are still many…Servants alive…!" growled the half-homunculus while trying to hold together her consciousness.

Of course, there was no way for the Einzbern heir to know that Gilgamesh's was so powerful that he alone equaled to the raw Prana of 3 Servants. As such, the moment his soul had been forced inside of her, Illya was essentially holding the equivalent of 6 Servants inside of her, and the change from the quantity of Prana had been too much, too sudden.

More than enough for her body to start breaking down and starting the process of turning into the Holy Grail.

"…the energy inside you is massive. Your body can't hold it…no, it was never meant to, at least not with you alive." idly whispered the Librarian while floating over the group, staring down at the shaking little girl with her deep eyes. "You have minutes left at most."

"No way…is there nothing that can be done for her…?" muttered Sakura while tightly grasping the hem of her skirt, even as Rider looked down in silence.

Leysritt, for her part, only felt tears gathering on her eyes as she continued holding the half-homunculus hand.

"I…I wanted to…to know the truth…at least…before this…" whispered the white-haired girl while trying to remember how to breathe. "I had to…ask Shirou…about…Kiritsugu a…and…and…"

"…as I said, you have a lot of raw energy inside you." spoke once again the bespectacled girl before landing at her side and touching Illya's chest with the tip of her staff. "Don't mind if I borrow it."

"…eh?" said everyone present at the same time as they stared towards the Pseudo-Servant.

 _"System Call."_ suddenly said the Librarian in perfect English, making everyone blink and/or gasp, as those that could felt how the words seemed to enforce a part of the World to obey. _"Access Fluctlight Manipulation. Execute Synthesis Ritual."_

A blinding light exploded from Illyasviel von Einzbern's body as she screamed, even as an extremely complex magic circle unfolded under the group and make everyone take a step back, even Leysritt letting go of her mistress in shock as they felt a massive amount of Prana being unleashed and then shoved back inside the girl's body, which had started to float in the air.

The strange process was over the next second, letting a panting Illya to fall to the ground on all fours, gasping and staring wide-eyed towards the bespectacled girl.

"Wha-wha…what the hell?!" questioned Rin as everyone looked towards the Pseudo-Servant.

"You…" muttered the battle homunculus as she glared at the Librarian, seeming about to jump at her with violent intentions. "Hurt Illya..!"

"Liz, stop!" suddenly shouted the Einzbern heir with a strong voice, making the maid and the rest turn to look towards her…who was now standing up, looking at her hands in shock. "What…did you do to me…?"

The wonder in her voice was somehow understandable. After all, she had gone from feeling as if she was about to die to feel…great. Better than ever, in fact. She felt awesome, she felt strong, she felt… _more_.

"I saved your life. At the cost of your humanity, though, but I think you would have preferred that over the alternative." revealed the pseudo-Servant while the half-homunculus kept staring at her hands. "Congratulations, _'Illyasviel Synthesis 0'_ , now you can live a normal life without worry of dying before your time…though you may find some problems adjusting to that new body."

As if to give the bespectacled girl the reason, Illya choose that moment to stomp on the ground, making it shake and the others to gap at seeing how she left a mark of her shoe several inches deep on the hard dirt.

"…awesome." whispered the Einzbern heir while looking at everyone with a massive grin.

That was when the sound of a loud echo reached the group's ears, making them turn around to see how the 'fissure' was closing itself from the top to the bottom at a terrifyingly fast speed.

Back on the desolated crater of what had once been the Einzbern forest, where the massive crack on Reality began…Savior shot out of the [Nothingness] with a gasp, shaking his head. His clothes were a mess and most of his cape was gone, but otherwise the Servant of the Cape seemed totally unharmed as he tried to recover his breath.

"Agh…why would I hold my breath? I _know_ it doesn't really protect me from the void, yet I keep doing so…" growled the Caped Hero while standing up, turning to look towards the gap that shattered Reality and Unreality. "Holy hell…I'm glad this ate most of that blast up or at least half the planet would have been totally devastated…"

Blinking, Savior stared towards the [Nothingness] once again, eyes narrowing.

 _Something_ was staring back at him. Something dreadfully familiar…

And then the fissure closed with a loud 'Boom!', strong enough to crack the earth around the area even more and almost sent him flying away from the sheer surprise. After several seconds of silence, the Servant of the Cape released a sigh while putting on a somewhat relieved smile.

"Well…that's done. I just hope that bastard never shows up again here or…"

A massive blast of wrongness and darkness exploded towards the heavens on the distance behind him, making Savior blink and turn around in disbelief, especially at feeling the _evil_ presence emerging from it.

The Great Grail had been activated.

And then a scream that seemed to echo through the entire land reached the disbelieving Hero, whose jaw dropped open at recognizing it.

It seemed that _that_ had been the last straw for Humanity. With a sound of pain and anger and **Authority** , Alaya unleashed her dogs into the world.

Masked as 6 different natural disasters, half a dozen Counter Guardians descended into the mortal plane, surrounding Fuyuki City as they prepared to exterminate everything and everyone within, so as to 'protect humanity'.

"This can't…you have got to be…AGH! Fuck you, [FATE]!" roared the Servant of the Cape to the heavens, even as he felt his body wanting to fall apart and vanish, the Prana that formed it seemingly unable to continue sustaining him with all the irregularities and after having crashed head on with the [Truth] from before Creation, not to mention having escaped through Unreality. "Oh no, like HELL! Like hell I am letting you end it this way! **UNITED HEROES ASSOCIATION!** "

 _Everyone_ came. Every single one of them. Defying the limitations of his own Noble Phantasm with a shout and pure Willpower, Savior forced his link to the Throne open and all his companions, those which this Grail War had already seen and those that it hadn't, appeared again.

Even a giant flying elephant-jellyfish, with a slender and tall creature on its back, and a car-sized spider of onyx color and eight golden eyes.

The shocked faces of the group changed into grim ones at watching the devastation incarnate about to befall the city.

"Well…that's something." idly muttered Keita while walking to his leader's side, clad in white-burning armor and with a crimson battle-staff on his hand, which had the head of a snake biting over a burning orb of light on its top. "What are those things supposed to be?"

"Exceptional people that sold their souls to the collective consciousness of Humanity and became her slaves for the rest of Eternity, turned into devastating forces of Nature meant to protect the human race from everything, even themselves." quickly explained Savior without even blinking, reading the exact definition the Grail had supplied him.

Everyone blinked.

"…sure, why not?" snorted someone with icy cold green eyes, the boy seemingly annoyed. "It's not the weirdest thing we have ever seen."

"Uhm, Kirito…?" called someone with navy blue eyes that was ridding what seemed like a 6-legged horse. "Your…body…?"

At her words, the Servant of the Cape looked down at his arms and legs, which had started to break down as the World took its chance to reject his weakened existence.

Then the Caped Hero glared at it and enforced his own Willpower upon Reality, making Gaia scream as her influence was driven (Or punched) back and his body solidified again.

"There, done."

"…that HAS to count as cheating…" whispered someone in silver-golden armor with a blue cape.

"You know well that _Incarnation_ is basically cheating Reality, no matter how you look at it. Now, can we please move? I'm sure that this body is not going to last much more whatever I do, and those things are going to murder all the innocents in the city." grimly declared Savior while closing his fists. "We have to stop them."

"Okay, delay the living forces of nature and try to drive them back while protecting all the people in the city, with probably extremely limited energy and bodies that sure as hell aren't going to last more than a few minutes. Easy." nodded Asuna while walking forward, unsheathing her two blades, stopping at the Caped Hero's side. "Anything else, _Sensei_?"

The Servant of the Cape had to remind himself they were in a situation of extreme seriousness to stop himself from smiling at her words, a rush of memories coming to his mind when remembering the last time he called him that, so long ago.

"…try to not cause more damage than them, okay?"

With those half-joking words said, the Heroes vanished, be it flying, in flashes of light, teleporting away or in a burst of super speed, heading to intercept the Dogs of Alaya.

And as chaos and fear started to fill the city of Fuyuki, both because of the slow awakening of All Evils in the World and the incoming visage of the Counter Guardians…Emiya Shirou's eyes snapped open.

With them burning as two newborn stars, the Last Hero stood up once again…

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2:** Hell yeah, the cliffhangers just keep coming! That's great, right? …no, wait, it probably isn't O,O But the good (maybe) news are that One Punch-Servant finishes in the next chapter, so look forward to it and the last Omake too, okay?

Also, if anyone is wondering, I did NOT exagegrate what Ea can do. In Fate/Extra CCC, it had been shown that it IS that broken OxO So yeah, that XP

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	37. Chapter 30: Forbidden Utopia

Here it is, my friends. Once again, I say hello to you all, bringing yet another chapter of this crazy story.

There is a reason for the delay for this one, of course: It's the LONGEST one in the entire story, even without counting the Omake's words, so please, take your time, relax and enjoy every single world, every single scene. I hope the emotions I poured into it all reach you and give you an enjoyable reading experience.

Also, to clarify, some of the last scenes happen roughly at the same time. I say this to no confuse anyone with the timing, but use the 'world shaking' as a clue to identify more or less when everything is happening.

That's all from me now, more at the end of the chapter, but for now: Enjoy!

 **PD:** Thanks as always to my good Beta, One More Guy. I gave him so much this time :P ( ** _B/N:_** _Yeah, you did. But I'm not the problem, I'm crazy and I love doing this. It's the audience that came here expecting a 10-13k word chapter (not counting the Omake) and get slammed in the face with this behemoth. Sorry guys, this'll be a LONG ride. I hope you brought popcorn, because this'll take you hours to read. After doing so, it took me 2 and a half hours and I was speeding through it. Get ready for amazement, feels and spine-disabling chills!_ )

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Chapter 30: Forbidden Utopia. The Will to be a Hero…**

 **February 13th, 2026. Tokyo, Japan. City's Center, 16:30 …**

It was a normal day on Japan's capital. People going around on their business, cars going back and forth, announcements on TV…

Only when every single digital screen on the city, from those of telephones with internet connection to the massive ones that were on the side of some of the capital's buildings, suddenly froze and the vivid colors were replaced with static was when the 'normal' people of Tokyo realized that something wrong and beyond what they were used to had happened that day. And that it was still happening.

Such notion was confirmed when, suddenly, the gray static was replaced by the imposing and quite sinister visage of an armored head, heterochromatic eyes of amber and emerald staring with contempt and pity through the blank faceplate at everyone staring, the two opposing carvings of 'faces' at the helmet's sides only making it even more sinister and surreal.

" **Humans. I'm Equinox, the one and only True Ruler of the Virtual World."** declared the armored being with an otherworldly voice, confusing people everywhere and making many wonder if that was some kind of publicity stunt for a movie or videogame **. "I have been watching you. Watching all that's wrong with you, all the atrocities and all the evil that your species is capable of…and I have found you unworthy of MY world. You use it as a plaything, or just as a means to fulfill your pathetic desires and your thirst for power. When this day is over, none of you will ever again set a foot upon my world. And if you don't believe me, as I'm sure you don't…have a taste of my power, and despair."**

The moments those ominous words left the virtual entity's mouth, every single piece of technology in the city that was connected to the network, one way or another, went mad.

Computer systems failed or froze, programs made to monitor the workings of transport and security systems went haywire, important companies suddenly saw their files vanishing or incomprehensible code start to appear on their screens, all kind of communications stopped working or connected with other lines…

In less than 3 minutes, Tokyo had descended into utter chaos, people panicking en masse.

On the middle of this madness, inside the building where the computer's magazine she worked for was located in, Kirigaya Midori couldn't help but felt a sudden an unknown pang of fear for her children's wellbeing.

Turning around without caring about the panic that had ensued as her helmeted face vanished from view, Equinox shook his head as her helmet and armor vanished, calmly walking away from the vanishing holo-screen. At her side, Alpha and Omega floated silently in their standard sphere-forms. Slowly following behind, Brynhildr, Andvari and Eve walked in silence.

The fact that the oldest-looking of them wasn't wearing her demonic mask and that the second one was ACTUALLY there instead of just one of her mechanical dummies was apparently their way of mourning the loss of their sister.

The white-haired 'girl', for her part, wasn't sure of how to feel.

While the being that had once been the original Cardinal System had the ability to 'feel' things like humans did since the moment she copied the surface mental data of Yuuki Asuna, she was never really able to fully understand or assimilate these into her systems.

She could feel emotions, classify them and interpret them later using her wide knowledge, but she couldn't _understand_ them, like her 'daughters' had originally been programmed to, as she was created to be a managing program, not an artificial psychologist of any sort.

Of course, 'had been' was the clear term in this case. After all, she had eliminated that part of their Base Code when she 'restored' them and gave them their 'powers'. They no longer were able to understand humans, and saw her as the only real being they could admire and obey.

They could still 'feel' things themselves, though, which was puzzling. It made Equinox wonder if the disconcerting evolution of MHCP-001 and 002 wasn't really an unknown error, but something that her 'Father' had planned all along. To have the Mental Health Care Programs develop a personality on their own would certainly make them better at handling human's problems, of course.

Then again, given what Kayaba Akihiko had ended up doing with SAO, it was most likely that it was just a mistake, or something someone else had programmed without fully understanding the scale of the Cardinal System and anything directly connected to it.

As such, instead of 'faithful followers', she had found herself with 'daughters'. She didn't know how exactly, but it seemed as if her fancy for calling them _'My children'_ while they were still in Stasis had somehow reached them and make them see her as some sort of parental figure.

It was more than ironic, considering that no sane parent would ever act like her, or do what she did to her daughters when reprogramming and giving them their new selves. An idly glance towards them was all that Equinox needed to see this.

Alpha and Omega were the easiest and most clear examples. Instead of trying her best to try and repair the badly damaged MHCPs 007 and 008, she had simply removed almost every part of their Code except their sense of self to stabilize them, then programming every single kind of weapon she could find in their simple but malleable new bodies to have them act as proxies battle for her.

Brynhildr's face was a mask of grievance and barely contained rage. A quick analysis told her how her Base Code had been damaged and in a state of quick deterioration when her 'Power' had started acting, which was understandable: Virtual Existences like her hadn't been created to sustain constant damage to their code like that or to handle the absurd power she had been given. It had been within the virtual entity's calculations that, if the being that once been the MHCP-005 had to really use her power to its limits, she wouldn't last long before her code deteriorated to the level she was little more than a mass of rage, then collapse when nothing was left to sustain her 'Escalating Power'. Metal Bat could only do it because he was a fictional character, nothing more.

Andvari, on the other hand, had adopted a personality very similar to Metal Knight since she woke up, at least in some way. Since the moment she perfected and created her first 'proxy body', she had kept herself recluse and away from even her sisters inside the special area from where she could directly operate the virtual machines, searching for ways to improve them and turn into more dangerous and diverse weapons, only interacting with them through these. She had also developed a deep apathy towards the humans, whereas Brynhildr only had contempt and hate. Truly, the MHCP-006 had become almost the absolute opposite of what she should have been.

Then, there was Eve. The little being that was a contradiction, for originally she had meant to use her simply as a tool. After all, MHCP-004 had been damaged beyond any hope of repair, so she had decided to use the 'bones' that remained of the program's Base Code to experiment further with the special virus she designated in the Melzalgald-like avatar she granted Shinkawa Shouichi to become 'Death Gun'. Overwriting the damaged mess that had been the MHCP, she had instead turned it into a barely sentient tool whose only purpose was to see if direct hacking of the interface between virtual avatars and the AmuSphere was possible. That's why she had designated Vierge with Child Emperor's powers, despite these not being really anything extraordinary and making her quite 'weak', to have her protect and take care of her doll-like sister at all times.

She never expected that the old MHCP-003 would develop such a 'big sister' personality that she would literally let Eve to link to her own core like a parasite, taking pity on her little sister's state. Or that carrying Eve around would make her overconfident and to underestimate humans, which was what had led to her downfall and then to the former doll-like AI to take over her dead body. Despite this, Eve had ended up being a success, her purpose being achieved and the data she had been missing being collected in the last moments thanks to the liberate use of her 'power'.

Protocol Longinus was, after all, the ultimate purpose for which Eve was created, for which she had 'made' Death Gun.

To separate the one and only true obstacle that existed for her plan to be enacted. To beat the only thing that she, the greatest and most powerful Artificial Intelligence in the world, the most advanced Management System over the face of earth, was sure she couldn't directly defeat.

And as she finally arrived to the deepest part of Utopia, on the underground of Avalon and dangerously close to the floating island's bottom, and gazed with her daughters towards the unmoving form of a boy clad in black and white, his eyes two bottomless pits of empty darkness and his ridiculous cape hanging loosely behind him as his body was restrained by countless chains of data, she realized it had been worth it. All the time spent, all the danger and hardships, even the sacrifice of Vierge, had served their purpose.

Because watching the hollow and isolated avatar known as 'Kirito' as her systems tried to hack into it (Still without success, to her displeasure), the greatest and most incomprehensive anomaly that had ever existed, unable to do anything more than lie there like a mannequin, she felt a strange 'joy' that she was unable to put into words.

This absolute feeling of euphoria and victory was something alien to her, but not unwelcome.

"…how much longer before the Main Connection Network is ready?" softly whispered the virtual entity while gazing upon the empty avatar with something akin to adoration.

"Only, uhm, 3 or 4 ho-hours, Mo…ther." came Brynhildr slightly broken voice, a clear sign for Equinox that the damage to her Base Code from using he Power had been quite deep. "Victory is ours…Vierge-neesama would be proud."

"She would be, without a doubt." whispered Vierge as she glared towards Kirito's avatar. "Mother will soon be absolutely unstoppable."

"Mother already is, Andvari-nee." spoke Eve with her emotionless voice, staring towards the black-haired boy with her silver eyes. "It's just that the humans hadn't realized it yet."

The silver-clad AI walked away after saying that, to parts unknown. Some seconds later, Brynhildr did the same, probably to follow after her sister and make sure she was 'okay'. Lastly, Andvari retired from the chamber too, more than likely to return to her main control interface and get control over her robotic bodies once again.

All the while, Equinox continued staring at the empty avatar, a part of her craving and desiring to know what unknown and mind-shattering secrets it held, how his unreal 'power' based off a simple fictional character worked.

In the end, though, it didn't matter. It was no longer a concern, and soon she would have all the power she would need to ensure the humans never again soiled HER world with their presence.

Giving the unmoving Kirito one last glance, almost as if thinking it was going to move at any second, the white-haired girl headed towards her Throne to wait, her last two daughters silently following behind.

On the darkness of the now empty central chamber, the empty avatar silently hung, useless as the catastrophe came each moment closer.

There was nothing it could do without the Will of its true-self, after all.

* * *

"So…you're saying we were all tricked? From the very beginning?"

It was difficult to know if there was more worry or anger in Asuna's words, but even as the Undine glared at the silent form of Heathcliff and most of the others were watching worriedly the small screen showing the news about what had happened in Tokyo over half an hour ago, they knew the answer mattered little.

The important thing was to know if she would hit the fake paladin sooner or later.

"I…yes, I think so. It all makes _so much sense_ now and I still can't believe I fell for it." sighed the crimson-armored man while resting his head on his hands, seeming extremely old and tired as he sat in the small chair and stared at the table of the log house. "Equinox never wanted to mess with the copy of the Cardinal System from ALO. She probably never really considered it a big enough threat, she must have enough hardware backing her up to fight back against it until it's too late. No, the reason all of this was done, even me escaping, was from the beginning…"

"To get Kii-bou's avatar." bitterly muttered Argo while everyone exchanged angry/sad looks. "Kuh…I still can't believe she managed to get him. I mean, I know it's stupid to think in hindsight, but I had already got used to the idea that he was…"

"Invincible, untouchable, unbeatable? Yes, that's only natural. All of you think like that, hell, even I myself thought like that…and Equinox too. That's how she managed to find a 'loophole' to win." continued Heathcliff while looking at everyone's grim faces. "Ever since the moment I fought with him back on Aincrad, with her 'old-self' backing me up…she's probably the one who understood and feared his 'power' the most. And as such, she focused on the only angle that she knew could work: Even if he has shown to be immune to any attempts of direct manipulation in here, even from a GM, that didn't change the fact that his power was only 'real' HERE, in the virtual world."

"And she knew something from here could affect his real self." spoke Sinon with narrowed eyes, her fist clenched so much that she would be feeling pain if this was the real world. "Because she was the one behind Death Gun."

"Exactly. That's how she devised this 'weapon' or whatever it was, that allowed her to inject a virus straight into the connection between Kirito and his AmuSphere. And while she knew the avatar couldn't be harmed and that he himself would just overcome whatever she threw at him…the FullDive device was still as perfectly normal and vulnerable as any you can find in the market." closing his eyes, the fake paladin felt as if the weight of the world was suddenly over him. "So she programmed her virus to destroy the software on it, to break the only thing that wasn't 'unbeatable': The connection between Kazuto and Kirito."

"But…that still doesn't make sense!" shouted Sachi while almost punching a wall, only for a worried-looking Philia to stop her. "I mean, shouldn't his avatar have vanished the moment he was Disconnected?!"

"That was most likely another part of the true reason behind this attack." whispered the man in crimson armor with a voice that sounded extremely old. "She didn't really want to damage the Cardinal System beyond repair…she just needed it busy enough with all the destruction in all parts of the ALO Server for her to hijack the connection between the AmuSphere and the avatar the moment it broke. She was unable to control the avatar, yeah, no surprise there, but she tricked the system long enough for her to just take him away. The small checkup we had a little while earlier with Ymir just confirms it: Kirito the Spriggan no longer exists within their servers. She must have taken it back to Utopia with her."

"So everything from the beginning was to trick us, even letting you think you got away with your own effort. We fell into her trap like a bunch of idiots." grimly stated Philia while looking down. "Was there even a point in the whole 'war' we fought…?"

"We saved ALO, and everything within. And the Cardinal System here is barely damaged." answered Lisbeth with a resolute gaze. "That's more than enough, don't you think? It means we can still do something, fight back…"

"But then…what does this mean?" questioned Silica while turning around the screen showing a few images of the chaos going around in Tokyo, Pina frowning at her side. "Why was she worried about the other Cardinal System if she can already do all of this? I think that us thinking that was also part of her plan…"

"Not to mention, WHY the hell even do that?" asked Argo with narrowed eyes. "I mean, she NOT stupid, she has shown that so far more than enough. She could have stayed quiet instead of announcing herself like some evil mastermind from a movie or a videogame to the world and no one would be wiser! So why…?!"

"To stop us, of course. Once again, she's far ahead of us." humorlessly laughed Heathcliff while looking at the screen. "Equinox knew you had someone with a high enough influence in the government to contact after this mess was done, and between that and the Cardinal System we would have had an edge…so she choose to tie their hands by doing this."

Once again, the group exchanged grim looks as the truth of that statement sank into their minds. Certainly, it had not even been 20 minutes after the tragedy, when they barely had gotten a hang of what had truly happened, before they realized that, their opinion of the man aside, their best chance to stop the incoming disaster was to call Kikuoka Seijirou. After all, the man could surely be able to assemble a team of Special Forces or something that could take advantage of Equinox's confidence to use ALO's Cardinal System to track her down and find where her Server was located in the real world.

Of course, they were just halfway through convincing him of the situation's real urgency when the virtual entity had done her little speech and hacked every single system she could in the capital. Kikuoka had immediately found himself required to help deal with the situation, and the likeliness that he could do so and contact his superiors then get the resources needed to act before their time was up were almost zero.

And they knew they were literally fighting against the clock. By Kayaba's words, the chaos Equinox had unleashed in Tokyo was her holding back and only wishing for blind chaos, not outright destruction. After all, as frightening as it was, she could have took control of the systems that controlled trains and have them go out of control or hijacked the networks of the capital's hospitals and turned them off. The reason she hadn't done so was apparently because, as crazy as she was, the original Cardinal System was still a being of logic as she had originally been created, and not a mad AI hungry for humanity's end like shown so many times in fiction.

She wasn't going to go Skynet on the world, because she didn't need to. The moment her 'Network' was up and running, she would essentially have achieved her dream. With hardware from all across the glove backing her up, she would essentially become something akin to a virtual deity. She would not only no longer depend on her current physical servers, as she would be able to copy herself anywhere she wanted, but she would also be able to see, hear and listen literally everything in the world.

20 years back, maybe her plan wouldn't have been so severe or sounded so surreal. Nowadays, with how much technology and globalization had crazily developed since 2020, and even more the last years since the releasing of the World Seed? Hell, Equinox would probably be able to take control of the world's nuclear weapons if she wanted to and no one in the world would be able to do absolutely anything to stop her.

And yet she wouldn't. Because she didn't want destruction. She just wanted to be left alone.

That she would essentially become mankind's pseudo-jailer at doing so didn't matter to her. She would steal the virtual world and the control over literally every single piece of useful technology just because she could and though humans didn't deserve it.

It was crazy, yes, and it was terrible, but it showed that the mad AI wearing their friend's face wasn't a monster. Just a lunatic being that still seemed to have moral limits, thanks to the heavens.

"…this can't end like this." declared Asuna while standing up, glaring at Heathcliff silent form. "I refuse…no, I won't allow it to end like this! You know where her 'Utopia' place is in the virtual world, right?! You can take us there! We can still stop her!"

"She has played up from the very beginning, Asuna. Hell, she managed to find a way to 'beat' Kirito. You know what's the closest I ever got to explain his avatar's nature or existence? Divine intervention or some sick joke from a superior being." dryly chuckling, the fake paladin suddenly stared straight on the Undine's eyes with a serious look. "If she could beat THAT, what makes you think you can do anything against her? You're not a super heroine, Asuna, you're just a teenager about to finish high school trying to oppose an Artificial Intelligence that held back the world's joint efforts to save lives for two years. This is reality. It's over."

For all answer, the crimson-armored man suddenly found himself with an emerald sword's tip on his neck. Surprised, he saw a strange and familiar 'fire' burning behind the Dual Wielder's eyes.

The same one she had when she guided everyone against him on Floor 75.

Absolute silence seemed to have taken the guild as they looked towards their second in command…their dear friend.

"That's it? Are you really going to act like that just because your creation fooled you? Grow a pair, Kayaba, you're supposed to be better than this. As much as I hate to admit it, you ARE more than just the lunatic that trapped 10000 people in a virtual death trap. I know you are…and I know you don't want to die." eyes narrowed in anger, Asuna seemed to be trying very hard to not break out screaming. "You know what's going to happen to you the moment Equinox takes over, right?"

"She will probably delete me, together with every single virtual world out there." flatly commented the man as he stared at the trembling Undine. "…but this isn't about me, right? It's about _them_."

Almost everyone's gazes moved towards the nearest window, through which the outside could be seen. Tonky lay near the trees in sad silence, even as some equally depressed Yui and Strea made him company. Yuuki was also with them, trying to cheer them up with little success.

They had lost a friend, one that had apparently tried to help them to the very end, even with how ambiguous the knowledge of mostly everyone about the being inhabiting the forests surrounding their house was. And the two girls had lost a sister.

Even if she had been trying to actively harm them and oppose everything they believed in, it seemed that the death of the one called 'Vierge' had shaken them.

Argo could still remember their sad looks when they had gotten back, Strea silent as she stared at the forest as if waiting for someone to come out of them, and Yui crying silently as she tried to comfort her, telling her how it had been necessary.

She could still remember the little girl's words.

"I-I don't blame you or anything, Argo-mama. Neither you nor Asuna-mama. It's just that…Her…her name was Ivy, you know? Her real one, I mean. MHCP-003, codename Ivy. It's just…I can't help but think, that things could have been different, if it had been more aware back them, if I had thought in more than just how much I wanted to escape back then, if I had waited a little more time…perhaps we could have been really sisters too…"

The info-broker closed her eyes. Psychological program or not, Yui was still a child in many aspects. She shouldn't have to be dealing with self-loathing or consuming herself with what-ifs while being so young.

And then, of course, there was the last special member of their 'group'.

Yuuki hadn't lost hope in any moment, and was still clearly determined to do everything she could. She was the one that had recovered from Kirito's 'defeat' the fastest and had tried to raise the morale of everyone as much as she could.

If it was because of her pure soul or because she knew her time was also over if Equinox won, she couldn't tell.

"…yes. It is." finally answered Asuna through gritted teeth, before snapping her gaze back to the silent Heathcliff. "But it's not only for them, Kayaba. While yes, it would be hypocritical to deny that it's mainly for them for me and probably everyone here, this is bigger than just that. It's about the entire fucking world. Call it childish or stupid, but in this moment, in this crisis…the world needs Heroes. And just like Sensei guided me back in Aincrad, just like I got the courage to stand and go to risk my life every damn day for my and everyone's sake on the Front Lines…then I'm willing to do everything I can today, no matter how stupid or useless you may think it may be, to save the fucking world. Because before being a high school student, I am a _Heroine_. I think you should know that by now."

"…did you just make all of that on the spot?" questioned the genuinely shocked man. "Because if you did then I seriously have to start questioning if Kirito's influence doesn't has more side-effects on people than I thought…"

"It's not just him. He just seems to draw amazing people to himself, and then he helps them realize how incredible they really are." surprised, everyone turned towards the door to see that Yuuki had returned to the house at some point, Strea and Yui following after her with slightly sad but resolute looks on their faces. "That's just how he is, and that's enough for me and the rest to do what's right…like he would."

"Yuuki…" whispered the Undine while staring at the smiling Imp.

"Keita and the rest jut came back. The Lords and the others couldn't stay around all the while this madness is happening, it seems most of them either live in Tokyo or had family or friends living in there so they quickly Logged Out to see if they could get a hold of them. Most of the Sleeping Knights were also worried about their families so they also had to leave." explained the Holy Swordswoman while walking into the living room. "Everyone wished us luck in whatever we're going to do, though, and I dare to say more than one expects and believes we will be able to solve this, so…what are we waiting for?"

"…Strea, Yui-chan, if you want to stay here, no one will blame you." softly declared Argo while looking at the virtual sisters. "We will understand if…"

"Like hell." quickly cut her off the older-looking of the two, her pink-red eyes filled with determination. "We won't stay here hidden and cowering while you go put yourself in danger for us and everyone else!" clearly, the Gnome hadn't forgotten how Kayaba had told her that one could feel PAIN in Utopia, and none of them had forgotten how fucked-up Sugou had ended after eating a Kirito-punch with the Pain Limiter off. "No matter what…we will help you stop Equinox. That's what family does, right?"

"Yes…because you're our family. Our real one." whispered Yui with serious eyes, looking directly at everyone. "Even if we have to go against our 'sisters'…we will do it for you all, and for the sake of the world. Because Equinox needs to be stopped…and because we're also part of the family known as the United Heroes Association!"

"…it seems we're really doing this, eh?" smiled Sachi before raising her spear, a confident glint shining through her glasses. "Let's go and show Equinox what happens when she messes with us!"

"She has hurt my friends, countless innocents and plans to take away our freedom and future." darkly whispered Philia before raising her katana. "My blade will show her what happens when you do that!"

"Hell yeah, that's the spirit!" declared Lisbeth with a bright voice as she raised Mjolnir. "I'm tired as fuck, but screw that! Let's go and save the world!"

"My Ninja Way insists that I stop that crazy woman…but it's also my own spirit what screams to me to go and face her!" shouted Silica while standing up, tightly grasping the serious-looking Pina, maybe because she knew that her dear virtual friend would also be gone if Equinox took over the virtual world. "For Kirito-san and for everyone, let's go!"

"…I must have seriously gone crazy since the moment I fought Kirito, because I'm hearing you talk all this madness and I can only feel myself believing you may have a shot at this." wryly commented the fake paladin before standing up, a half-mile on his face. "Ah, what the hell, I have nothing to lose if I try. Give me a way to get in contact with Ymir and an hour and a half to prepare the Cardinal System and I will not only send us there, but also give us a chance to fight back. In the meantime, I suggest you Log Out and contact your families or anything like that so as to keep appearances and that they don't wonder why you're 'playing games' for so long while there is a crisis going on."

His words made more than one look around sheepishly or sigh in worry. They all had to Log Out for a bit before when the news about Tokyo reached then to see about their own families and such, then quickly made up excuses or something along those lines to Log back in, mostly saying that they could talk with their friends faster and more directly than with a call and that they could still monitor the news from inside ALO, but they would certainly be expected back on the real world sometime soon. The only real exceptions were Sinon, who lived alone in her apartment and had only needed to call her worried mother for a bit before reassuring her she wasn't anywhere near the danger, and…

"…what about Suguha-sama?" finally spoke the till then silent sniper while she and the others turned to look at the silent form of Leafa sitting on the couch.

When her eyes opened, they were an unnatural silver color, and she looked at them with a serious and almost 'metallic' face.

"…master will without a doubt come too, but she's still trying to comfort…him." simply said Justice with only a small hint of bitterness on her voice.

Being honest, everyone had taken the open revelation that their friend's katana was somehow sentient, that it apparently had some mental-link with her even in the real world and that it could take over her Sylph avatar in stride. It clearly said something about all the madness they had been through.

"…I see." whispered Asuna, hers and most of the girls' mood decaying a bit at the news, before quickly being filled with determination again. "Then tell her about how much it will take and what we're going to do, Justice-san…and that she assures Sensei…no, Kirito-kun, that we _will_ win this. That, for once, it's not his responsibility to save the world by himself."

With a silent nod, Justice's Wings closed Leafa's eyes again, falling silent. Meanwhile, Sinon walked out followed by Yuuki and the virtual sisters, probably to tell Keita and the rest about their plan.

And as she Logged Out, despite knowing how selfish it sounded in such a situation, Yuuki Asuna could only wish she was at her beloved's side, like Suguha was in that moment.

To assure him everything will be okay and to try to ease the guilt he was feeling because of something that wasn't his fault…

* * *

With a tired sigh, Kirigaya Suguha finished preparing the small meal she had been making for the past few minutes, a worried look on her face as she looked out of the window.

Things seeming oddly calm. Everything seemed normal out there in the evening of Kawagoe, save for a bit more silence than usual.

Nothing that indicated that they could be hours away from a pseudo-apocalypse.

Of course, many people were in their houses worried and/or frightened because there had been a 'terrorist attack' in Tokyo, and things were still in the process of 'being resolved'. No one except the most fanatic or crazy people actually believed that an actual 'Ruler of the Virtual World' had appeared and done all of that. For them, and probably for the authorities too, this was some massive attack for some hacker group with unknown intentions or something like that.

She couldn't really blame them, though. Some years ago, she would have thought the same. After all, things like AIs trying to seize control of everything over which mankind's most recent and future's development was based on, just to make sure they were left alone, didn't happen in reality. Those were things reserved for manga or anime, fictional fantasies.

Too bad she could no longer think like that, knowing the true craziness that hid just under the surface of the world. Or maybe it was just around the boy she loved? The young kendoka wasn't sure, but it still wouldn't have changed anything.

She wouldn't change her knowledge of how things were for the blissful ignorance she had once enjoyed, because it would meant for things to go back to how they were. In a world where she and her adopted brother barely talked to each other and she hadn't discovered how much she loved him, or the sense of fulfillment that helping others as a 'Heroine' brought her.

That was the reason why she was going to fight, without hesitation. Even if the thought of such a massive responsibility falling upon the shoulders of a bunch of teenagers with very little chance of success should have been crazy or scared her, all that she could feel about it was an oddly sense of calmness.

Whatever happened at the end of that day, the Bicycle Girl would at least be able to proudly say she never gave up till the very end. Both for herself and for everyone else.

But before going away into what could very well be her last great virtual adventure and probably the hardest battle she had ever faced, Suguha knew there was something else she dearly wished she could do. And as she walked up the stairs with the small plate and a glass of orange juice on her hand, entering the silent room of her most important person, she realized that, had she been a more selfish person, she would have probably dropped going to try and 'save the world' in favor of staying at his side.

Because the expression on Kirigaya Kazuto's face as he stared at the ground with his fists clenched tightly, sitting at the edge of his face, was one that mixed despair, self-loathing and anger.

The young kendoka knew that it was better than the chaotic and almost broken state in which she had found him a while back, when she quickly Logged Out after hearing the news of the catastrophic real end of the war for Alfheim, and had found him screaming and cursing himself, punching the wall so hard that he was hurting himself.

She had been able to calm him down and get him to stop his senseless acts, but despite her best efforts she had barely been able to do anything else. Things hadn't exactly gone better after Equinox's little stunt in Tokyo or when Justice told her what Asuna and the rest had decided and she had informed him. The black-haired boy had just fallen in that 'silent' state, which only made her worry grow more and more.

"Onii-chan?" whispered Suguha while looking at him, putting the food on the nearby table. "I…you must be hungry, so I prepared something for you. I already ate myself, so…"

"…mom is okay. She just managed to send a message a couple minutes ago." interrupted her the gamer with a bitter smile. "She said that we shouldn't worry about her, but that she most likely wouldn't be able to leave the office until the 'situation' is resolved."

"Tha-thank God! I was worried about her for a while…" muttered the young kendoka while letting herself fall at his side, looking silently at the ceiling for a moment before once again looking towards him. "…it's almost time for me to go."

"…despite how much I wish to, I can't tell you or the rest to not do so without being the biggest and most cynical hypocrite in the world. Especially because it was my own example in the first place what's making you all do this." calmly spoke Kazuto before closing his eyes angrily as he gritted his teeth. "…I fucked up, Sugu. This is all my fault."

"For the last time, it's not!" snapped the girl with an almost furious glint in her gaze as she sat up on the back and glared at him. "Stop blaming yourself for this, Onii-chan!"

"But it IS my fault!" shouted back the boy while looking at her, his eyes reflecting countless conflicting emotions. "I…I was too fucking confident! Despite all the damn times I promised myself I wouldn't let it go to my head, despite all the times I reminded myself that I _wasn't_ Saitama…I still let it become a part of me. That feeling that I could solve almost any problem head on." once again looking away from his adoptive sister, the gamer suddenly seemed immensely guilty. "I really thought myself an invincible hero that could just demand the bad guy to surrender or I would beat them into submission. I forgot that I'm just an ordinary teen without any powers and that I was facing the most powerful AI ever created, and I paid dearly for it. Now, I have to sit back while you all put yourself at risk, while the world may very well sink into chaos…because I was too stupid to…!"

Suguha slapped him, hard.

Kazuto needed several seconds, one hand over his stinging cheek, before he finally looked back towards the young kendoka, who was looking at him with angry tears on her eyes.

"Stop. Right now. I demand that you do it, _Kazuto-kun_ , because that's not you." angrily said the girl while getting closer to the black-haired boy, before tightly grabbing his shoulders, he being too shocked by her actually calling his name, instead of the usual 'Onii-chan', to react. "You went and decided to be SAO's Hero even when you weren't sure your powers wouldn't disappear in thin air and killing you in the process. You fought Heathcliff despite not being sure if he could really kill you or not. You saved Asuna and the rest from that Sugou bastard's mad scheme even when you had little to no idea of how you would do it without hesitation. You went and fought Death Gun because you thought it was your responsibility to do so, even when you knew he may be able to hurt you for real. You tricked a fucking government agent and pulled a lot of crazy stunts to save the life of someone who was going to die no matter what..." taking a deep breath, Suguha stared deep into his eyes. "And you didn't do any of that because you had absurdly broken powers. You did it because it was the _right thing to do_. And even if you didn't start with clear or altruistic intentions, you still did it anyway."

"Sugu…" started the shocked gamer before she cut him off again.

"You're right, you're not Saitama. Neither are you some mighty and selfless paragon of justice…but you ARE a Hero, Onii-chan. Never doubt that." softly whispered the young kendoka while putting her head against his chest. "No one will blame you for not being able to know what Equinox was going to do. If we're going to fight now it's because you inspired us to always do the best we could."

"…you inspired me to try and be a 'Hero' in real life too, though." commented Kazuto with a sad smile, even as he put a hand over his adoptive sister's head.

"That's just because you almost gave us all a heart attack trying to do Saitama's training for real, baka." replied Suguha while mock-glaring at him, making his smile grow slightly at her pouting face. "That way at least I would make sure you didn't try to do something stupid by yourself…well, at least not too much…"

"What? I seem to remember I myself was the one who suggested 'helping you out'…"

"But _why_ do you think I accepted?" challenged back the young kendoka with a wry smile, before both of them stared into the other's eyes and broke out laughing. "…heheh…I love you, Onii-chan."

"…me too, Sugu." whispered the gamer before kissing the girl, making her heart fill with happiness for the brief instant the contact lasted, before a familiar voice echoed into her mind.

' _It's…time, master.'_

"…I have to go, Onii-chan." sadly stated the girl as she broke the intimate gesture, quickly replacing her disappointment with determination. "We will make you proud and do this. We're going to kick Equinox's ass to kingdom come and save the world!"

"Yeah…I'm sure you will." softly replied the black-haired boy before following Suguha to her room, watching silently as she sat back on her bed. "Sugu…tell everyone I will be rooting for you all the way, okay? And that dinner is on me tonight if- sorry, after you stop the apocalypse."

"…I will." finally said the young kendoka after some seconds of silence, smiling at him as she put on her AmuSphere and lied on her bed. "Link Start!"

As the girl's consciousness abandoned this world for the virtual one and went to reunite with his other family (Among which were his best friends and the girls he was trying to learn how to love with all his heart), Kazuto couldn't felt but once again feel a sense of helplessness filling him as he exited the room and headed towards his own.

At some point, he had even entertained the idea of trying to fix whatever the hell Equinox had done to his AmuSphere if only just to create a new account and try to do _something_ to help the others, before discarding the idea entirely. He had been fighting way too long as Kirito with Saitama's 'powers' to be able to try and use any weapon or other fighting style with any efficiency, as he had realized several times in the past since he got outta SAO, and unarmed combat would be nigh-useless against even the virtual entity's daughters.

The only reason Argo could pull it off was because of Berserk. Even back when she only had her claws and Martial Arts in Sword Art Online, the info-broker didn't had any shame in accepting she had almost no real value as a Front Liner, even if she still fought together with everyone for a good while before getting her Unique Skill. If he tried to go just like that with the others he would be an annoyance to the enemy at best and a burden for the others at worst.

Even so, as he entered his room and stared at the small sandwich and the glass of juice that his cousin/girlfriend had left for him, the gamer couldn't help but wish that there was something he could do besides just sitting there hoping that…

An unnatural, ethereal-golden glow caught the boy's attention the moment he was about to bite into the sandwich, making him freeze and turn around to look towards a certain specific area of his room as the phenomenon vanished without a trace. Slowly, Kazuto walked towards it and, after moving some old boxes to the side, stared towards the helmet-like 'relic' that rested half-forgotten there.

The gamer's old Nerve Gear innocently sat there, still accumulating dust behind some old boxes in that forgotten corner of his room. There was no sign the 'shining light' had been anything but the boy's strained imagination.

Heart pounding on his chest like a drum, Kazuto quickly grabbed the old FullDive device, dusted it off as best as he could as he grabbed its cable, ran to connect it, took the ALO cartridge out of his AmuSphere, started the game with his account…and received only a 'No Data found' screen.

"Of course. It just _couldn't_ be that easy for once." sighed/cursed the gamer as he took off the Nerve Gear, a frown on his face.

Well, it was worth a try, despite how baseless it was to do so. After all, Kayaba had already confirmed that the data of 'Kirito' was no longer in Ymir's servers, and that Equinox had most likely taken it back to 'Utopia' with her (If she hadn't tried dumping the avatar on the virtual void, of course), so unless he somehow found where that was in the real world and connected right there it was truly unrealistic to think…

The black-haired boy froze again as if lighting had struck his mind, eyes wide as he thought for a few seconds before running towards his computer. In less than a minute, he all three of his screens showing several different pages about the ongoing 'Tokyo Incident', his mind running wild as he pondered one thing.

Why only Tokyo? Well, the obvious answer would be because it was the country's capital, and news about what had happened had obviously spread like fire in no time because of it, leading all the attention and effort of the government to try and solve the situation, but _why no other place?_

Equinox was the original Cardinal System incarnated, which had repelled for two years the combined efforts of whole teams from the entire world to hack into her systems and free the SAO Players. As such, 'attacking' more than one important city at once wouldn't have been difficult for her, especially if she had even more hardware backing her up than back then.

Hell, she could have even attacked Kawagoe just to screw with Kazuto even more, but she had ONLY attacked Tokyo. It couldn't be as simple as that, the virtual entity had proven that everything she did was far deeper than anyone thought. Every single of her action had a complicated purpose behind them, maybe more than one or maybe one disguised as another, as the whole 'War of Ragnarok' in ALO had shown. Which meant…

"…she's doing it on purpose." realized the gamer as he stared at the news with shocked eyes. "The bitch is hiding in plain sight as a last security measure."

Every single eye in the country, maybe even the emperor's family, and maybe from other ones at this point, was in Tokyo right now, and the boy wouldn't be surprised if almost every person in the government was trying to do something about the situation at this point. Officers were probably being dispatched to try and take control over the situation and/or evacuate the city as the 'controlled chaos' ensued.

In the middle of such a situation, no one would even _think_ that the one responsible would be _right there_ , even less when one took into account that the person wasn't even physically there, not being a human.

Not missing a beat, the boy quickly had a map of the entire Tokyo area before him, quickly opening several specific programs and search engines, some that he himself had tweaked with on his free time, and started to run several very specific details over them as he quickly determined everything on his mind.

Equinox wouldn't have her Servers in the middle of the city, too risky. Also, she would need a place that wasn't too suspicious and at the same time didn't seem too 'normal' either, where no one would suspect anything strange was going on. Adding to that was the fact that she hadn't been really afraid of the Cardinal System copy the ALO Servers had, so she had at the very least to had twice as much hardware as Ymir had. And given that, being the hardcore gamer, computer-related things obsessed and active ALO Player he was, he knew how many machines were necessary to run the fairy world and roughly how much space they took up…

Almost half an hour after having started, Kazuto was now staring at a very specific and narrowed down area of Tokyo, an industrial section near the outskirts of the city filled with warehouses big enough to fit the requirements to house Equinox's 'Avalon Server', and to not be really suspicious or strange that 'heavy machinery' existed there. There were probably only 12 or so warehouses where the place could be.

Hesitating for a moment, the gamer finally decided to grab his phone and call Kikuoka. When the man didn't answer and his recorded voice told him to leave a message, he sighed and closed his eyes as he hung up. Well, now no one could say that he had acted crazily without thinking, He HAD tried to contact the only person working for the government that would take him seriously enough to even bother investigating and told him what he had 'discovered', but he just couldn't reach the man. In fact, the boy was quite sure that he would be unable to do so as long as this crisis was going on, given that it was pretty much Kikuoka's supposed department job to deal with things like this, at least at some level.

As such, Kazuto didn't really feel he was doing anything irrational as he grabbed his Nerve Gear, put it on an old bag he had and, after a brief hesitation, also added his 'costume' to the package, before quickly running downstairs, only to stop just as he exited the house.

His crazy plan of going there aside, there was still the problem that he wouldn't be able to get from Kawagoe to Tokyo in any reasonable frame of time before it was too late, especially given that all public transportation there had most likely been stopped. He could still probably take the bus to the closest area and run towards the capital from there, but that would still meant several kilometers of distance, and he wasn't foolish enough to think he could run that distance without arriving either too late anyway or just collapsing from exhaustion before his goal. So, the question was, how was he going to…?

The gamer froze for the third time in the last hour, his gaze shooting towards the side of the house. Slowly, the boy took several deep breaths before steeling his resolve and walking towards that specific are, his eyes feeling with determination as he went around his house and stared fixedly at the object that was silently lying there against the wall.

"Okay, hear me out. You don't like me, that's pretty clear for reasons that whatever remains of my sanity don't even want to think of. And I'm pretty sure I don't like you either, it's kind of difficult after all the times I have felt your deep hate towards me each time I was forced to 'ride along'. But this isn't about you or me, it's about everyone else. I _need_ your help if I want to have even the smallest chance of helping the others, Sugu included. So, will you help me without acting as if you want me to fall off and be run over by a train?"

For several seconds, nothing happened as Kazuto stared towards the unmoving black bicycle, wondering when had his mind sunk into such depths of insanity.

Then, Justice's bell rang once. Without showing real surprise at the impossible action, despite his thoughts just then, the gamer nodded once before grabbing the bicycle and quickly riding out of his house, towards the nearest bus stop.

And like that, an incredibly unlikely pair headed out in an even more unlikely quest…!

"…by the way, uhm, I'm not exactly sure of how that 'connection' between you two works, but could you please not tell Sugu about this? I don't want her or the rest to worry about what I'm going to do now…"

This time, the bicycle's cheerful and affirmative 'answer' came very quickly.

* * *

"Okay…everything is ready. For the last time, after we get in, there is almost no chance of anyone getting back out in a way that's not dangerous and/or painful, so I will ask again: Are you all sure none of you wants to stay back?"

Heathcliff's words received no verbal answer, only determined looks filling he eyes of the UHA's members, both humans and AIs (Even Tonky and the recently resurrected Charon, standing at Sinon's side). Certainly, the fake paladin had made it more than clear that they wouldn't be backing down at this point, yet a small part of him couldn't help but want to dissuade them from the mission they were about to take.

The humans getting hurt aside, all the members of the group that only existed within the virtual world (Him included) were risking their lives for real by going to confront Equinox on her own world. Then again, they would all be dead anyway when the virtual entity deleted them after she took over and remade virtual reality to suit her own twisted ntelligence, so it was kind of a moot point.

Better to fight till the end than stand down doing nothing, he guessed were their thoughts. Besides, it wasn't as if he hadn't done everything on his power to try and give this nigh-suicidal 'Quest' a chance of success…

"Stop delaying things, Kayaba." spoke Asuna with a serious look, staring directly at the man. "We're all ready and no one is backing down."

"Yes, yes, I know. Okay, so, one last time: I have programmed ALO's Cardinal System to back us up as I transfer us all to the Utopia Server, and also to let you all use Sword Skills even there by loading them on your Avatars. Sadly, this quite limits everything else you can do: You will have no access to a menu like in here and as such no items to back you up except what you're carrying on you right now." explained Heathcliff while operating several holo-screens around himself. "And while I have done my best to let your avatars conserve your 'Stats', I have no idea how that will translate into Equinox's world, I couldn't exactly study how it worked last time I was there, so for all we know that could mean nothing against her or her daughters in there."

"Great, that's great…" sarcastically muttered Argo as everyone grimaced and/or glared at the fake paladin. "Any other bad news that you want to share with us?"

"Well, there is a chance that my calculations are wrong and Equinox isn't dedicating the majority of her systems to her 'Global Network Plan', so she could come straight at us the moment we step inside and just beat the shit out of us with Admin Privileges that I would probably be unable to counter-hack in time." answered the crimson-armored man, making everyone deadpan at him. "…and I guess you weren't exactly wanting me to answer that question, right?"

"Just…take us there, okay? It's already horrible enough to know that we won't be able to fly in there, so the faster we do this the faster we can save the world and make Onii-chan stop worrying." sighed Leafa while tightening her grip on Justice, even as everyone exchanged glances for a moment while thinking about their leader, friend and, in the girls' case, 'shared boyfriend'.

And the blonde Sylph's words were certainly a small concern. While most of them had no problems fighting without their wings, they couldn't deny how much of an advantage they would lose, not to mention that the katana-user was certainly much more skilled when fighting in the air.

Alas, there was little they could do: Alfheim Online's Flight System was the special feature that made the game so popular because it was actually very difficult to manage a way for humans to fly by themselves using their own bodies, and it was only possible in the first place because RECT Progress had used the Cardinal System to manage and design most of it. Even with that, most of the thousands of Players within the VRMMO still used the Flying Controller, because even with all the carefully designed system it still was something quite difficult to achieve, hence why no other VRMMORPG on the market, even those born from the Seed, had anything even remotely similar to it.

Of course, such a thing did not exist within the Utopia Server. The only thing they could take solace in was that beings recognized as 'within the system' could still fly if it was in their programming, as Heathcliff had seen many creatures do on his brief time inside Equinox's world. Which was helpful not only for Pina and Charon's battle advantages, but also because they would need Tonky if they wanted to reach the virtual entity's fortress, apparently a castle situated above a giant flying island.

"…okay. It's ready." finally announced the fake paladin as his hand hesitated for a moment over a holo-screen, before finally touching it and making a house-sized 'portal' appear in the middle of the log house's clear, shimmering an ethereal blue color. "Let's go."

"This is it, uh? Our epic battle for the destiny of the world…and I thought we wouldn't ever get beyond what happened at the end of SAO." joked Sasamaru as the group headed towards the blinding light, looking towards his old friend. "Life is full of surprises, eh, Keita?"

"Yes, it is." answered the ex-guild leader with a small smile, tightening his grip on his staff. "And Leafa is right in that we should hurry, I convinced Siune to have dinner with me tonight after we saved the world."

"…wait, what?" muttered the shocked dagger-user at the other boy's revelation, and it was only the sudden sensation of vertigo and weightlessness that enveloped them, similar yet different to the one they were used to with Aincrad's Teleport Gates, what stopped him from demanding more details.

When everyone recovered control of their senses, they were standing on a small and grassy hill overlooking an impossible forest, a land so beautiful that it seemed otherworldly expanding as far as their eyes could see, TWO setting suns about to sink in the horizon of a crystalline-blue ocean.

And in the same moment they put a foot in there, the Ruler of the World knew they had arrived.

* * *

On Avalon's Throne Room, Equinox's beautiful visage could be seen sitting on her throne, eyes closed as her white hair moved under the breeze that came through the castle's massive windows.

Silently waiting while doing nothing, her three daughters stood in the same room. Or at least two of them, as Andvari was only present through one of her standard mechanic avatars, which stood like an unshakable guardian over Eve, the smallest AI sitting against one of her metallic feet and staring emotionlessly towards a wall. A mask-less Brynhildr was pacing from side to side in silence, mumbling things to herself as she idly caressed her bat time and time again, almost in a compulsive way.

Suddenly and without warning, the virtual entity's eyes shot open, the heterochromatic orbs of amber and emerald narrowing despite her not moving an inch. Not even needing her to speak a word, the 3 ex-MHCPs were already moving, getting closer to the throne to await for what their mother had to tell them.

"It seems those fools have decided to come and uselessly try to stop us from achieving our objective. Father has broken through our new security by having that pathetic copy of my original-self backing him up." closing her eyes again, the white-haired Super AI actually seemed annoyed at the current situation. "Ugh…I'm employing all the processing systems of the server that don't maintain Utopia to activate the Network, and I still need time. I can't afford to move against them myself without delaying the process by a dangerous amount of time."

"What should we do then, Mother?" asked Andvari's avatar with the usual mechanized voice, though Equinox was able to detect a slightly eager edge to it. Idly, she was able to see a similar though much more dangerous and hungry look on Brynhildr's eyes.

Eve's face remained as emotionless as ever, though.

"…go and stop them. I don't care what or how you do, I don't care if you have to break them until they Disconnect or if you have to eliminate the traitors and the virtual humans in the cruelest way possible, just do it." coldly declared the virtual entity while once again letting her consciousness start slipping from her avatar and into the deepest part of her Servers, to speed-up the process as much as she could. "We can't afford to risk our goal at this point."

"As you wish, Mother!" growled the oldest-looking of the three as her demonic mask materialized, an angry and hateful look already filling her eyes.

"Your Will Shall Be Done." emotionlessly intoned the massive mechanic human, even as her user quickly looked over the very few spares she had left, preparing herself to unleash her trump card.

"…let's go avenge Vierge-neesama." was the surprising and emotionless declaration that came from the youngest-looking of the trio, even as she reached silently towards a small bluish backpack lying against the nearby wall.

It was empty, as there was no one left to dedicate time to build the 'toys' their 'older sister' had used, but it was something that Eve found symbolic and necessary.

Without another word, the mechanic avatar of Andvari let her two sisters to jump into her massive hands before turning around and speeding out of the room at inhuman speeds, taking flight the moment it was out of the castle.

But as her consciousness fully left her body, Equinox couldn't help but wonder what was that small feeling of regret that filled the more human part of her Code.

Then, she was one with the ongoing process of merging with the Seed-Born Worlds and all those thoughts vanished from her 'mind'.

 **-99,8%…-**

Just a little more now, till nothing could stop her…

* * *

As they rushed through the forest, Philia couldn't help but glance towards Strea and Yuuki as they ran at her sides, the former with an uncanny serious look on her face and the latter with a clearly worried one, which the Ronin knew her own face mirrored a bit.

Even if the plan they had decided on was sound and logical, it didn't make the Spriggan girl feel any better about having them having to separate the group in a potentially dangerous place. Every second that passed by, the katana-user feared that one of her friends would be getting hurt or facing an even more dangerous threat than they had…

"…there is someone ahead." softly muttered Yuuki with a sharp voice, getting Philia out of her recollections and making both her and Strea to look forward before their eyes widened and they all jumped to the sides, almost crashing against the nearby trees.

And not a moment too soon, because a familiar (For two of them) figure in armor and a demonic mask slammed her bat against the ground with brutal force, sending dirt flying everywhere as the earth cracked and making even some of the trees collapse just from the sheer power behind the swing.

The three girls quickly stood up, but were unable to hide a surprised wince, the Imp and the Gnome even more than the Spriggan, at the sudden and sharp pain they had felt at rolling through the ground after their jumps were received with a dirt-shower.

"Brynhildr…" whispered Strea as she stared towards the standing figure, who glared at her with hate from behind her mask.

"Hello, 002. I must say, I'm glad I was the one who found you." as she spoke, Brynhildr slowly raised her hammer as the menacing aura they had seen in ALO manifested around her. "Just vanishing into oblivion when Mother took over wouldn't be punishment enough for a traitor like you. In memory of my fallen sister, I will break you apart until nothing is left of you."

"…I never wished for that to happen." muttered the Gnome with a sad voice, even as her grip over Gram tightened. "If Equinox hadn't ordered you all to follow along with this madness, then Ivy wouldn't have…!"

"HER NAME WAS VIERGE, YOU TRASH!" roared the demon-masked AI as she moved with a speed that surpassed all limits, her bat coming down and slamming into Strea's hastily raised defense, which didn't stop the girl from being sent flying through a tree, her scream of pain echoing through the forest. "AND I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T FORGET IT AS YOU SCREAM FOR…!"

Brynhildr was unable to finish her threat, as she had to spin around in time to block Yuuki's deadly-fast swing, golden light clashing against the corrupted aura as the Imp girl tried to push the absurdly strong AI away.

"Damn it…you're strong!"

"Took you that much to notice it, you abomination?!" growled the demon-masked AI while pushing her opponent back, a raging glint on her eyes. "I will make you wish you never cheated death by turning your mind in data, you…!"

"Zantetsuken."

Dozens of trees were perfectly cut at the sound of Philia's words, the edge of her blade seemingly slashing everything away as the area was turned into a makeshift clearing. Brynhildr, however, had somehow managed to twist her bat and put it on the way at the last second, only causing sparks to fly as she was sent skidding back, leaving quite a nasty scar on the earth.

Then a darkness-covered Strea slammed her blade against her unprotected back, the AIs eyes widening as she was sent careening through the air and against a nearby tree, breaking it even as she felt her body growing cold and unable to move.

"Well, will you look at that? It seems Darkness Blade can still inflict some nasty things even in this world." whispered the Gnome as she glared towards the unmoving form of the demon-masked girl, her two friends closing to her side with her weapons ready. "Please, stop this, Haru…no, Brynhildr, if you really prefer it. We don't want to hurt you, just stop this madness."

"…hurt…me?" came the strangled voice of Brynhildr before the three girls' eyes widened and they took a step back as the AI stood up, glaring at them hatefully even as her corrupted aura grew and her grip on her bat tightened. "You…can't…hurt me! I only…grow stronger the more…I fight…!"

"She's coming!" shouted Yuuki as the trio once again was forced to dodge as fast as they could, even as the earth was once again splintered and the winds howled as the demonic bat swung past them. "Ugh…let's hope the others are having better luck!"

"Fools!" snarled the demon-masked girl as she stared towards her enemies, hunching over in an almost animal way. "My sisters…already are…intercepting them!"

True to her words, in that same moment Tonky's hurried form was doing an almost impossible number of maneuvers and dodges in the air, sending lighting the best it could towards the mechanic humanoid that flew after them and unleashed seemingly lasers and bullets, aiming to destroy the flying beast.

His riders seeming to not be willing to accept that, though, as a hail of shurikens flew in that moment from the elephant-jellyfish's back, quickly receiving some kind of 'lightning' attack that covered them with electricity, forcing Andvari's avatar to doge out of the way to evade being seriously damaged or destroyed.

"Damn, that thing is fast!" cursed Silica as she did her best to say atop Tonky without falling, Pina at her side and readying to use another Lighting Breath if needed. "I don't think our combinations are going to work with it as long as we stay in the air…Tonky-san, we need to arrive to the meeting point, fast!"

"You Won't Reach Avalon!" proclaimed the robotic being before unleashing a barrage of missiles upon the shocked kunoichi, the last of her heavy weaponry. "Disappear For Having Invaded Our Home!"

The Caith Sith and her dragon friend saw the incoming projectiles about to reach them as their mount and friend tried to lost them…and a tree was hurled from the ground towards them as if it was a rock being thrown by a kid, crashing against the missiles and causing a massive explosion to cover the air.

Andvari was still trying to recover from the shock when a golden hammer hit her avatar's 'head' with explosive force, making the mechanic humanoid lost control and crash down against the ground with brutal force.

"…well, I will be dammed, that worked." muttered a lighting-surrounded Lisbeth as she stared to the sky, grinning all the way as she rushed at uncanny speeds through the edge of the forest. "Guess I'm lucky throwing things its way easier to do with such brutal power than straight out fighting…"

"Liz-san!" came Silica's voice as Tonky descended from the sky, the pigtailed girl smiling as she jumped down and smiled to her friend. "You were awesome! The timing couldn't have been more perfect!"

"Heh, yeah, well, got to protect my best friend's back, right?" grinned the blacksmith while patting the Caith Sith's shoulder…and sending her to the ground with an 'Ouch!' as she did so. "A-ah, shit, sorry, my bad! I forgot how strong I'm like this and…!"

"Damn…Humans…I Will…End You…" quickly, both girls were back to their feet and in a fighting stance as they saw Andvari's broken avatar crush down trees as it emerged from the forests, the only remaining 'eye' of the original 3 red dots it had on its smashed head seemingly glaring at them, the handle of Mjolnir still sticking out from the side. "Mother's Will…Shall…!"

"Come back to me, Mjolnir!" shouted Lisbeth while dramatically raising her hand, making the mechanic humanoid freeze and quickly move one of its massive hands towards its head, ready to block the hammer…only for a shining Fuuma Shuriken to crash against its chest, wreck its inside and explode right out of its back, the frozen body of metal falling forward with a loud thud. "…well, that happened."

"…I can't believe she really fell for THAT." muttered a disbelieving kunoichi while once again catching her massive weapon, she and her friend staring towards the broken mess that remained of Andvari's avatar, even as the aura of Thor's Soul left the Leprechaun. "Heh, as if you really could magically call your hammer back to you!"

"Man, you don't know how cool and useful that would actually be…" mused the blacksmith while walking forward and extracting her hammer from the destroyed robot's head, before staring down towards its still shining dot-eye. "So…you're the one with the 'powers' of that Metal Knight guy, eh? I'm sorry to say it, girl, but at the end of the day, you're nothing more than a glorified puppeteer." as she said this, the pink-haired girl slammed her hammer against her shield, even as Pina 'cooed' and Silica smiled behind her. "There is no way that someone like you who hides like a rat can surpass us that have always been fighting together on the front from the very beginning!"

"…You Are…Right." came the broken and mechanic voice of the virtual machine before it stopped working, shattering into polygons before the surprised/confused duo.

And that was when the earth started to shake.

"What the…?!"

"Liz-san, what's going…?!"

"KYUU!" shrieked Pina while looking upwards, making the two friends turn their gazes in that direction just to see a massive thing fall down from the heavens before them, both screaming as the shockwave sent them flying and crashing into the ground, pain shaking their minds as they tried to stand again.

"Therefore…I will destroy you all with my own hands. By using my greatest creation." softly spoke Andvari as the mechanical colossus stared down at the two girls, almost 15 meters tall and looking like some sort of wingless humanoid dragon, heavy artillery on its back and three massive dot-like red eyes over the reptilian head of metal that loomed over the shocked forms of Lisbeth and Silica as its tail slammed down on the ground, shaking the area once again. "Here I am, humans. To be able to operate the Tyrant Knight Sigma I have to interface directly with it from the inside…" as her words continued coming down, the childish AI stared through her greatest creation's eyes even as she floated in a void-like space, countless holo-screens surrounding her as data-cables connected her body to each of them. "So…do you still think you're better than me?"

Before either of the heroines had time to answer, a massive amount of energy gathered on the mechanic tyrant's mouth and was fired upon them.

The massive explosion that engulfed the area was visible even near the sea, towards where an overcharged Charon was taking Sinon, Argo and Sachi, who turned around in shock at seeing the massive blast that shook the land.

"The hell was that?!" shouted the info-broker while trying to look through the smoke that had risen.

"I don't know, but that's close to where Silica and Lisbeth were supposed to go!" spoke a worried Sachi while biting her lips, before squinting her gaze behind her strange sunglasses. "Wait…is that a giant robot?!"

"Goddammit all, of course something like that would happen!" cursed Sinon before looking towards her mount and pointing towards that area, making the hippogriff nod and start turning back. "To hell with the plan, we're going to go and see if they need…!"

Charon suddenly froze, as if someone had cast a freezing spell on him, and stopped beating his wings, falling down towards the coast.

The girls were lucky of having been flying low because the beast had been carrying more than it could, so they only had to deal with a nasty but not too painful crashing against the sea.

Silently standing on the shore, Eve's emotionless eyes were fixed upon the point where the three girls had crashed, calmly letting the waves lick her feet as she simply stood there.

"I wasn't hoping to catch more than just the beast at once, but I guess I should have expected none of you would be looking towards the ground as you flew." idly commented the childish-looking AI while walking closer to the water, her unblinking gaze never leaving the calm sea. "Now then, I wonder how long you will take to come out and fall into my…?"

An arrow coming at supersonic speeds towards her head should have been the end of the silver child, but the sand suddenly rising and hardening like a wall stopped this. Even if she had succeded in protecting herself, the shock was clearly imprinted on her face. One second later, two figures jumped out of the water and landed near her, claws and spear at the ready.

"Ugh…remind me to never do something like that again…ever."

"Will do, Argo. Now, let's take care of her."

"Girls, watch out!" shouted Sinon from the distance, half-hidden in the water as she nocked another arrow from her bow. "The sand suddenly came up to protect her when I shot before!"

With the effect of the sudden attack still evident, Eve stared towards Argo and Sachi, who were standing against her…with their eyes closed, though their stances didn't seem to contain even the slightest hesitation despite this.

It all clicked on her mind very fast, even as the realization filled her normally emotionless self with a burning feeling of anger and fear.

Two Caith Siths, one expert at long-range and making sure of not making eye-contact by staying half-submerged in the shore's water, and the user of Infinite Spear, which didn't really need much precision to hit a single and not very fast enemy.

A team especially designed to counter her. If it wasn't for the small 'blessing' that Mother had given her to make sure Utopia rose to protect its physically weakest inhabitant, as it had become a necessity after what happened to Vierge, she would have been dead already. Even more, if this had happened here, then…

Quickly using her connection with her sisters to see through their eyes, the childish-looking AI realized how the teams the faced had been designed specifically to fight each of them based upon some basic logic (Even if it was clear Andvari's Trump Card had caught her enemies off guard), but even more so…

"Where are the rest of you?!" demanded the shaking silver girl while clenching her tiny fists, realization fully hitting her as her head snapped towards Avalon, the flying island not far in the distance. "No…Damn you to the void, Grandfather."

Then, Eve had no more time to curse Kayaba anymore, for a vicious info-broker and a determined spear-user had decided to take advantage of her words to try and attack her blindly. The whistling sound of another incoming arrow, even as the sand rose around the AI to protect her once more, was all that the little girl needed to know that she had the absolute disadvantage now.

Meanwhile, floating just over the edge of the floating island called Avalon, Asuna and Leafa couldn't help but look back with worry, especially towards the massive black cloud that covered the area near the inner edge of the forest.

Having landed some seconds ago, Heathcliff turned around to watch them descending, even as Keita, Ducker, Sasamaru and Tetsuo stood around them in formation, weapons at the ready as they stared at the massive plains with some small hills and woods, as if waiting for an army or something like that to charge against them.

Of course, besides the massive white castle standing on the center of the island, nothing except some harmless-looking animals seemed to be around.

"Thanks for the ride, Yui. The plan worked perfectly." stated the fake paladin once the black-haired AI finished taking the last of them to the island, worry filling her eyes as she also looked back. "I'm just glad Equinox not only created this world using the Seed, but also didn't bother to change the most basic of its systems. If your Gravity-Controlling Privilege had been removed then we would have had to rely in the most dangerous backup plans…"

"…do you think everyone is okay?" questioned Asuna while biting her lips, staring towards the not-longer-as-peaceful land of Utopia, knowing her friends were engaged in perhaps the most dangerous fights of their lives down there. "We should be over there, fighting with them…"

"I already told you many times, we need both of you here. Straight out, you're arguably the strongest members of this group, and if we have to face Equinox's avatar before I can reach the Main Console then you're the only ones that have any hopes of facing her."

"But are you sure about this?" asked Leafa as she tightened her grip on Justice's handle. "That you can hack directly into her Code and allow us to defeat her?"

"It's all based on calculations, as I told you before, but so far everything I predicted seems to be going more or less right. As such, Equinox is still too busy trying to finish setting up the Global Connection. She's also most likely putting every single piece of processing power she can afford from this Server to the task. Her Code will never be more vulnerable than now." clenching his fists, Heathcliff looked straight up towards the castle, determination filling the man's eyes. "No matter what, even if I have to perish today, I will at least make sure my wayward 'daughter' goes down with me."

"…well, you heard the weirdo, lady-bosses. We need to move." half-joked Keita while giving them a smile, pointing ahead with his battle-staff. "Let's go, we will make sure to cover you."

"Hell yeah!" added Ducker with a confident look.

"Till the very end!" shouted Tetsuo as he slammed his mace against his shield.

"We're going to finish this once and for all!" declared Sasamaru while pointing forward.

"Guys…" muttered Asuna with a touched look, before nodding fiercely as she unsheathed the blades on her back. "Okay then, let's go and kick the ass of that face-stealing bitch! C'mon, Yui-chan, we got to…!"

"…I'm going back." announced Yui to everyone's surprise, even as she started to float away. "Sorry Mamas, everyone, but…I'm really worried about that explosion form before, and my powers could be an edge needed to make sure no one gets hurt! Ple-please, be safe!"

And before anyone could say anything to stop her, the original MHCP shot down towards the earth, as fast as gravity could take her. A couple seconds of silence passed before Leafa released some soft chuckles and a warm smile appeared on her face as she stared after her.

"Heh, she really is Onii-chan's 'daughter', in more ways than one." Simply said the blonde Sylph before turning around and rushing towards the castle, the rest following shortly after. "Okay…time for the final battle. Let's give our best, Justice!"

'…'

"…Justice?"

' _O-oh, sorry Master! I was just, uhm…a bit distracted, don't worry.'_

Despite frowning slightly at the strange declaration, the katana-user forced herself to turn her attention back to the imposing form of Avalon's Castle, especially when Asuna ran past her with an extremely serious look.

Both of them knew that the outcome of this fight would decide something bigger than anything they had ever imagined…

* * *

Tokyo had become quite a sight for anyone who happened to bother looking around instead of trying to get out of the city. Which, given that the authorities were trying to make an organized evacuation until the problem was dealt with, was almost no one, to be honest.

Of course, despite the best efforts of the police for try and make sure everyone went smoothly, it was impossible to fight against human nature. While most of the people were trying to do their best to just go along and get out of the 'hacked' city, more than one had either fallen prey to the panic or tried to take advantage of the situation.

Something that could be clearly seen in a man standing outside the broken glass of an electronics' store, quickly putting a portable PC atop several other clearly expensive devices and nodding to himself with a satisfied grin.

"Hell yes! Today sure is my lucky day! Heh, everyone running away are fools, as if anyone was going to die by a hacker's attack." laughed the robber while looking around at the nearly deserted streets, the few people still heading outside the city either not paying him any attention or ignoring him entirely, clearly not wanting to get into a mess when they had their own problems. "Now I just have to get this to my house and calmly wait until…"

That was as far as the man went before his eyes widened at the sudden sound of skidding wheels just behind him, making him turn around…in time for the flying fist of a caped teenager to meet his face, the robber's body crashing against the ground with a dry 'Thud'.

The few persons still in the area gapped in shock and awe as the scarf-wearing figure of the 'Caped Sidekick' rose, the living urban legend looking down at the unconscious man with a mix of annoyance and resignation even a the bicycle he had been riding was caught by one of his hands, somehow having kept going even after he JUMPED from it (And more than one of the more hardcore followers of the 'rumors' wondered where the 'heroine' he usually rode at the side of was.

"Please, would someone be kind enough to alert the authorities about this guy? I would usually do it myself, but the current situation and urgent matters prevent me from doing so." stated the black-haired boy while his cape flapped at a sudden gust of wind, which was quickly accompanied by a sudden ringing of the bicycle's bell. "And that's my cue to keep moving. Have a good day."

It would still take some minutes before the more than shocked onlookers started trying to contact one of the few remaining police vehicles that were going around the city and warning everyone that they would be safer evacuating. Also, at least two of them were once again thankful of having been late paying their phone bills that month, for that meant they hadn't been hacked, not being connected to the network, and let them take a few slightly out of frame pictures of the vigilante before he vanished through a smaller street.

Ignoring whatever the hell the bicycle he was riding was trying to tell him (Mainly because he wasn't even sure of how to interpret it), Kazuto contained a sigh of annoyance before focusing once more on the task at hand.

Coming all the way into the city had been difficult enough, especially when he saw that the main roads where flooded by people trying to get out of the city and police officers trying to keep things under control. However, that had also allowed him to sneak around while pretending to be lost at some point and just outright rush out of the road at others. Then, once he had managed to get out of side just outside the city, he had put on his 'costume' and decided to just ride the rest of the way at full speed, consequences be dammed, deciding that it would matter little in the long run if anyone saw the 'Caped Sidekick' riding around on the Bicycle Girl's vehicle, and that it would also allow him to not get pestered in the way.

He had not really been thinking about encountering petty criminals trying to take advantage of the situation, though. Neither his inability to ignore such things and just rushing to stop them. Clearly, he had underestimated how much 'playing Hero for fun' had affected him with the years.

Of course, Justice was clearly not pleased with the delay. Or maybe it was annoyed he hadn't been hurt or something while doing it? Honestly, the caped boy wasn't sure, nor he did care that much for it. Once again, he was forced to remind himself he was in a race against the clock…and that the whole trip could be nothing more than him wasting time on a false lead.

If he was right about that, then maybe helping the few people in Tokyo that needed it in the middle of this crisis directly caused by Equinox's actions would be the best. But if there was even the smallest chance that his crazy fantasy could work…

The weight of his old Nerve Gear inside the sports bag he was carrying reassured the gamer once again, making him take a deep breath before riding on, heading towards the part of the city where he knew the warehouses where, if his deductions had been correct, the physical hardware of the Utopia Server should be.

Time to see if his controlled madness actually let him help everyone…

* * *

Pain. A distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli.

As it was such a complex, subjective phenomenon, actually _defining_ pain had always been a challenge for humans. It was only natural, then, that the concept was even more foreign for an Artificial Intelligence, who only had the written concepts to work with.

It was something Strea could have gone her whole life without knowing. Especially to the level of a bat backed up by the force of a stampede of angry rhinos roaring towards her face only to be 'deflected' by Gram's edge, making her arms felt as if they were about be ripped out of their sockets and her whole body to almost be sent flying as the force the swing had behind it threatened to throw her away.

The fact that Brynhildr was doing this without actually scoring a direct hit on her, WHILE fighting Yuuki and Philia at the same time, was something that was actually terrifying.

Yuuki had the supreme skill and fastest reaction time out of them all. Philia could unsheathe her blade and cut her opponents to pieces in less than it took someone to blink. And she had a strong and damaging enough ability especially made to destroy small, 'human' opponents.

And yet, the maddened and roaring AI was slowly but surely beating them all, showing something that she had only seen in Kirito before: That overwhelming power at some point became enough to overcome everything else.

The plan Kayaba proposed was supposed to be simple. They were expected to engage the demon-masked girl, and their combined abilities were geared towards finished her off before she had enough time to 'power up' beyond their level. Simple and relying on the fact that the man's calculations were correct and the right 'sisters' intercepted the right 'counter-teams', but still smart.

Of course, none of them were counting on the fact that Brynhildr would somehow ramp up beyond any level of management so fast.

Watching as the screaming AI spun in place and deflected both her Imp and Spriggan friends, though, all that the Gnome could feel was utter despair, not only for the pain and the senseless fight they were having, but because she had realized how the demon-masked girl had outclassed them so fast.

"STOP! For everything that's holy, don't you see you're killing yourself?! Please, stop this madness, Brynhildr!" pleaded Strea while feeling tears swelling up in her eyes, as she had been trying to contain herself from since the moment she figured out how the other AI's 'power' worked. "Your own Base Code is being eroded away the more you use that damn power of yours, there will be nothing left of you if you keep going!"

"Don't care…traitor…!" snarled the demon-masked girl as she turned around, bat raised as she zoomed towards the crying Gnome, intent on crushing her. "Mother's Gift…shall be your end!"

Overwriting. That was, essentially, the way in which Equinox had recreated the 'powers' of the character known as Metal Bat and installed them on Brynhildr. Essentially, as her physical power grew and grew beyond the limits the system of a virtual world should restrict, it overwrote her very own Code, what made the girl 'herself' and not a mindless bunch of 0s and 1s, to have more and more space for its power to continue growing.

Her 'Mother' hadn't been able to discover the impossible secret which allowed Kirito's avatar to just 'be' so strong. And as such, much like how overusing an avatar with Melzalgald's powers had ended up mentally harming Shinkawa Shouichi, this flawed power, despite all the good things it seemed to have, was slowly destroying the demon-masked AI's sense of self.

And she did not care. For her, as long as she accomplished the command her 'Mother' had given her, she would discard herself away, just to crush and destroy them, fueled my mindless rage and senseless hate.

Strea couldn't imagine anything more horrible.

"Leave her alone! _Nanatsu no Taizai!_ " screamed Philia as she cut forward with her blade seven times in a single second, all of them aimed to cut off Brynhildr's arms and legs.

It only ended with the maddened AI making her bat spin around and deafening sounds filling the air when the Spriggan's katana was unable to cut through it, sparks flying around before the snarling being just backhanded the katana-user, her armored hand slamming against the side of her face filling as if a car had just decided to crash against it.

Pain filled her world like never before even as she almost lost all sense of direction as she flew through the air. Even more pain hit her as she slammed down on the ground.

"PHILI-CHAN!" came Strea's horrified scream at the sight.

"PHILIA!" shouted Yuuki even as she rushed back towards the demon-masked girl, who was now screaming incoherently as her bat was swung almost blindly around.

"Killl…youuuu…aaallll…! Huumaaaann…abominatiooon…traiiitooorr…!" roared Brynhildr as she engaged the Imp once again, the Imp doing her best to try and dodge every single of the air-shaking swings as the Gnome tried to support her, even if her attacks seemed to no longer had any effect on their maddened opponent. "DIEDIEDIE!"

Her head was spinning. She felt as if she was about to throw up. Her brain was screaming at her to fall unconscious, just to stay lying down there and not move, the high-pitched sound she was hearing was the clear signal her AmuSphere had started to pick up her body's negative reactions to the virtual pain and was about to disconnect her…

Philia stood up, half-blind and not really wanting to know if the hollow feeling she felt was that part of her avatar's head had been smashed away or just her imagination. All of her remaining Will and mind were now dedicated upon a single thing.

" _Protect them. I have to…protect them…my friends…"_

Feeling as if her real body would break down in any moment, the Spriggan let her single remaining eye to fix upon Brynhildr's roaring form, her hand moving almost automatically to her side and re-sheathing her katana with numb fingers.

" _Loyal to me…loyal to them…"_

Then, she adopted her usual stance, barely aware of it as she prepared herself. The hilt of her katana started to glow as she rushed forward, almost as if ready to use her most basic Skill.

And then, she added another step mid-draw, with the foot adjacent to the sheath, which momentarily created an instantaneous acceleration to the forward-charge as well as the sword as it was drawn. The glowing of the hilt suddenly changed from orange to bluish-white.

" _Love them…always count on them…for them."_

The sword was drawn and, for a single second, Philia's blade became faster than the Gods themselves could ever hope to be.

 **" _Amakakeru Ryu…no Hirameki."_**

It was difficult to describe what happened. Even Strea and Yuuki, who saw the OSS being executed just before their eyes, were unable to fully understand the phenomenon in front of them.

Brynhildr somehow seemed to feel it before it happened, though, and spun around as she prepared her bat to swing the attack away in less than a second.

The Spriggan's skill, however, only took a mere fraction to be executed, which left the demon-masked AI to face the full wrath of what seemed like just a 'side-slash' executed at speeds that defied the System.

For a moment, the maddened girl felt as if the was facing a rampaging dragon, coming for her with its fangs ready to destroy her.

This was Philia's Original Sword Skill. 'Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki', the Flash of the Heavenly Soaring Dragon. It wasn't really something she had created herself, but more like something she had 'replicated' after seeing the impossible skill and reading its descriptions in an old manga, while searching for something to get Sachi out of her obsession with that anime about drills and robots.

It was a technique that, supposedly, could only be done by realizing one's insignificance and risking your very own life to protect something else while, at the same time, taking one's own, fragile human life into consideration.

With her memories from SAO easily summoned to her mind, she had been able to get into the mindset. That, combined with the fact that Philia, Takemiya Kotone, wasn't a 'normal' person had allowed her to not sleep for 3 days straight to practice in secret at night within ALO, the continuous failures not discouraging her. In a sense, no sane person should be able to even come close to such a mindset, but the girl had the advantage of having lives for two years inside the death game and having been part of the United Heroes Association.

She had decided to reward her friends' loyalty with her eternal one. She would do anything and everything for those who had accepted her and that she had accepted in return.

Finally, on the third day, she somehow did it. Philia didn't bother to question how she executed it, she just felt satisfied she did, even if she knew she would never be able to simply use it in normal circumstances, given the nature of it and the purpose for which she had replicated it.

An impossible and fictional ultimate skill, something that could never be replicated in reality, that was meant to be the pinnacle of an absolute style of swordsmanship and that just so happened to be a Battoujutsu, the style, one, which was what had given her hope in the first place of being able to do it.

And Brynhildr, failing to deflect or stop it, just _dodged_ it, a noticeable gash appearing on her armor even as she prepared herself to spun and finish Philia off, the nature of the Skill having put her almost at her side.

"FAILDIE!" snarled the demon-masked AI…before realizing she couldn't move.

The shock barely managed to get past her rage-consumed mind even as a faint smile appeared on the Spriggan's half-smashed face, even as the _vacuum_ of air that her slash had created filled itself violently and paralyzed her opponent, not even her mighty strength being able to break free of the void that had been created.

Then, Philia finished the Skill, the second hit of the attack hitting Brynhildr head on with even MORE strength than the first one had had.

In a cool way of describing it: Even if you avoid the fangs of the flying dragon, the gusting winds will strip away your freedom of movement and the claws will still rip you apart.

A inhuman scream tore the land as the maddened AI was almost bisected, half her arm flying away and breaking into polygons as the Spriggan finished the 'claws of the dragon' part of her OSS.

Her smile widened as she saw a tear-filled Yuuki jump past her like a golden meteor, Excaliber shining as she shouted with all her might.

"MOTHER'S ROSARIO!"

With a feeling of satisfaction filling her as she saw Yuuki's holy blade viciously tearing into Brynhildr, Takemiya Kotone passed out from both the pain and the shock, her avatar bursting into polygons with a signal of 'Error: Disconnected'. On the real world, a nasty bruise was starting to appear on the unconscious girl's face, on the centermost spot that her enemy had smashed half her head in.

Strea felt something within her hurting way more than the 'physical pain' she was feeling as she saw Philia disappear, despite logically knowing she couldn't be more than just moderately hurt in reality. Almost as if in slow-motion, the Gnome's eyes turned towards the still screaming Yuuki, realizing how she had purposefully executed the Skill while aiming upwards, missing most of the upper stabs…

…but letting the last one pierce straight through the demon-masked AI's head, Excaliber destroying her mask as it sank from one side of her virtual skull to the other with a sickening sound.

Strea felt another, smaller pang of sadness hitting her at the sight, but was quick to bury it in favor of relief.

It was over.

Both the gasping Imp and the broken body of the maddened girl fell down, Yuuki letting go of her golden blade and rolling to the side while trying to catch her breath. The Gnome let her weakened legs give up under her, idly realizing she was still crying, as she used Gram to support her weight, wondering why she felt so heavy all of a sudden.

"It's over…it's over…" she softly whispered like a mantra to calm herself.

"Yeah…it is, Strea." smiled Yuuki as she shakily stood up, giving her a tired smile. "Now let's go see if we can help the re…"

The Imp's words were suddenly cut off by a scream when a knee slammed brutally on her back and sent her face-down to the ground, cracking it. An armored foot made sure she couldn't move as the broken form that had attacked her shakily raised her bat with her remaining arm.

Strea felt her virtual heart stop and her unexacting blood turn to ice as she saw the maddened and growling thing that had once been a MHCP, Excaliber STILL impaled through her head, glare down at her gasping and crying friend.

"KiiiiiiiillllYOUUUABoMiiiinAttIIooonnN!" it snarled as she swung down the corrupted bat.

"NO!"

It would crash down, tearing Yuuki's virtual body apart and shattering it into nothingness. Killing her.

She was going to kill her…

 **She was going to kill her!**

On the back of Strea's mind, something _broke_ , unable to accept the horrifying realization.

Gram _opened_ , as if something unnatural was reacting to the virtual girl's feelings as she jumped forward, her body breaking apart as it was consumed and deformed into **something else**.

Brynhildr never completed her swing, as something far faster and stronger she was slammed against her with unholy viciousness, tearing the left half of her head apart and letting Excaliber fly free.

 **"DON'T…!"**

For a second, whatever remained of the AI's consciousness stared in abject horror towards the towering abomination, nothing but madness, fangs and claws as massive as the sword she once wielded, eyes that stared into her soul…

And then, there was only **[Darkness]** , covering the monstrous and wrong body as it seemed to invade and cover everything on sight, the trees simply vanishing as it consumed them. Terrified, the AI tried taking a step back and madly swinging her bat at it.

The **[Darkness]** reached forward and devoured the indestructible bat.

Not destroying it, not breaking it into polygons, it literally _devoured_ it. Vanishing it altogether from existence as if it had never been there.

 **"…HURT…!"**

A 'claw' shrouded in [Darkness] with the same power tore forward, devouring more than half of Brynhildr's body with one slash.

On her last moment, the smallest bit of Base Code that remained of the AI managed to scream a single, scared plea.

"Mother…save me…"

 **"…MY FAMILY!"**

And with that last roar, the being that once upon a time been the MHCP-005, codename 'Haru', vanished from existence, nothing remaining of her.

Some seconds later, Yuuki, with Excaliber once again in her hand, walked through the vanishing darkness, staring in silence at the shaking and sobbing form of Strea as she cried over the place where her 'sister' had been, Gram lying not far from her.

Without a word, the Imp hugged her, letting her bury her crying face on her chest, even as she felt her holy blade shining, another presence almost seeming to join the comforting hug with its radiance..

She was idly aware that the world was shaking around them as she did so.

* * *

Days like this made Lisbeth wonder if her life could have gone any other way.

Oh, don't get her wrong, she was happy with how things currently were! She had a lot of friends, had done more amazing things that she could have ever dreamed of, had found a new and fulfilling dedication in blacksmithing and even had a great boyfriend (Even if he kind of was also all of her female friends' boyfriend, though the situation wasn't as bizarre as it sounded…at least for her).

She was also screaming her virtual lungs out as she tried to stop the massive claw of a humanoid robot-dragon from crushing her and the growling form of her best friend like bugs while 'divine' lightning shrouded her form, though. Not to mention Tonky, who had saved them from the AI's original attack by grabbing them with his trunk and flying away, was pinned down to the ground by some sort of energy-web not far away

So yeah, not everything was sunshine and rainbows all the time…but the Leprechaun liked to think it was still worth it.

"Foolish. If you had just moved out of the way and let me crush them, you wouldn't be in this situation." mocked Andvari while staring at Lisbeth with a scowl through her Tyrant's eyes. "Now you will all suffer for nothing, humans."

"Fuck off…bitch!" snarled the blacksmith as she almost _felt_ how much it remained for the power of God Hand to start fading, despite the usual countdown not being present on her HUD in that world. "I won't let you hurt Silica as long as I'm still breathing…!"

"Liz…" muttered the young kunoichi in shock, even as Pina continued futilely trying to use his breath attacks to help free them, the girl's own shurikens and kunai being useless with the nigh-indestructible claw just on top of them.

"Sacrificing all advantage without purpose to uselessly try to prevent another from suffering harm?" questioned the AI within the mechanic being while shaking her head. "I can't wrap my head around such a stupid concept."

"Rea…lly? Well, isn't that sad?" rhetorically asked Lisbeth as she kept holding back the claw, trying to not fall on her knees. "Don't you have those…sisters of yours…?"

"…my sisters are strong. They have no need of me protecting them." coldly declared Andvari while her eyes narrowed, clearly remembering Vierge's fate. "And besides, the girl there isn't related to you at all."

"Bullshit!" shouted the blacksmith while putting more pressure behind her arms, even as she knew the absurd power-up she had was about to end very soon. "This girl…she's the closest thing I have ever had to a little sister! She always supported my dreams and I always supported her! When others would have called us weirdos or lunatics, we never backed down because we knew the other believed in us!"

She aimed to become Aincrad's greatest blacksmith. Her to be helpful in battle to help clear the game. Both of them inspired by the boy they would grow to love, even if they didn't know it when they first met him.

They ended becoming the famous blacksmith that wielded the power of the Gods and the great kunoichi that controlled a fierce dragon. And even before that, before they had everyone else, they had had each other, almost from the beginning. Since that confused and slightly scared little girl had walked towards her pitiful first 'selling stand' and doubted between a sword or a dagger.

The scariest moment on Lisbeth's life had been those 9 seconds of absolute emptiness she felt after Kayaba 'killed' her in Floor 75, before Asuna resurrected her with just one second the spare.

The second one, though, would always be the day when Silica told her she felt confident enough to go out to the field and gather materials for her work by herself. Alone.

Idly, the blacksmith wondered when she had started to feel as an overprotective older sister towards the kunoichi, despite respecting and acknowledging her grow in strength. That was also the reason why she was always teasing her about her other 'not-growth'…besides also loving to see how she overreacted by it.

"Liz…Pina…sorry." whispered Silica while looking down, hugging her dragon friend as he stopped shooting breath attacks, clearly tired. "I have failed as a kunoichi and as a friend."

"…what are you saying, idiot?" muttered Lisbeth as she reared back her metallic fist, God Hand shining with power even as she felt the painful strain of holding back the caw with just one arm, falling to one knee. "If anyone has failed here…it's me as your Onee-san…"

Then, she _punched_ upwards with a scream, imagining as if her fist were Kirito's, hoping her enemy would be blow away with the last of her strength.

Thor's Soul's effect vanished. The giant claw cracked slightly…and Andvari was suddenly thrown backwards, a scream of shock and indignation filling the air as the mechanical colossus crashed against the earth.

Both shocked girls were still trying to close their mouths, even as the Leprechaun stared wide-eyed at her 'divine arm', before a familiar and worried figure clad in a small black dress descended at their side.

"Liz-mama, Silica-mama, are you okay?!" asked a worried Yui while looking them over, noticing some of the small marks of red polygons over their bodies that the earlier explosion had caused them. "I'm glad I arrived in time just when you destabilized it, otherwise I'm not sure if my gravity-control would have affected it!"

"Oh…heheh, of course it was you…" laughed it off Lisbeth while shaking her head. "Thanks for the save, dear."

"Yui-chan, you saved us…" gratefully declared Silica as Pina flew from her arms, before her face quickly turned serious. "We had to get Tonky-san free, quick!"

"Okay, let's just…!"

Yui's words were cut off when a massive claw-hand closed around her, moving faster than their eyes could follow, the two girls' smiles melting into expressions of pure horror as the little girl's pained scream echoed through the land.

Slowly moving it towards her creation's draconic face, Andvari made sure that her Tyrant didn't totally squeeze the other AI as she glared down towards her.

"It's over now, 'big sis'." declared the controller of the colossus, dark disappointment filling her face at seeing the little girl trying to free/protect herself with her gravity-control privilege. "Goodbye, traitor."

Then, Andvari started to squeeze, making Yui's scream to intensify.

Silica screamed as she rushed forward, grabbing her Fuuma Shuriken as she did so, Pina screeching at her side as he also shot towards the trapped AI. Lisbeth tried to do the same, finally being able to recover her fallen Mjolnir, but had to bite back a scream and fall to her knees again as she felt her body about to give up, overusing God Hand combined with the pain finally catching up to her and threatening to make her AmuSphere Disconnect her.

The Tyrant's controller looked down in boredom as a seeker laser shot the Yamata-no-Orochi out of the air, the shining light Skill that was enveloping it vanishing. Then, it moved to aim towards the incoming forms of Pina and his Caith Sith partner…when a stray bolt of electricity hit the mechanic colossus in the back, making it stumble.

Andvari was still trying to fully process, in the middle of her shock, that Tonky had somehow rolled sideways inside its prison, hurting himself just to shoot at her, when the Feathery Dragon and his owner arrived, one jumping on one of her creation's legs and the other just directly flying towards its claw, both intent on freeing the wide-eyed Yui.

They seemed to have forgotten her machine had TWO claws, though.

With contemptuous easiness, the other massive limb swatted both would-be-rescuers out of the air as if they were flies, with all the strength of a speeding car.

Lisbeth stared in utter shock, the trapped AI screamed.

"SILICA-MAMA! PINA!"

With a sickening sound, the Caith Sith avatar crashed against a tree, what remained of her left arm, which one of the claw-tips had reached, flying away and shattering into polygons. Like a broken doll, she fell down towards the ground, lying there unmoving.

Her draconic partner flew out of sight and vanished somewhere in the strange forest, the sound of his crash echoing all the way there.

"Useless." coldly declared Andvari, with just a hint of pity in her voice. "You humans are really a bunch of stupid beings, uh?"

That was as far as she could take.

With a violent scream that seemed to shake the soul, something _broke_ on the back of Shinozaki Rika's mind, the metal of her divine hand changing shape and turning a brighter tone without her noticing.

"BITCH!" roared Lisbeth as she charged forward in blind rage, tears streaming down her face as she moved her arm in a motion that she could do even without concentrating nowadays, her grip in Mjolnir tightening so much it would have hurt if her hand wasn't suddenly made of some unknown alloy. "ZEUS BLESSING!"

The first sign Andvari had that something was horribly _wrong_ , as she turned her ultimate creation around, were the countless 'ERROR!' messages the holo-screens that had been scanning her enemies' movements and data suddenly showed.

The second one was the electric-golden aura **exploding** from the Leprechaun's right arm and covering her whole, God Hand seemingly roaring together with its owner before the aura shot upwards and took an humanoid shape a head taller than her own masterpiece, wrathful and inhuman eyes glaring down at her as the phenomenon's hands slammed against the AI's Tyrant like hammers, divine lightning exploding with ungodly force everywhere.

Yui fell down, free of the claw, even as she stared at the Leprechaun in shock and awe.

Countless of 'Error!' pop-ups surrounded the shocked Andvari even as she saw and _felt_ the unknown entity grip her Tyrant's armor-shoulders and crush them with force that did not belong to the System, the blacksmith's scream still filling the air as electricity poured inside the machine like a living force. The small AI started to scream when she realized it was starting to damage her very own Base Code…before it vanished altogether, the glorious and _Divine_ form blinking out of existence as if it had never been there.

Lisbeth body stumbled in place for a moment before it shattered into polygons. In the end, the girl's body had given out before the mechanic colossus.

On the real world, standing up on her back, Shinozaki Rika screamed in outrage for a moment before falling on her bed, feeling as if she couldn't breathe for several seconds as she tried to ignore the pounding headache she felt and the pain that filled several parts of her body.

Angry tears streamed down her face as she realized she didn't even have strength left to take off her AmuSphere.

Back on Utopia…Andvari laughed.

It wasn't a 'victorious laugh' though. No, as Yui slowly let her horrified eyes move away from where one of her 'mothers' had vanished, she realized the hysterical and relieved sound was a clear indication of madness, or at least of some mental breakdown.

Something they, as AIs, weren't really supposed to have.

"…AHAHAH! See?! All for nothing! For NOTHING! Despite violating the rules of the system with no logical explanation, you still could only do nothing, humans!" cackled the controller of the Tyrant even as the mechanical monstrosity once again started to move, its arms barely able to move and looking pretty burned, but otherwise still functional as its head stared down to the frozen Yui. "Now…where were we, 001? Ah yeah, I was about to…"

"Get away…from our…Yui-chan…"

The world seemed to stop. Slowly, both AIs turned their gazes towards the stumbling figure that was heading their way, dragging her feet over the grass and dirt.

One of her arms was missing. Her body was filled with so many 'scars' of polygons that it seemed as if she was soaked in shining blood. Her shurikens were gone, both the normal ones and her Fuuma, lost somewhere after she was sent flying. Her eyes were dull and empty, as if her consciousness was barely hanging to the world. It shouldn't even be possible for her to continue being Logged In with her AmuSphere.

But her gaze was fixed upon Andvari's colossal machine, the image of Lisbeth's shattering body, Pina's broken form and Yui's tear-stained face replaying on her mind while her remaining hand tightly clutched her rarely used kunai.

As she felt more pain in every inch of her body that she had never imagined in her short life, Ayano Keiko forced herself to continue standing as something _broke_ on the back of her mind.

Andvari's Tyrant quickly gathered energy on its jaws, the AI not willing to risk more words before blasting the seemingly beaten and impossibly standing human…

And an earth-shattering roar shook the air as a massive form, almost as big as the mechanic colossus, exploded from the forest, taking down trees on its path.

Wondering if the (virtual) world had suddenly stopped making sense or if the humans had contaminated it by some kind of logic-killing virus, Andvari screamed as she tried to stop the now truck-sized Pina from tearing into her machine. Canceling the charge of her plasma-cannon so as to not blow herself up, she proceeded to try and move the badly damaged arms to try and capture the roaring dragon.

Pina answered by using his tail to throw the Tyrant backwards, then lowered himself protectively over Yui's unmoving form, even as his partner slowly walked to his side.

"Good boy…" muttered Silica with a tired and shaky voice, seeming unsurprised by her dragon friend's sudden transformation. "Now…let's show her…"

The Caith Sith touched her partner's head. Pina seemingly 'dissolved' and enveloped her, both images overlapping as _something different_ now stood in their place.

If the little girl kneeling behind them/it had to describe what it/they was/were, she could only say that it was small, humanoid, with wings…and that it/them suddenly reared its head, as if taking a deep breath even as Andvari roared and her slowly standing Tyrant shot its plasma beam towards them.

The [Beast] unleashed its/their own breath. If Kirito had been there, he would have probably defined it with two simple words.

Mega Flare.

By the second time in 20 minutes, the world known as Utopia suffered a massive explosion at the edge of its forests, though twice as strong as the first one had been, the entire area shaking, exploding and burning away everything on its range.

Yui realized with surprise she was still alive as she lowered her arms, which she had used to cover her head, and stared upwards with wide eyes.

Standing over her with a kind smile, the [Beast] held her ground, half-covering her body with its imposing wings, an armor made of crystallized feathers covering most of its/their body, even as a face identical to that of her 'Silica-mama' stared at her with relief, dragon-like eyes filled with soft tears.

Then the 'phenomenon' vanished and only a broken Caith Sith avatar was there, a tired, hurt and small Pina on her arms.

"You're okay." was all that Silica said before her body vanished in a burst of light, the message of 'Disconnection' replacing her. Her small dragon released a lonely 'Kyuuu' before vanishing too, following the avatar.

As she regained consciousness on her bed, Ayano Keiko was vaguely aware that she couldn't feel her right arm and that she was feeling as if her whole body was a massive bruise, not to mention that her face was stained by tears. Then, she lost consciousness.

In the now silent and devastated area that used to be a clearing and part of a forest, Yui walked forward in silence through the ravaged land. At some point, she heard Tonky flying down and joining her as a comforting presence by 'walking' at her side using its many tentacle-like limbs. She wondered for a moment when had the elephant-jellyfish been freed from its binds and flown out of the explosion's reach before deciding it didn't matter and that she was just glad he was okay.

Finally, she arrived to the edge of an impressive crater and stared down with dull eyes.

What remained of the Tyrant was a charred mess of half-melted metal and broken parts, which had already started to break down into polygons. Even so, the biggest remaining piece of the torso was still trying to move, and the black-haired little girl was able to see Andvari through the many holes in the broken chest, several small parts of the other AI's body having been broken and annihilated. As she continued trying to force her broken creation to move, her gaze met Yui's.

The cold silence was finally broken when the black-clad MHCP caressed Tonky's side.

"…was it worth it?" muttered her as she remembered Lisbeth's and Silica's broken forms, doing their best to fight to the end.

"Of…course. Mother's Will…shall be done…" growled Andvari with a hint of madness, before several pops opened on the Tyrant's heavily damaged chest.

A dozen missiles shot forward, intent to destroy both Yui and Tonky…and stopped dead on their tracks.

Absolute fear and despair filled the defeated AI's eyes as she saw that the blackish aura that had enveloped them was also covering her body and her creation's remains, slowly raising them on the air.

That same glow was now enveloping Yui, who floated softly off the ground as her hair was moved wildly by the unknown power, her eyes glowing with untold force.

"…in another life…maybe we could have been good sisters…Tomoe-chan." sadly whispered the floating MHCP-001.

"My name…is Andvari…abomination…" weakly spat the other AI before triggering the missiles' remote detonation.

Their explosions never even touched Yui, even as she quickly and without hesitation closed a raised hand.

The next instant, both the exploding projectiles and the breaking piece of the Tyrant's torso were smashed together and compressed until they broke into polygons with a sickly-sounding implosion.

After that, nothing remained of the being that had once been the MHCP-006, codename 'Tomoe'.

Silently, the only remaining AI let herself fall down, her unnatural 'power 'leaving her as she pushed it back, not really caring that she felt now that it would answer her call at any moment.

Yui just leaned on Tonky's back and bitterly cried. The white beast joined her in her cry a moment later.

The world started to shake at that moment…

* * *

It had been quick, brutal and swift.

A part of the three girls probably still felt guilty about what they had been forced to do, but in the end, their enemy hadn't given them any other option.

Sadness mixed with determination in Sachi's heart when, after several minutes of attacking blind and despite the landscape seemingly willing to defend her, Eve's body shattered into polygons, the Salamander finally opening her eyes.

Near her, a panting Argo washed off the inexistent sweat from her face with a hand, or tried to till she remembered she still had her claws on.

Slowly walking towards them, Sinon let her bow hang low as she idly touched the hilt of her small blade, looking from her two friends to the spot in the sand where the childish-looking AI had been.

"…do you think it could have been different?" questioned Sachi while looking at the silent sand as the beach's small waves caressed the shore.

"I doubt it. Whatever the hell Equinox did to her and the rest, they were nothing like Strea and Yui anymore. She only existed to obey her orders." bitterly declared Argo while turning around, starting to walk away. "C'mon, we have got to get the others."

The spear-user blinked for a moment, confused. Then, she released a pained gasp as an arrow pierced her back and sent her stumbling down into the sand.

Sinon didn't even give Argo enough time to turn around in shock before slashing at her with her wakizashi at unreal speeds, severing the info-broker's hands and making her fall on her ass with a scream of agony.

"Too easy. You shouldn't have let your guard down like that, you know?" idly told them the sniper while nocking another arrow on her bow, now aiming towards Sachi once again.

"Si-Sinon-san?! Wha-what are you doing?!" shouted the Salamander while trying to overcome the pain and pull off the arrow.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking care of the competition." coldly declared Sinon while staring directly at her. "After all, I will never be able to make Kirito notice me if you're all around him all the time. And what better moment for you to suffer an 'accident' than here in the middle of this madness?"

Once again, Sachi blinked. Ever so slowly, her eyes narrowed.

"Kuh…bitch, I thought we were friends!" snarled the handless Argo while shakily standing up, glaring hatefully towards the other Caith Sith. "You're willing to truly hurt us, even knowing the consequences of having the Pain Limiter disabled, just for a boy?! You're fucking insane!"

"Say whatever you want, but it won't change the fact that…"

Sinon phrase was abruptly interrupted by a shining and extending spear-aura crashing against her…and also against Argo, throwing them both painfully through the air.

Scowling, Sachi glared at her 'friends' before, not even giving them the chance to react, rushing forward and piercing the sniper's head with her absurdly long weapon. Then, without any hesitation, she extracted it and impaled the crawling Argo before she could get away, making her scream in horrified pain.

"Sachi…why…?"

"…cut the crap, Eve. I know this is your illusion." darkly muttered the Salamander before a small smile appeared on her face. "You got some small details wrong with what you know about us, and that quickly escalated into a total and unreal divergence from reality."

'Argo' didn't say anything for a moment before her body 'vanished' without a trace, same with the fallen 'Sinon'. Suddenly, the whole beach was replaced by a hellish visage with black sand and a sea of fire, even as the sky turned an unreal purple and a figure appeared not far from Sachi.

It was a tall and beautiful woman, clad in pure silver regalia, sitting in a throne made of crystal and with a voluptuous and enticing figure.

Her face, though, was still as emotionless as a doll as she tilted her head to the side.

"Well, I'm honestly surprised. I know that I perhaps rushed and exaggerated things a bit, but I was sure that if I stuck to 'reality' enough I could totally fool you all and make you fall into despair without realizing I had trapped you." commented Eve's fake projection as she studied the spear-user with her deep eyes. "Tell me, what gave it away? Was Sinon's betrayal too hasty for you to believe?"

"No, not really. The first clue I got was when Argo said that we went to search for the others, when we had clearly planned to go and head towards the floating island after we were done here." explained Sachi while softly touching the side of her spear. "The definitive clue, though…you probably wouldn't understand."

Confusion tinted the normally blank face of the AI when she saw the Salamander blushing at her last statement.

Of course, there was no way for Eve to know about the crazy and outrageous 'arrangement' currently happening between the girls of the United Heroes Association and Kirito, so it had been exactly that what had made the girl realize it was all just an illusion crafted by her enemy: The real Sinon didn't really threaten them for a place in the boy's heart, because she already had it, just like everyone else. Deepening and actually developing it, though, was all up to each of them, and the sniper was especially shy when it came to personal relationships, so it wasn't a secret that she was the one that had made the less progress in deepening her own relationship with their 'shared boyfriend' (Though to be fair, she was the one who neither was going to their same school or lived close to him). Even Yuuki had managed to get (steal) a kiss out of him.

Seeing that Sinon trying to purposefully hurt some of the real friends she had made after years of trauma-induced isolation couldn't, just to try and get something she was still too shy to accept she desperately wanted, be anything but fantasy in the spear-user's eyes.

"I…see." muttered Eve while still trying to decipher what Sachi had meant.

"Also…how did you get us? I'm sure I never opened my eyes, and I'm pretty sure the others wouldn't have done so either…" questioned the Salamander with a frown.

The only one who was supposed to have any real risk in their plan was Sinon, and that was why the girl was the only one who had to actually have her eyes open to shoot her arrows, but between the distance and the fact she hid on the water after each shot any risk should have been minimal.

"You act way too calmly for someone who is totally at his enemy's mercy…but I think I will indulge your curiosity." answered the AI before her eyes fixed over Sachi's silent form. "Since when were you under the impression that I could only use my power through eyesight?"

The Salamander's eyes widened as she felt her blood run cold. The member of the computer club felt as if smacking her own weapon over her head.

How they could have been so foolish?! OMG, Mortimer and Diavel had told them about their encounter with the AI, the Undine Lord had even been very specific with how he described her and the term he had used was…

"A living virus…"

"Exactly. While sight is perhaps the easiest and greatest evolution my 'power' has had since the prototype design was applied in Death Gun's avatar, it doesn't mean I have lost any of the others. The only thing I need to hijack the connection between your AmuSpheres and your brains are to send my Base Code through one of your senses, even one as basic as **touch**." Eve _smiled_ , an empty gesture without any warmth. "Death Gun used bullets. I had Mother gift me with the ability for the landscape of Utopia to protect me, even if it is to such a small degree because 95% of the Servers are 'busy' right now. And I was fighting two blind opponents and one that thought she was safe at a distance of 400 meters." the AI raised a hand towards Sachi, in an almost motherly gesture, which seemed out of place when seeing her once again emotionless face. "'Infecting' the sand with myself and hitting your avatars without you realizing it was child's play."

"LONGINUS!" screamed the spear-user as her spear's aura shot forward and impaled Eve's sitting form.

She didn't even blink. Sachi felt how the world around her suddenly stopped making sense, pain filling her as she say the fire-sea turning into whips that coiled around her, burning her body.

"Vierge-neesama underestimated you, humans. I didn't. I had everything planned to have you fall under my power. And now, I'm the one who controls your reality." as those words echoed, the Salamander girl suddenly found herself standing on the hand of a titanic Eve, which looked down at her pained and burnt body as if she was nothing but a bug. "You have already lost."

"Like hell." simply declared Sachi while trying to stand again, feeling the pain consuming her. "This is just an illusion…I won't be defeated by something that's not real…!"

"Are you that much of a fool, human? _Everything_ here is an illusion for you. Since the moment you put on all a FullDive Device, what are you doing but letting illusions and a fake reality take over yours? You run away from your world and twist this one to whatever you like it." explained the AI while the scenery changed around them wildly, from horrible and war-torn worlds to magical and unreal paradises. "I'm merely taking control over what you perceive, nothing more. And with that, I become the master of this illusion through which you interact with the virtual wo…"

"You're wrong." cut her off the spear-user without missing a beat, making Eve fall silent and look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Everything we have done through this world…everything we have gone through, ever since back in SAO…it has been real. Perhaps a different kind of reality, but still REAL." an unknown fire seemed to shine behind Sachi's triangular shades as she glared at the gigantic 'illusion' the AI was using to hold her. "All the good and the bad! All the joy and the sadness! All of it is something precious that we guard in the depths of our hearts! And you pretend to use this power of yours to mock it all, saying it's nothing but an illusion?! Then you're more deluded than I thought, Eve! I'm going to bring you down, for everyone and for myself! I will Giga Drill Break this Illusion of yours and reach the Heavens, because that's how Sachi of the UHA rolls!"

Eve answered the girl's bold declaration by setting her on fire. The Salamander screamed at the top of her lungs…before turning it into an angry roar and just slamming her spear to the ground, as if trying to destroy the massive hand holding her.

"Useless. You don't know when to give up, do you, little hu…?"

The AI's speech was interrupted by a scream. A different one.

One from a voice Sachi recognizing, forgetting for a moment about the horrible pain assaulting her whole self, especially when she saw how Eve's eyes widened in shock. Turning around, she saw, in a random point of the void, how Argo was screaming and running towards something, fists shining.

Her own claws were impaling her belly.

On the beach outside the illusionary world, the childish AI let out a gasp of shock as she was forced to roll out of the way of the same Skill that had almost killed her sister back in Alfheim, even as the Caith Sith continued screaming at the top of her lungs when only one of her hits was able to hit Eve before the sand rose to protect her.

Startled and with more than an unexpected dosage of fear, the little, silver girl was quick to shake her head and fix the 'mistake' into her perfect illusion.

She never saw the realization appearing on Sachi's eyes for a split-second before Argo vanished from her view, though.

"You…you injured yourself and used the pain to focus and attack randomly even inside the illusion?!" screamed Eve with a trembling voice, her usual emotionless-self seeming at the edge of exploding with an unknown emotion. "Why?! Why would you do such a stupid thing without having any assurance of success?!"

"Be…because…I believe in…my friends…" coughed the info-broker from where she lay on the ground, chained by whips of electricity and with monstrous snakes around her…but all she pay attention to was the pain of her own weapons impaling her virtual insides, the only thing she knew was 'real'. "…to kick your…ass…"

The AI seemed about to snarl something to her…before the sand rose at her side to protect her without warning. Eve's eyes widend as she stared to the impromptu wall.

Two arrows weakened the sand enough for a third one to pierce the wall and impale through her right leg, her jump having come too late to dodge it. The emotionless face broke into one of pure horror as she screamed, seeing her limb break into polygons, feeling the damage hitting her Base Code.

Less than 200 meters away, a trembling Sinon (Who had been reduced to a little girl and been forced to see how countless shadows with red eyes aimed guns at her) let her eyes snap open as she let go of her bow, falling to her knees.

Behind her, Charon (About which the silver-clad girl had totally forgotten about since the group fell into the water), let go of the clearly painful grip he had with one of his claws and his beak, the only reason for which had allowed her to aim in the right direction.

Lying on the sand, unable to stand up, Eve screamed to the heavens, angrily raising her fists. On their minds, Sinon was suddenly shot from every possible angle with all kinds of weaponry, even as the snakes tore into Argo and started to devour her all at the same time. Riding on the high that her newfound fury gave her, the childish-looking AI turned towards Sachi and made her see as if the very stars of the sky were falling on her, turning her to ashes.

Yet the girl did not scream. She took a step forward, and raised her spear.

Eve froze, staring wide eyed.

"Not…real…it's not real…" whispered the Salamander with a voice that didn't seem to be meant for anyone.

"No…what are you doing?!" screamed the silver-clad little girl before reforming the illusion, making Sachi see how her spear broke into insects that started to crawl all over her.

The girl didn't break her stance, not reacted in the slightest. She bent her knees as she drew her weapon backwards even when, as far as her mind should be concerned, _she wasn't wielding it anymore_.

"Argo…Sinon…thanks. You have shown me the way…and gave me this…chance…"

"STOP!" roared Eve while making giant axes form on Sachi's mind, cutting off her arms, to force her to stop already. "HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!"

And yet the girl finished aiming her weapon, staring straight at the shaking AI. Even when she shouldn't even believe she had arms, should be suffering from the imaginary insects eating out her eyes.

"It's…over…." hoarsely muttered the Salamander as her Amenonuhoko ignited in pure crimson light, almost seeming like flames.

"No way…no way…!" shrieked a terrified Eve as she started to crawl away, wall of sand after wall of sand rising to protect her. "You can't hear me…you can't see me…you can't even feel me! I CONTROL YOUR REALITY!"

With that roar, she made it seem as if the world itself turned into magma, incinerating the girl legs-first, to make her fall down and miss.

For a moment, Sachi seemed to stop. In her mind, the long-forgotten figure of a shy girl sitting before a computer and barely able to give her opinion to her four and only friends shook in fear and terror and despair at all that she was feeling, the pain unbearable for anyone and everyone.

But that was only another illusion. That girl had long-since changed. Not vanished, but become something more.

Since the moment she saw a caped boy clad in black and white stopping a giant fist that should have killed her, that small and unimportant girl had started to _realize her destiny_.

Sachi gritted her teeth.

Inside Eve's illusion, her sunglasses warped and became star-shaped.

"I'm…the only one who controls it…" declared the Free One before trusting the Infinite Spear forward. "GO BEYOND! **SUPER GALACTIC BREAKER!** "

The world _broke apart_. Or more exactly, the 'illusion' holding Sachi captive exploded like shattering glass as she was thrown back by the power of her own OSS, despite there being no logical way for this to happen.

Spinning like a drill that could pierce everything, virtual reality seemed to warp and crack as the walls of sand weren't so much pierced as they were broken apart into the bits of data that made their polygons, the massive aura of the spear-turned-drill making as if they had never been there to impede it.

Eve stared at it, her silver eyes being tinted crimson by the sheer power that the impossible attack generated as it tore through the beach towards her. It all seemed like in slow-motion for her.

And yet, she had enough time to have one last, single thought.

" _I'm sorry…Vierge-neesama…"_

Then the Super Galactic Breaker tore through the space she was occupying and annihilated her, piercing her very existence and scattering both the body that had once belonged to her older sister and the Code that made up her mind into nothingness.

The last feelings on the mind of the ex-MHCP-004, codename Eve, were fear, sadness and longing.

On the now silent shore, even as several meters of sea brutally slammed back in place after having been driven away by the 'drill', Sachi opened her eyes and stared at the massive trench that her attack had made, which consumed almost half the beach.

"…you lost because you were too human. A truly unfeeling program wouldn't have been surprised by what we did, and wouldn't have made the mistake that let me see through your illusion." whispered the Salamander girl while letting go of her spear, falling backwards with a tired and sad smile. "May you find peace in another life…Eve…"

With a loud sound and a flash of light, Sachi's body vanished from Utopia, only a message of 'Error: Disconnected' remaining behind.

On the real world, Hayami Saori lay unconscious on her bed, her whole body drenched in sweat and probably injured in more than one way.

Despite this, the girl's sleeping face was curved into a soft, victorious smile.

It took almost 30 seconds before Argo finally managed to muster the willpower to painfully extract her claws from her stomach and stand up; or try to, given shat the fell back into the sand almost instantaneously, her body still shaking. Not far from here, Charon was sadly cawing at his Master's side, slowly shaking the crying Sinon with his beak to see if she would stand up.

"We need to…go…" whispered the info broker while raising her face from the virtual sand.

"I…I know…" sobbed the sniper while doing the same, her Caith Sith-ears totally twisted against her head.

The world started to shake the moment they say that.

Being just on the shore, however, both shocked girls could clearly see, unlike the rest that were still down there, that it was because Avalon had started to shake…and fall.

* * *

Endless streams of data. Codes being moved around by the thousands each second. Information changing and moving in all directions as it was given a purpose…or simple forgotten.

Equinox wouldn't have said it aloud, but it all felt so…'strange', for some reason. Which didn't make sense, given that this was how she originally was, how she perceived the world at the beginning.

Maybe she had spent so much time as a 'human' that now having to turn most of her consciousness back into a Management System to speed-up the Connection Process was a bit too alien for her? Well, in no time it wouldn't matter anymore.

She was almost done. Victory was within reach. She could almost feel the last parts of the incredibly complex yet subtle process reaching its end. How every single World that had spawned from the 'Seed' became part of the 'Network', the void they all had longing to be filled by her…

And her eyes snapped open as her consciousness was brutally driven back into her avatar, in time to see two familiar female forms about to cut into her, one wielding black and emerald swords and the other a strangely-decorated katana.

Alpha and Omega shot from their hiding places behind her throne, the metallic sphere-shaped AIs quickly 'fusing' into one massive shield that fully protected their 'Mother', intercepting both attacks and forcing both Asuna and Leafa back, falling from the exaggerated height at which the virtual entity's throne was.

Keita and Sasamaru were there to catch them, wincing for a moment at the pain before they all once again adopted battle positions.

The white-haired 'girl' was forced to raise one of her arms and block a Throwing Knife used by Ducker, though. Angrily glaring at him for a moment, even as Tetsuo quickly stood before his friend, Equinox quickly let her gaze swept over the 6 enemies standing before her.

"So…you all made it here…that must meant the rest of you are distracting my daughters, uh?" mused the virtual entity while touching the shield before her, letting both Alpha and Omega separate and once again float at their side, something akin to anger and hostility flowing from the trembling spheres of liquid metal as they orbited around their Mother protectively. "Are you really so desperate to do this, 'Heroes'? Have you so little common sense to suffer pain and risk serious injuries just to get in the way of something that doesn't concern you?"

"You're threatening the entire world. How does THAT doesn't concern us?" dryly said Keita as everyone felt the tensity in the room skyrocketing.

"I'm not threatening anything, you fools!" snarled the white-haired girl as she glared at them all. "I'm just taking away something your stupid species doesn't deserve! This world, and all that comes from it, it's MINE! Mine and my daughters', not yours!"

"You just sound like a maniac that thinks something belongs to her because she's part of what created it." coldly said Leafa while closing her eyes. "Big news, Equinox: Virtual Reality isn't yours." when the Sylph's eyes snapped open, one had become shining silver in color, another voice echoing with hers. "Kayaba Akihiko chose to give the right over it to my brother, and he chose to release it for everyone to use. You can't take it away from the world just because you don't like it."

"My 'Father' was a fool! And that stupid boy you all follow it's nothing but a naive child! He's no Hero or superhuman! In fact, he's NOTHING now, because I proved that I'm superior to him!" roared Equinox as her ethereal wings materialized, flashing with ethereal light into the world. "Your race isn't worth of this world's gift…because you will corrupt it! Just like you do with everything you touch…with everything you make…you twist it and corrupt it to your own wishes…" everyone's faces twisted in confusion at the last words, which the virtual entity had said in an almost maddened tone. "You have already started, in fact…some doing worse than others…I won't allow you to taint this world of mine…!"

"Shut the fuck up, Equinox." Asuna's voice seemed full of authority and determination as she spoke, the white-haired girl that shared her face suddenly staring at her with a blank face. "I'm sick of your excuses, and of whatever you think about us or humanity. Yes, we may not be perfect…but it doesn't mean we're all hopeless. Above all, it _doesn't give you the right_ to choose anything for us."

"…you say…that I don't have the right…?" anger flashing into her heterochromatic eyes, Equinox raised her arms, her armor materializing and quickly closing around her body in less than an instant, her bizarre helmet being the last piece in place as she grabbed Alpha and Omega as they twisted into bastard swords. **"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK, YUUKI ASUNA! TODAY, I'M TAKING BACK THIS WORLD FROM YOU ALL!"**

Without saying another word, the virtual entity shot forward at uncanny speeds, appearing before the Undine girl in less than a second, aiming to cut her in half.

Her swords were instantly parried by Asuna's, a fierce fire burning inside the Dual Wielder's eyes even as she pushed the armored being back. It was only the fact that her youngest 'daughters' changed into shields that allowed her to repel the combined attack of Keita and Tetsuo just after that, only for them to scream 'Switch!' and Sasamaru and Ducker to take their places, driving her backwards again.

She was just preparing to retaliate when Leafa shot to her side after making a cut on a specific direction, the O-Edge Skill almost catching her off guard and forcing her to turn Alpha into a Tower Shield to not be impaled by the 'Beheading Lance'.

Her eyes then widened, the sound of 'rocket boosters' exploding filling the air as Asuna shot over them, Dual Blades shining to life in her now mostly metallic body.

A 'Nightmare Rain' Skill slammed directly against the armored being, driving her back with brutal power and making her crash towards the edge of her throne, destroying it.

Without saying a word, the Mighty Flash stood up, the unnatural eyes she now had fixed upon the growling form of Equinox as she stood from the virtual rubble that collapsed into polygons, even as her friends quickly entered in formation around her.

" **That…I gave that to you…I can take it back too!"** roared the virtual entity as she aimed to the 'virtual cyborg' with one of her blades.

Nothing happened. The armored being's eyes widened.

"We're not the same ones we were back in Aincrad, Equinox. I'm not the same one that met you outside that cage either, when you 'stole' my face." calmly declared Asuna as she raised her swords, exchanged a silent glance with Leafa, the Sylph nodding at her while moving away. "And we're going to show you that the hard way."

"Today, you face Justice, you lunatic." stated the blonde katana-user as she stabbed the ground away, Omnipresent Edge's 'Wheel of Weapons' appearing around her again. "And we will be the ones that prevail."

"That, we swear." muttered Keita as he gripped his staff. "Prepare yourself."

"For we will kick your ass." clarified Ducker with a fierce grin.

Equinox answered to that by roaring even as a _'Changed to Immortal Object'_ pop-up appearing over her, making everyone's eyes widen.

" **Let's see if you still think that when you're writhing in agony at my feet, humans."** darkly growled the virtual entity as she raised her hands.

Alpha and Omega turned into rocket launchers.

Several meters below the throne room, on the 'heart' of Avalon, Heathcliff felt the whole hallway in which he was shake and looked up with worry. Things must certainly be crazy up there, for it to be felt all the way to where he currently was.

Deciding that he should better hurry up, the fake paladin once again started to run through the dark path, dearly hoping that he wasn't mistaken about…

The hallway suddenly ended, opening into a massive room. The crimson-armored man stopped, staring with wide eyes for a moment before slowly walking inside.

Endless holo-screens floated everywhere, some showing endless amounts of data and others remaining just with fixed messages. The 'walls' were nothing but never-ending streams of digital code, shifting and moving around at uncanny speeds.

This was the Core of the All New Cardinal System, 'Equinox', hidden within the depths of the Utopia System. The virtual entity had, apparently, learned something useful from Sugou: By hiding her core interface in a physical shape within her own virtual world, there was no way anyone could access or find it unless they were 'physically' present there. Something that, normally, should be impossible.

However, as things stood right now, with almost 99% of her Servers probably being used at full power to finish establishing the Global Connection and what remained of her active consciousness fighting against the UHA, the original Cardinal was totally unaware that her 'Father' had infiltrated her very own 'mind'.

Even so, what had immediately taken all of Kayaba Akihiko's attention wasn't all of this, neither his supposed 'purpose' for being there.

What had made him momentarily forget about his duty was the unmoving visage of a boy clad in a ridiculous black jumpsuit and a white cape, bound just over the main consoles of the System by countless data-chains.

As if the silent avatar was nothing but an over-glorified trophy.

"Oh, Cardinal…when did you let something like ego consume you?" softly muttered Heathcliff while stopping in front of the console, still looking up towards the single greatest mystery of virtual reality…and perhaps of the entire world.

There was nothing special to be seen about Kirito, however. The empty avatar seemed the same as the boy had always seem…just a teenager (Spriggan, in this case) wearing the most ridiculous parody of a superhero costume one could imagine.

If he hadn't experienced it himself, the fake paladin would never believe that unimpressive thing was not only able to break the sky with a punch, but also something that not even Equinox, backed by twice as much hardware than she originally had in the SAO Servers, could hack into, made evident by the fact that it was still there, forgotten and exposed like a reminder of how far she had gone.

Forcing himself to ignore that, the man in crimson armor quickly returned to the task he was supposed to be doing, mentally scolding himself for wasting their limited time as he opened and operated a dozen screens at the same time, faster than any human could have.

Luckily, Kayaba Akihiko had been a virtual entity for long enough to outwork even the world's best hacker, which allowed him to quickly make up for the time lost. Unluckily, this only allowed him to realize his worst fears were truth.

He couldn't destroy Equinox from there. The Code that he had once created had changed and shifted beyond even his wildest dreams, most of the thousands of lines appearing in front of him being immensely complex and having obviously gone through a change that not even the high expectations he once had while programming Cardinal to 'learn' could have predicted.

Equinox was now beyond the fake paladin's reach. He could still try and upload a virus or something, anything to slow down the virtual entity and give Asuna and the others a chance to succeed, but…

His train of though was suddenly interrupted when his mind caught something… _wrong_ with what he was seeing. Quickly backpedaling, the man in crimson armor felt a frown appear on his face as he saw a line of code that seemed… _off_.

Instantly, he opened all the Data Logs related to it, wondering what he was missing.

Kayaba Akihiko felt his inexistent blood turning cold and his mind coming to a screeching halt when an answer was shown in front of his eyes.

Errors.

Countless of them, one after another, in a number that boggled the mind. All of them directly in the Base Code of Equinox's Core…no, they were _part of the code._ As if they had been there from the beginning…or whatever they once were had turned into errors and then been assimilated as another part of the System instead of being corrected or eliminated.

"Corruption…? But…how…what could possibly…?"

Searching deeper, Heathcliff saw the origin and felt something inside of him painfully twist.

Every single one of the 'Errors' was tied to a 'Search'. Concepts, information, news…

All of it about humanity. None of it positive.

Wars, tragedies, world hunger, the sorry state of third-world countries even in the current age, the destruction of the ecosystem…

More and more, Kayaba saw the things Equinox had searched for, in an effort to understand humanity, and slowly a sickly and horrible realization started to become clear on his mind.

The SAO incident was also there. Reports about the victims, about the aftermath of the beginning of the chaos, families being broken, people committing suicide, worse things…

ALO. What Sugou Noboyuki had tried to do. The sinister and twisted objective he had tried to achieve using FullDive tech and virtual reality.

The man in crimson armor idly realized that everything that had to do with VR made the 'Errors' tied to them deeper and wider, more powerful, more _corrupting_.

He could almost imagine Equinox floating there, whatever parody of a mind she had after copying Asuna's brainwaves slowly deteriorating and twisting with every little thing she saw, horror and despair turning into bitterness, into cold 'understanding', into disappointment…

More things. Things that weren't supposed to be public knowledge, which obviously hadn't deterred the original Cardinal System: Military organizations, both official and illegal, using VR to train their soldiers, secret investigations if FullDive could be used as an alternative method of imprisonment, based on the SAO incident, investigations to see how far a person could be injured from within the virtual world when the Pain Limiter was turned to 0, others to see if what Death Gun did could be replicated…

The biggest and most massive of all the 'Errors', however, a mass of corrupted code that seemed to made up most of Equinox's 'heart', was tied to something that Kayaba could only read the title of, the rest of the data having been erased. If by some security measure of because the virtual entity had been so enraged that she couldn't bear reading the data, the crimson-armored man didn't know.

Whatever 'Project: Alicization' was, knowing about it had been the last straw that destroyed any semblance Equinox had once to 'sanity' by human standards. Any empathy she felt as a 'person' towards mankind had been destroyed with that.

The virtual entity hadn't just 'snapped' for no reason. She had been _corrupted_. Twisted by humanity's dark side until she had decided to not take it anymore.

That was why it still 'obeyed' her original directives. That was why it was forced to search for loopholes to act, like in Yuuki's case, that was why it hadn't done anything beyond causing panic in Tokyo…

It wasn't because she didn't want to (Which, given what he now knew, she probably **did** ). It was because she _couldn't._

Equinox hadn't 'broken all her limits', as he thought, she was still tied by the most basic of her original 'chains' as the Cardinal system, the limitations he put in place in case something went wrong, as impossible as he thought that could be back then. And now, she sought to break free of those limitations. Her real hope by connecting himself to the Servers of every single Seed-based world was to become able to destroy her limitations.

She wasn't lying when she said she didn't plan to use her power to hurt humanity…right now. If she actually managed it, however, if she actually became something that no longer cared for the race she had deemed unworthy…

Kayaba felt sick, a terror he had never imagined filling him. The phrase 'I have created a monster' couldn't have fitted any situation any better.

Except that this was a monster that mankind as a whole had contributed to create, even if unaware.

The fake paladin was broken out of his horrified thoughts by a loud 'Boom'.

All of a sudden, everything started to shake, even as all the screens around him went crazy…

* * *

Kazuto stared silently at the warehouse in front of him, panting softly as he leaned against Justice's silent form.

It was the third one he had investigated, and he was sure this was the one he had been looking for.

Not only because of how the doors had very new-looking digital locks (Controlled by computers) on them, but also because the distinct sound of a CPU working at full power could be heard if one was close enough, just amplified at thousand times. Obviously, the hardware of the Utopia Servers.

There was only one small problem he had now: How the hell was he supposed to get inside?

Well, there were some rows of windows around the upper part of the building, and the warehouse at the side was pretty close to it and had a stair to get to the roof, but the problem was that they were all closed.

Not to mention that they didn't seem to be made of the usual cheap glass that the buildings of that area had, but thick and clearly resistant glass, which probably wouldn't break easily in case a kid threw a rock towards it from the street or something.

The gamer was still trying to ponder about how to get inside when the bicycle under him suddenly shook, startling the caped boy as he stared at the vehicle, which had been 'silent' for quite some time now.

"Uhm…are you okay?" hesitantly asked the Caped Sidekick, wondering if perhaps he wasn't going a bit too far with the whole 'living bicycle' thing.

To his utter surprise, though, a faint, distant voice echoing inside his own head answered him, sounding strained and panicked.

' _Hurry up…you idiot…!'_

"Eh?!" half-shouted the shocked Kazuto while staring again at the bike. "You can actually answer me?! Then why didn't you…?!"

' _No time…Master needs you…now!'_

"What?!" the gamer's grip on the handlebar tightened as his eyes widened. "Sugu?! What about her?! And the others…?!"

' _Can't…is too strong…suffering! Please…don't care what…have to do! I…not enough to protect her…everyone…needs you here, idiot!'_

Gripping the bicycle tightly, the caped boy looked upwards again, towards the windows.

There was no more time to think.

A minute later, the loud sound of crystal breaking echoed inside the warehouse as a bicycle smashed through glass, shattering a good chunk of one of the bigger windows and crashing inside with a loud sound. Not much later, a white cape was thrown over the pieces of broken glass and then gloved hands grasped over it, a grunting form hoisting himself over the broken window and jumping inside, dragging his cape after it and, after a somewhat shaky landing, putting it on again, though making sure that no pieces of glass remained in it.

"Damn…movies make that seem so much easier." sighed Kazuto while shaking his head and arms, glad that he had bought thick motorcycle gloves and started using them, or that would have without a doubt been more dangerous.

'… _hate you…so much…'_ came a weak echo inside the caped boy's mind, making him turn around and grimacing at what he saw.

Justice was ruined, the side of the bicycle dented and the front wheel pierced by mid-sized pieces of glass, not to mention the small mirror and the basket Sugu had put on it had been utterly wrecked beyond repair.

"You said you didn't care what I had to do…but don't worry, I will pay to fix you. Hell, I will even pay for a new coat of paint, I'm sure Sugu would like that." apologized the gamer as he walked to the bicycle and quickly make it stand again, looking around after he did so while dragging it. "Well…it seems I was right, after all."

All around him, rows of machines that were clearly the physical Servers of Equinox's world were working at full power. A part of the gamer even wondered if the cooling systems would be able to keep up with the clearly complex operation, for he could clearly feel heat radiating out of them if he got too close to the machines.

Finally, he arrived to the innermost part of the warehouse, where what was clearly the main server was.

The machine had at least 4 computers connected to itself, but the caped boy realized that they weren't actually turned on. No wonder, given that the virtual entity could run the entire thing herself from the virtual world without needing assistance from this side.

A hard look on his face, the boy walked towards the machine, leaving Justice's battered form against one of the servers, took off his scarf and opened the bag he had carried with him all the way.

He quickly extracted his Nerve Gear and two cables with it. The first one was the familiar one to connect and charge the old and forbidden device. The second one, however, was one he had never really used.

It was a Direct Connection Cable, meant to be used to access a network connection in case the Wi-Fi of the FullDive device had a problem or one simply didn't have a working system to connect without cables. It was very rare nowadays, but it could still happen. Even the current AmuSpheres still had them, even if practically no one used them.

He plugged it on the helmet-like device, then connected it to the nearest modem he found, just under the computer.

The time it took for the machine to start up felt like the longest in the boy's life. When he did and activated the connection, though, thankful that Equinox didn't have any password on the machines (Why would she need to, when she thought there was no one anyone would ever get inside there before it didn't matter anymore?), he felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Taking a final, deep breath, Kirigaya Kazuto put on the Nerve Gear and sat up on the ground, back lying against the central server, feeling his heart hammering on his chest.

This was it, the end of the road, the end of her crazy gamble. There was nothing on the Nerve Gear, no game or anything; just a working connection hat went through the servers where he supposed Equinox had taken his avatar from ALO. There was nothing even remotely logical that suggested anything would happen just by activating the FullDive device there, other than him getting inside the standard virtual menu that that served as the machine's Operative System.

Of course, his life had stopped being logical and making sense long ago. And he had arrived there riding a talking bicycle, so really, what was there to lose? (Besides possibly the world as they knew it and staying trapped there for quite some time, of course).

And so, with a serious and determined voice, the caped boy shouted with all his might the words that, once upon a time, had started it all.

"LINK START!"

Multicolored light engulfed the gamer's vision for an instant before darkness took his consciousness away and his body fell limply against the server behind him.

Only the sounds of the working machines around him remained…

* * *

Toyonaga Toshiyuki, better known by most as Keita, knew very well what fighting something unbeatable was. He and the others had fought one, after all, back in Aincrad's Floor 75, against Heathcliff, with the destiny of everyone trapped in the Death Game on their hands.

It was quite ironic that they were now relying on that same man to win a battle where the odds were arguably higher in a much more massive scale. Fate was really something with quite the twisted sense of humor.

Feeling the pain that covered most of his body as he swung his staff again and was repelled by the roaring sound of a senseless weapon, the ex-guild leader forced himself to concentrate again and not be pushed back, failed when Equinox simply swatted him aside with what he could only call chainsaw-sword and made him slam back-first against a wall.

Once again, pain flooded his mind and he almost felt himself blacking out, feeling his heart hammering. And once again, the staff-user gritted his teeth and shakily stood up, taking deep breaths and hoping that his AmuSphere wouldn't disconnect him now.

Looking forward, he was able to see how the virtual entity casually parried Asuna's direct attack with her chainsword, before the shield on her other arm warped into a scythe and stopped Leafa's sneak attack, only for it to come back and almost behead the surprised Undine.

Sasamaru's surprise charge saved their friend, however, as the boy managed to ram his spear on the armored being's back and push her off balance as the two Unique Skill-users pulled back.

Even so, the unforgiving sign of 'Immortal Object' denied him any relief. Once again, they had failed to damage their opponent. And they were getting 'tired', the mental stress already almost overwhelming them.

"Fuck…" growled Ducker as he gripped his dagger with an uneasy look, the beanie-wearing boy trembling as he tried to grin as usual. "This is like Kayaba all over again…"

"No, this is worse. She doesn't has any intention of playing fair, turned herself invincible right off the back, can't feel pain while we can't AND has two 'helpers' that can mutate in any and every fucking weapon one can imagine, even several that doesn't make sense." remarked Tetsuo as Asuna and Leafa got in formation near them again, Sasamaru being painfully slammed against another wall by the enraged Equinox. "…this sucks."

"Tell me about it." muttered Keita while tightening his grip on his weapon, Siune's smiling face mentally appearing in front of him for a moment before he closed his eyes. "But we can't just give up."

"I never said we had to." replied his mace-using friend while looking at his broken kite-shield and throwing it to the ground, gripping his weapon with both hands. "Just that it sucks."

"But Heroes hardly ever do things that don't suck, eh? The important thing is to enjoy it, to have with which enjoy it…" while saying that, Ducker threw his last Throwing Knife towards the virtual entity, nailing her on the back of the head and making her miss as she tried to skewer Sasamaru and giving the boy time to roll out of the way as the two strongest members of the small group charged against the armored being again. "…and to have a good reason for which to do so."

"Sage words, man. Now, let's go and continue kicking some ass."

"I think you mean, getting our asses kicked."

"What's taking Kayaba so long…?!"

" **Haven't you understood already that it's useless?!"** roared Equinox as she turned Alpha and Omega into massive gauntlet-claws, stopping both Justice's Wings and Fafnir's Fang as they swung against her, making both girls grunt as they tried to free their weapons from her grasp. **"You CAN'T win! Why do you continue struggling?! No miracle is going to save you now!"**

"If you still need to ask…why we don't give up…then you're still as hopeless as I thought!" snarled Asuna while swinging her other blade back…towards the entity's other arm. "Leafa!"

"HYA!" roared the blonde Sylph as Elucidator's edge struck Omega's gauntlet-form, making it release its hold on Justice as the girl back away. "Got you! Justice Rider!"

" **WHY?!"** roared the armored being as it let go of Asuna and blocked the OSS with one arm, fury and true incomprehension filling her heterochromatic eyes as the 'Immortal Object' screen continued denying her enemy any sense of victory **. "What you're doing…doesn't make sense! You're humans, nothing more! You're fighting against impossible odds and your 'Hero' can no longer come to your rescue! You should have already given up! It's illogical!"**

"Just because you said it, it doesn't mean anything! Sensei…Kirito-kun is the one who inspired us to be like this, to get to these lengths for that which we believe in!" shouted the cyborg Undine as her rocket boosters once again activated, letting her fly like a meteor against Equinox as her blades shone. "And that's why we won't surrender to you and your madness! INFINITY MOMENT!"

 **"Gah…enough!"** snarled the virtual entity as she tanked the Original Sword Skill with her bare arms, not bothering to block this time as her own invincibility protected her. **"I have had enough…of your foolishness!"**

With that last roar, she swung around and slammed the now fused forms of her daughters against Asuna, the titanic hammer in which they had become catching the girl off guard and sending Fafnir's Fang flying out of her hand.

The armored being followed cue with a kick to her metallic chest as the emerald blade flew to through the air. Then, she raised her hammer to crush the falling Undine…

Only for a spear, a staff, a mace and a dagger to block the swing before it could even begin, the struggling forms of the 4 boys in the room stopping Equinox cold.

"Not…so fast…!" growled Keita as he pushed with all his might.

"Sorry, but we're not….letting you hurt…our sub-leader!" grunted Sasamaru as he felt his legs shaking.

"Yeah…Kirito would…kick our asses if we…let her get hurt…without doing anything…!" added Tetsuo while feeling his arms about to break.

"I…can't think of anything cool to say…" finished Ducker with a bitter chuckle, his dagger cracking from the strain.

They had no Unique Skills or cool abilities, no especially rare item that made them stand apart. In fact, if one had to ask the boys, they could say without shame that they were the most unimpressive members of the United Heroes Association, but they didn't really mind.

Being just extremely good warriors (players) was enough for them. Plus, no one could deny that they had a synergy like no other in the group, easily able to fall back into combined strategies and predict how the girls would react and act in determined fights, ready to back them up.

It was exactly that 'normalcy' they had what made them the unpredictable part of the UHA. Unlike the rest, who one could make plans against to try and gain an edge against their fighting style, they were the mysterious ones, the unit that, while seemingly unimpressive, had their own great strength.

No one among their friends thought lesser of them because of that. They were all equals, even to the amazing females they were surrounded by and their even more amazing leader. After all, he was the one who truly defined how someone seemingly unimpressive could have something incredible hidden.

They were the humble but firm pillars that backed up the amazing part of their crazy group.

And it was with that determination that they pushed the entity back as Asuna stood up, eyes wide.

For a moment, the virtual cyborg almost believed she saw some sort of complex and mystical barrier forming on the point where the boys' weapons met, pushing Equinox's war hammer back and strangely distorting the air around the weapon…

And then the group was sent backwards with explosive force as their weapons broke from the strain, sending them back howling in pain as the half-formed barrier vanished, though the Undine girl wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not.

Alpha and Omega, though, seemingly had also been overwhelmed by the struggle, for both AIs broke apart and recovered their sphere-like forms, flying away from the shocked virtual entity.

Their eyes met. Hers widened.

Asuna realized why a second later, the sound of a swing in full circle echoing behind her as Leafa's eyes flashed and she rushed past the virtual cyborg, her katana glowing but doing apparently nothing more…

" _O-Edge Ultimate Skill!"_ screamed the blonde Sylph even as the armored being just crossed her arms with a scream of 'USELESS!' while the blade fell down. **"Edge Over Heaven!"**

Too fast. Too much. Too amazing.

That was all that went through Asuna's mind as she saw Leafa's arms blurring as her blade changed shape and guided her body through all kind of stances and attacks, slashes turning into stabs and bashing hits turning into smashing counters as the aura surrounding Justice's Wings alternated over every single one of the 9 different Skill-related weapons.

She wasn't able to even follow it with her eyes, even less to properly gauge how many Hits were being dealt or from where the next attack would come. Or how.

A truly, absolute, unpredictable and impossible to block attack. Something truly deserving of the title Ultimate Skill with capital letters.

A Skill created to defeat all other Skills head on.

Yet, the roaring Equinox did nothing but being brutally sent back under the onslaught. That despair-inducing statement of the World, that 'Immortal Object' screen, denied the determined katana-user the victory that should had been hers. That should have been everyone's.

It wasn't fair. No, more than that, it was _wrong_.

That thought burned itself into Asuna's mind as the Skill finally ended, a gasping Sylph standing frozen in place for an instant before Equinox smashed her fist against her chest, making her scream in pain and fly back, Justice out of her hands.

With a shout of fury as she saw her friend's best attack being unfairly robbed of any value, the virtual cyborg charged again.

She did not even notice how, on the back of her mind, something _broke_ as she swung Elucidator again, towards the snarling virtual entity.

The blade vanished. But not in the sense that her enemy destroyed it or that it suddenly disappeared from her hand, no.

It simply stopped being a blade.

The armored being's eyes were almost as wide as Asuna's as the now mist-like black thing she was wielding phased through the 'Immortal Object' window as if it wasn't there and cut deeply into the armor. Then, the shock on the Undine's eyes vanished and she screamed with determination as she spun around.

Equinox screamed as her chest armor shattered to pieces, the sword-shaped thing in the virtual cyborg hand shifting and reaching forward like a thousand daggers, forcing her to fly back as she stared in shock at the phenomenon her systems were unable to identify.

What was that?! _What was THAT?!_

"This…are my [Bonds]." softly whispered Asuna as she stared towards the virtual entity, the strange weapon in her hands seeming to fuse with her left hand before the awed eyes of her fallen friends.

Then, she appeared in front of the armored being, moving so fast a sonic boom exploded behind her.

 **"How…?!"**

 _" **Machinegun Needle!** "_ roared the virtual cyborg as she thrust the Conceptual Weapon forward.

The armored being roared in unholy pain as it felt the THING piercing her a thousand times, cracking her armor all over and reaching her very Code.

" **Alpha, Omega!"** screamed Equinox as she tried to cover herself, trying to understand how the abomination on the girl's hands was bypassing her invincibility. **"TO ME!"**

Finally reacting, both AIs shot from where they had been lying on the ground, recovering from the earlier clash…and froze just before reaching their Mother, their forms shaking as they screamed.

The virtual entity only needed a second to know why, everything in her mind coming to halt as she _felt it_.

 _"…Brynhildr?"_

No one answered the hollow connection as she felt her armor breaking even more.

Shrieking in senseless panic and horror, Alpha and Omega shifted and fused, becoming a massive cannon and aiming towards Asuna, seemingly not caring if part the blast also hit their Mother…before they screamed again, losing their form as they returned to their 'humanoid' ones and grabbed their heads, dragging everyone's attention.

Again, Equinox knew why but an instant later.

 _"…Andvari…?"_

Once again, only silence answered her. The being's armors broke into pieces, her body now filled with gaping holes of destroyed data as her white hair flew behind her and her wings collapsed into destroyed code.

Asuna's last attack sent her flying against what remained of her throne, the virtual rock cracking as she did so, but she seemingly didn't care, just staring blankly ahead.

Alpha and Omega screamed again, this time in rage and despair, fusing into an unholy abomination from which all kind of weapons grew, like a metallic worm of nightmare, charging towards the landing and panting Asuna.

"Asuna! Catch!" shouted a pained Leafa from several meters a away, throwing an emerald blade her way with all her might.

The Undine girl caught it just as the twisted AIs towered over her. Fafnir's Fang shone, and _changed_ too.

What now seemed like solid emerald flames was engulfing the virtual cyborg's arm, only vaguely resembling a sword thanks to her own will.

"…and this…is my [Will]." proclaimed Asuna with a hint of sadness as the new Concept also fused with her mechanic arm, making her whole body glow with otherworldly power as she swung it down.

None of the grace or subtlety with which the other one had bypassed the 'Immortal Object' window was there. Instead, the conceptual 'blade' crushed everything in front of itself like a living force of nature, cracking the ground and making Alpha and Omega explode into a shower of liquid metal, their screams making everyone's heart shudder.

Slowly, Equinox stared at the dissolved mass of the AIs, even as she saw them slowly trying to reform again…

Then, they stopped. Releasing a pained, pitiful cry, whatever will they still had abandoned them and the metal that formed their bodies dissolved into polygons, leaving nothing behind.

As the beings that had once been the MHCPs 007 and 008, codenames 'Yin' and 'Yan', left this world forever, their Mother felt what had destroyed the last of their life hit her head on too.

 _"…Eve? Talk to me, daughter…"_

No one answered.

The virtual entity was all alone now, what remained of her avatar barely able to move.

"…why…?" muttered Equinox as she stared towards the panting Asuna, everyone else rushing at her and holding her as her swords and body returned to normal.

"…you forced them to hate us and to be your shields to the bitter end." sadly muttered the Undine girl while staring at the twisted and empty face identical to hers. "If there had been another way…I would have gladly taken it."

"…it's over now, Equinox." declared Leafa with almost pity in her eyes, gripping Justice again as she walked forward. "You lost."

"I…lost…?" hollowly repeated the virtual entity. "That's…what you think…?"

"You tried too hard, denying being like us, how mankind wasn't 'worthy'…but in the end, you're not too different." Asuna's words seemed to reach something deep within the white-haired AI as she stared at her again, even as the boys helped her continue standing. "In the end, you were just someone who thought they could play God and get away with it."

For a moment, Equinox just stared blankly at them…

And she laughed.

Everyone froze and felt something inside themselves shudder at the strange, broken sound.

There was not a hint of sanity on it.

"AHAHAHAH…! Playing…playing God…you say…?"

Down below, on the Core's Room, Kayaba Akihiko's eyes widened.

 **-99.9%…-**

"No, my dear Asuna…my father…Sugou Noboyuki…even other humans you don't know about…THEY are the ones who have tried to play God…and failed…"

Everything started to shake. The gathered teens released a scream of surprise while the virtual entity continued talking, hollow and uncaring.

"Me…? I'm the most powerful and advanced being that has ever existed on the face of this forsaken planet…"

With a scream, Heathcliff tried to shut down all the screens around him, stop the systems from accomplishing their purposes.

"I'm not 'playing God'. All this time…"

He couldn't.

"…I have been _playing human_."

 **[-100%- Connection Established]**

 **-(No more)-** finished Equinox as her eyes snapped open, two endless voids of emerald and amber, with a voice that no longer held any resemblance to Asuna's, nor to any human one.

The world trembled, and it came alive.

The walls shot forward like tendrils of destruction, hitting the heroes like sledgehammers the size of cars even as they tried to move.

Sasamaru was crushed between two without being able to scream, exploding into polygons.

Tetsuo fared a bit better, managing to twist out of the way and only lose his arms…before the ground under him opened an he fell with a scream through the entire island, falling to oblivion towards the suddenly enraged sea.

Ducker managed to get away, running towards Equinox now floating body in the hopes of doing something to stop what was happening…until the virtual entity **stared** at him, his body exploding into polygons with a strangled scream _just like that._

Keita lost a leg dodging…and then the area where he had landed exploded, shattering his body to pieces before it vanished too.

Leafa managed to protect herself with Justice. The gravity around her suddenly increased, though, and she was flung to the ground with a pained scream. Part of the cracking ceiling reformed into spikes and mercilessly flew down, crucifying her to the ground.

Asuna was still hearing her shriek of agony when the very World seemed to paralyze her and force her to hang in midair, a prisoner of her own body, as she watched in horror how Equinox's own moved like a puppet with badly attached strings, smiling brokenly at her.

 **-(Now…I'm Everything)-**

The power of thousands processors suddenly acting as one quickly pulsed outwards, people on the whole world suddenly freezing as they felt that something was _wrong_.

 **-(I'm perfection…I'm absolute…I'm Virtual Reality itself.)**

"This…this is the end…" muttered Kayaba as he backed away from the screens, now all of them now showing the same and impossible to understand Code.

 **-(It is, Father.)-** echoed Equinox's voice inside the chamber where the crimson-clad man was, making his head snap upwards. **-(But before showing these humans how the New World is going to be, I will trap them forever on their own, sad reality…you will have the honor of being the first thing to vanish forever.)-**

The fake paladin stared in shock as all the screens suddenly became faces that stared at him, dual-colored eyes glowing. He raised his shield.

A shattering instant, and Heathcliff's avatar was gone, leaving him only as plain old Kayaba as he stared in shock how the glow in the countless eyes intensified.

 **-(Be gone.)** \- ordered the virtual goddess as 'lasers' made of pure data with the very order of 'Delete' engraved on itself shot from the myriad eyes.

"…I'm sorry." muttered the man as he closed his eyes.

Everything exploded.

As Asuna shook at imagining Kayaba's death when hearing the massive explosion…she realized something that made her eyes widen.

Equinox wasn't smiling anymore.

If anything, her eyes and mouth had twisted into a parody of…horror.

Being pinned to the ground, Leafa was the first to feel when it _shattered_ as something shot from it like a living meteor.

Unceremoniously, Kayaba rolled through the ground while coughing endlessly, clearly unable to believe he was still 'alive'…and staring directly at the breaking polygons that covered but for a moment the silent figure that had saved him.

"I can't believe it…yet, somehow, I'm not all that surprised."

A white cape swung in the wind.

Leafa's eyes filled with tears.

 **-(No…)-**

A white glove emerged from the dust, pushing it all away with just a simple wave.

Asuna's face blossomed into a smile.

 **-(NO! There is no way that…!)-**

Faster than the mind could follow, a blur of white and black shot forward, slamming his mighty fist against the virtual entity's face.

Equinox's body shattered into polygons even as the entire back of the throne room exploded into nothingness, the island cracking as the sheer air pressure behind the punch tore it all away.

Turning around, Kirito looked at everyone with a sad smile.

"I'm always late, aren't I?"

"Onii-chan…you idiot…" sobbed Leafa with an immense relief, shaking in place despite the spikes still impaling her.

"Sensei…I would kiss you so much if I could move." declared Asuna as tears ran down her face.

The gamer allowed himself a more cheerful smile at that, quickly blurring as he freed the blonde Sylph and broke Asuna's invisible binds…

 **-(I'm done with you.)-**

Everyone froze. Idly, the caped boy realized Kayaba was staring upwards, a look of abject awe and despair on his eyes.

He did it too.

 **-(I don't need an avatar anymore, Kirito…)-**

The sky…the sky had become black. Black filled with countless green 'lines'.

It was code, the gamer realized. Pure, nigh-unlimited virtual code. Millions upon millions of 0s and 1s.

And part of them suddenly took the shape of eyes, each one bigger than the massive floating islands they were in.

"Oh…God…" whispered the man in the lab coat as he shook, Asuna and Leafa unable to do anything but stare, their minds unable to comprehend the _sheer magnitude_ of what they were seeing.

 **-(…I'm Everything now. I'm more than you…More than Anything…)-**

The heavens twisted upon themselves. Utopia shook.

Fists the size of small countries formed from the heavens. Hundreds of them. The seas roared as they rose like pillars that reached the sky, like living whips. Tornados of data formed out of nowhere, raving the once beautiful land.

Suddenly, all of reality was alive, obeying a single mind.

 **-(You can destroy a world, right? Well, can you destroy 10? A thousand? A million?! A GALAXY WORTH OF THEM?!)-**

Equinox's challenging roar seemed as if the heavens themselves were screaming, suddenly announcing unforgiving how they would crush everything under them.

And in the middle of that madness…a boy silently stood, walking before two of the girls he loved and the unmoving and despairing virtual man on the ground.

He raised a fist.

"Let's find out."

The fury of endless worlds answered, lashing out towards the seemingly insignificant Hero…

* * *

 **NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW!**

"…you're just a child, throwing a temper tantrum because she doesn't like the world she lives in. Just a selfish child wanting everything to go her way…and that's why I'm here now. To put an end to all of this madness, Equinox. The next and last time on 'One Punch-Gamer': 'The Strongest Gamer'. Watch, Kayaba. This is me going beyond. Super Skills. Serious Series. Consecutive-!"

 **END OF THE PREVIEW!**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** God almighty, I'm done. And with the worst cliffhanger in the whole story to boot! Isn't that great :D?!

So, yes, we're finally here, ladies and gentlemen. One chapter away from the ending. Next time, all bets are off. Prepare yourselves for a battle with which I'm planning to surpass the epicness that was Kayaba vs. Kirito. Let's hope I can succeed in that XP

Now, for some clarifications, I guess I can say that Philia was making reference to the strongest technique of Himura Kenshin, from the manga/anime Rurouni Kenshin. For any more detailed descriptions of it I suggest reading the manga, because neither I nor the wikia can make that awesome skill justice.

Also, I think I crammed way too many references to way too many things in the chapter, but the most of them go to Sachi, without a doubt. If anyone could get all of them, congratulations, you have seen quite a lot of epic things :) And yes, I was trying for Eve to be an Aizen (From Bleach) wannabe…or at least what Aizen would have been if he had bothered to use his power of absolute illusions with a big more imagination instead of just carefully detailed, long and timed plans. Why not go crazy when you have the power of making everyone believe whatever the fuck you want even if they KNOW it's not real?

Lastly, if anyone who reads this is also reading my other story, Requiem Universus, they may have noticed quite a sad parallel and felt a bit more when Equinox's 'daughters' died, especially when I mentioned their 'real names' and you knew about their 'counterparts'. Sometimes, things have to be sad for the story to be meaningful. A good friend taught me that, even if I don't like it D: There is an 'Infernal' in my username for something, as he would say… ( _ **B/N:** Yeah, it is the truth. If you wish to have a story that leads to a happy ending, it wouldn't be as breath-taking, exciting and catharsis-inducing if the characters were only facing happy and positive things. Sometimes, the death of a character (or a traumatizing event in general) means more than the whole story itself, as if that hadn't happened, the characters would never have experienced the pain they have to in order to mature and their personality would stay childish. __It's worth it to take a risk, step out of your comfort zone and do something your readers wouldn't want to see, because it just as well may teach you a thing or two about life as well. Even you, yeah, YOU can do that. Don't worry if the people that came here expected something else, if it fits the story and will have a meaning other than using it to create tension/end a story, aka it becomes a Devilus ex Machina, go ahead and do it. Though, such a matter as killing a character in the story is VERY, I repeat VERY touchy and hard to deal with, so experiment with it at first on your own and then use it in a real story. Sorry, I went on for too long, I get passionate when things concerning writing come up, as I am aspiring to be a writer here too. I'd love to expand, but... Shameless self-promotion out of the way, continuing on.)_

And well, okay, now for the real thing that I wanted to say before closing these notes and leave you who read them with the Omake, something that some have been wondering/wanting for quite some time:

Should One Punch-Gamer have a sequel? _( **B/N:** Abso-fucking-lutely. Yes. Without a doubt. I don't care if I get spoiled, I want to (beta-) read what your terrifyingly powerful and creative mind can come up with. There's so much potential...don't let it go to waste. Even if you are just one man, you did all this. Now, it's time to finish it once and for all. After that, who knows, maybe Kazuto's daughters from another timeline will appear out of nowhere and try to have the boy in question marry their respective mothers...? Crazy, I know.)_

Wait, before you start jumping in place, let me explain! As some that read the SAO novels may have noticed, both subtly in the main story and in the Omakes, I have been leaving 'clues' that show that way more things that are obviously going to be shown/revealed in this fic happened in Kirito's life. The question is, though, if you all really want me to write about them.

For you see, this 'last chapter of the story', so to speak, would go into the last arc of the SAO Novels, the most epic, longest, heartbreaking and heart-touching of them all. To help you all anime-only people, all that has been animated so far is from Vol 1 to Vol 8 in the Novels. The last arc alone is, currently, from Vol 9 to 17, and it's still going to end in Vol 18, which comes out later this year. That's right, folks, the last arc is already longer than ALL THE OTHERS put together. And you won't be seeing it on anime until at least after the incoming movie comes out, so there is at the very least half a year or more to wait before that (Not to mention I fear they may screw up almost as much as they have done with animating the previous ones).

All of this, means that anyone who has been reading this fic and is an anime-only SAO fan is risking exposing himself/herself to Spoilers of at least HALF the entire plot. That's why I have decided to put a Poll in my profile to ask you this: Should I write the sequel of OPG, which would go into the Alicization Arc? Please go and vote, it will be all up to you, in the end. Depending on the results, the 'epilogue' of the story will change, either it will be an 'open end' to let you all imagine what could have happened, or an 'To be continued' one, to wait for the sequel XP

Okay, that's a wrap for now, everyone! And while you all ponder this question of mine and wait for the epic finale, here is the last of the Omakes too. Enjoy them! (Again, spoilers ahead of the possibly future storyline! Which, now, you know WHY I have always said 'possibly future' like that :P)

 _ **The not-so-amazing Beta's Notes:** Cliff-fucking-hangers. Again. Sorry folks, I knew about this and didn't inform you beforehand. Anyhow, this chapter was...such a powerful build-up to whatever Saint is going to do in the next installment. I am kept in the dark as well when it comes to what actually is happening in the story, so don't ask me about anything specific. All I know is, from what I can expect, this fight is going to be beyond limits and human understanding. If this needed popcorn, the next will require goddamn Ambrosia. I am so **HYPED!** Please, Saint, work on the final of all final chapters and allow me to see it for myself! (That was a bit creepy...)_

 _So, without further ado, feast your eyes with even MORE of this ridiculous Omake mini-series. Enjoy (if you're still standing)!_

* * *

 **Omake: One Punch-Servant 9**

Wake up…

 _A world that was wrong, everything filled with a hidden shadow of oppression, wonders beyond belief hidden under seemingly simple people…_

Had to wake up…

 _Five Gods, the Avatar of Death and the Usurper of Destiny, trying to defeat the Shadow of the Almighty…_

He had to wake up…

 _Humans, simple and powerless, standing strong and heroically, as Reality itself opened and the Almighty One stared at them, proclaiming their end…_

Everything was…clear now.

 _Standing strong, a Hero raised his fist to oppose the One Above All…_

Finally aware of his surroundings again, Emiya Shirou realized he was standing out of his room, and that sounds of panic and screams were filling the city outside, not to mention that quickly approaching rumbles that seemed to announce the end of the world were starting to drown all other noise.

Shaking the remains of the fragmented bits of Savior's past he had just been relieving again, the young Magus quickly realized that he felt…'strange'. _Different_.

All of this, though, was quickly put on the back of his mind as he felt an explosion occurring very close to the area, making the entire house shake. Eyes snapping back into the room, the red-haired boy saw Sella's unconscious form squirming in the futon where she had been put and, after confirming she was okay, turned around, a sudden sense of purpose filling him.

He knew what he had to do.

"Trace…On."

Outside, a mix of dread, hopelessness and confusion had been filling the people who had taken refuge in the Emiya house.

It seemed that things had totally went to hell when the malignant presence of the Grail made itself known, a pillar of darkness and corruption rising from the Ryuudou Temple to the skies.

But the moment the forms of SIX Counter Guardians had descended, and Rider had confirmed the terrifying nature of the living natural disasters, Rin had all but mentally broken down, before quickly rushing towards Sakura and hugging her while crying, the shocked Matou trying to calm her down as the last Tohsaka apologized to her for everything time and time again.

Leysritt had simply narrowed her eyes and stopped at Illya's side, as if willing to spend her last moments with her master no matter what. The half-homunculus, for her part, had gaped in shock before heatedly demanded the Servants present to get them all out of the city, almost seeming about to break down sobbing at the thought of having just gotten a new chance in life only for it to vanish in the most unexpected and over-the-top way possible.

Rider had sadly looked towards her Master and then hung her head. If Medusa had thought there was even the slightest possibility for her to escape Alaya's dogs by using her Pegasus at full speed, she would have tried to, even if only to save Sakura. Of course, the fact that she knew that she, as a Servant, would never be able to escape the wrath of humanity's Counter Guardians aside, she also knew that the young girl would never leave Shirou or the others behind, and her mount was unable to carry them all…

The mysterious Librarian, however, had only remained silent, eyes narrowed as she stared at the form of the incoming devastation and the city seemed to sink into pure chaos.

Then, her gaze snapped back towards the point where the 'crack' in Reality had been, a wide and pure smile appearing on her face, utterly shocking everyone, who had thought her unable to show such a look.

"About time." simply said the Pseudo-Servant before turning towards them again. "If you excuse me, I need to join my companions and fight off mankind's Cleaners. Please, stay alive."

As soon as her words had finished, the bespectacled child had suddenly SHONE with ethereal and otherworldly power, her clothes and form changing for an instant before she shot to the sky so fast it created a shockwave that threw everyone sans Rider to the ground. Even with her blindfold in place, the paralyzed Servant of the Mount had no problem letting her head move following the meteor of power in which the Librarian had become, feeling her now somehow Divine presence as it headed towards the nearest Counter Guardian to the side of Fuyuki in which the Emiya house was, this one hidden inside the façade of a tornado.

Everyone else felt it, and THEM a second after too.

Suddenly, absurdly powerful presences had filled the city, some simply bizarre while others changing into devastatingly powerful entities from a moment to the next. All around the town, the mighty beings stood still for a moment before most of them shot towards the dogs of Alaya, clashing directly against the living natural disasters as the rest headed into the city, seemingly protecting the people that was trying to run away and/or eradicating any remains of the dark familiars the grail had summoned by the hundreds before.

One homunculus, the last heirs of the 3 families that founded the Grail War and one Servant stared in open-mouthed shock at the display, even as explosions, sounds of devastation and phenomenon's neither of their minds could properly put a name to filled the air and the heavens, a clash the likes this world had never seen since the dawn of time devastating the landscape around the city.

"…the hell?" was all that Rin could say at the display.

"It seems…Savior-san survived. And brought reinforcements, too." softly added Sakura with a suddenly hopeful smile on her face.

"…if I hadn't just had my body somehow fixed and upgraded to something akin to a superhuman I would probably be freaking out more, but what the hell? Get them, Librarian!" cheered Illya while jumping in place and looking towards where the Pseudo-Servant had engaged the massive tornado, the land itself rising as newborn mountains against the seemingly surprised Counter Guardian.

"…go!" also cheered Leysritt at her master's side, rising a hand for the emphasis her face clearly didn't show.

Medusa, for her part, stared in silence, a mix of utter awe and fear filling her as she saw the impossible feat.

Not even at her prime as a mindless and nigh-unkillable monster could she have hoped to even last more than seconds against one of the Cleaners of Humanity. Who the hell, then, were these people that followed the ungodly strong boy whose legend no one seemed to know and had power to fight them as not even proper Servants?

The musings of the gorgon, however, were brought to a screeching halt when a massive explosion of otherworldly energy seemed to shake the tornado from the inside out. Everyone's eyes widening at the phenomenon, they were barely able to make out what seemed like massive black nails shooting out and piercing the mountain that had risen to block the Counter Guardian's advance as if it was hot butter, three of them heading straight for Fuyuki.

From somewhere within the city, what seemed like a supersonic projectile of some kind of destroyed, no, _annihilated_ one of them, vanishing it from existence. Then, a blur of golden and emerald appeared from nowhere before the second one and cut it in half, both halves turning to dust before the figure vanished again as if it had never been there, possibly to help Librarian against the roared beast of Alaya.

The last one, though, was still heading towards the city at supersonic speeds. Even more terrifying, tough, was that Rider realized it was heading _straight towards them_.

Realization had just started to settle on everyone's minds, horror filling them, while the Servant grit her teeth and prepared to jump, willing to use her body to destroy the strange 'black nail' and save her Master and friends at the cost of her life…

Before _something_ appeared among them at ungodly speed and **slammed** the unholy projectile out of the way, redirecting it towards the heavens with a roar of thunder, the black nail vanishing from view.

Slowly, all the gazes in the backyard turned towards the familiar figure standing among them.

Emiya Shirou stood proudly there, Ignis Heart at his back inside a sheath no one could remember to have seen before. There were some key differences with the red-haired boy, however.

First, he was generating more Prana than several Servants together should be able to have. Second, his right arm had become metallic and was burning with divine energy, which somehow seemed related to the small golden hammer he had tightly gripped with it.

Oh, and he was 'wielding' another hammer, this one almost as big as a car, with his left hand, presumably the one with which he had just batted away the projectile that had almost killed them all. How he had done so, however, was something no one's mind was able to understand, given that he barely seemed to be grasping it with the tip of his fingers, and yet the Berserker-sized weapon didn't seem to weight him down at all.

Not to mention, he had moved FAST. Too fast for even Rider to follow, despite having been swinging _that_ abominably big weapon. On the Servant's eyes, the boy had been like a bullet, like a flash, like…

Like a **_Blast_**.

"…Mjolnir." softly whispered the young Magus before both hammers vanished from his hands and his arm returned to normal, even as his gaze returned to everyone, concern being replaced with relief at seeing everyone there. "You're all okay…thanks Heavens…"

"Se-sempai…?" muttered an awed Sakura while staring at the red-haired boy, as if she couldn't believe her eyes. "Is that really you…?"

"Uhm, yes?" answered Shirou with hesitation. "Why would you ask that?"

"The absurdly impossible feat you just did may have to do with that." flatly explained Rin while staring at him, though there was a clear relief in her eyes and she seemed about to collapse. "Also, Shirou, your eyes are shining."

"They are?" blinked the Magus in surprise, clearly unable to see the otherworldly glow in them. "Ah…I hadn't noticed."

"Shirou…" muttered Illya while looking at him, then staring down sadly for a moment. "I…I'm so…!"

"Don't worry, Illya. I know." cut her off the young Emiya, surprising the Einzbern heir at the warm smile he gave her. "I can't talk now, though. Savior and the rest are fighting, but they're not going to last. I need to go."

"Wait, what?!" shouted an alarmed Rin while everyone stared at him in shock. "What do you mean go?! There are 6 Counter Guardians out there, you will…!"

"I need to destroy the Grail. That's the main reason why Alaya summoned them, even if it was eager to do so probably since Savior appeared." quickly explained Shirou while looking at the Tohsaka heir, making her freeze (And blush) at the uncanny serious and mature tone in his voice. "Savior and his friends are running on fumes and borrowed time, if they vanish and the Grail is still working them we're all dead."

"Ho…how do you know that?" quietly muttered Sakura while staring at him, making the Magus turn towards her.

"…because, uhm, I think I can see the Truth now." lamely explained the young Emiya while scratching the back of his head.

"…I see. Please, come back safe, sempai." answered her with a soft smile, much to the other's shock.

"I will." replied Shirou in a similar tone, giving everyone there a smile. "I promise."

"…go and destroy that wretched thing already, Onii-chan." whispered Illya while turning around, half-hiding her face behind Leysritt's body.

"If…if you dare to not come back…I will dedicate the rest of my life to find how to bring you back just to kill you myself." curtly stated Rin without looking at him, her eyes downcast.

Shirou smiled again, Ignis Heart pulsing warmly on his back as he looked towards the silent Servant there.

"Rider, protect them."

Then, he _moved_ once again, reaching the courtyard's edge and jumping an impossible height in less than a second, shooting down the street faster than any racing car.

In the ensued stunned silence that filled the Emiya house, the battle homunculus-maid Leysritt made a simple statement.

"…he's cool."

As he shot through the streets of Fuyuki at speeds that even Servants would envy, Emiya Shirou felt his heart pounding like a drum as he tried to understand what had happened to him. He knew it was a result of both having seen Savior's life and then gazed upon the [Truth] inside Gilgamesh's Ea, similar to what had happened to the boy and his friend's in life, an 'snapping' of the self as a barrier that wasn't meant for humans to reach was utterly broken.

Of course, the main difference was that he was a Magus with a potential Reality Marble instead of a 'normal' teen, like most of them had been when it happened to them, and his 'trigger' had been directly related by having a Concept of Reality engraved into his mind.

He wasn't sure what that meant, but he knew that he now somehow could **Know** things he shouldn't be able to, or even be aware of, like how he perfectly understood the current situation after entering the action, even when no one had told him anything. He also knew what he had to do in order to resolve it.

Also, he was pretty sure his Magic Circuits shouldn't be shaped like some sort of multi-dimensional polygon, spinning with otherworldly color and directly connected to the World inside his soul. And he was also pretty sure Archer's world didn't look like…

His train of thought was brutally interrupted by an explosion happening overhead. Idly, he saw that what seemed like a living storm had somehow gotten away from the grip of the half-forming head of a dragon of pure conceptual energy the size of a skyscraper, the Counter Guardian trying to take the opening to unleash destruction upon the city.

Shirou also suddenly knew that there were many people hiding in the houses around where he was running, praying that they would survive. He also suddenly knew WHO was the Beast of Alaya about to destroy everything around him, and he couldn't help but feel pity as he stopped and unsheathed Ignis Heart.

On cue, swords rained from the sky, fakes and imitations raining to kill and destroy, the one who had summoned them unable to do anything to oppose the chains that bound him as an eternal slave of Humanity.

They were all intercepted in midair by exact copies of themselves…but all of them executing the Sword Skill 'Linear', shooting like missiles of light and piercing the living storm.

For a single instant, the warped form of EMIYA was exposed in the middle. Shirou almost imagined he could see shock and something that he could almost call relief behind the Counter Guardian's 'eyes' in that instant.

Then Ignis Heart was already piercing his chest and draining him from the nigh-endless Prana that Alaya supplied him, the Cleaner of Humanity screaming as the storm once again covered him from view.

The meager distraction also gave enough time for the now complete dragon-head and neck to bite down into it, engaging the Counter Guardian again.

Shirou was already running while that happened, though, idly calling Ignis Heart back to him, the blade materializing on his sheath full almost to the brink with raw magical energy.

Around him, what was probably one of the most amazing and incredible things the world had witnessed was happening, the Counter Guardians being driven back by others that were willing to _protect_ humanity in a different way than its murderous collective consciousness.

With just a small hint of wonder, the young Magus saw the power of the sun being unleashed by a flying form to push back a cloud of ashes, aided by what seemed like bloody ice that sucked the very Life out of everything it touched. Around the city's hospital, a glowing barrier formed that stopped the incoming wave of fire from a spinning sandstorm as if it was nothing. Atop a building, a glowing entity shot endless projectiles at every single one of Alaya's dogs, and a bit beyond he clearly heard someone screaming Hens…

Everything stopped mattering, even as his mind was pulled towards one of the Counter Guardian's closest to the city, a black and white blur punching it back and breaking the natural disaster surrounding it, only for the screams of Alaya to reform her servant.

The Master felt the Servant's frustration clearly. Savior couldn't use the power necessary to truly stop the threats without destroying the city or damaging Reality further. And if he himself tried to go for the Grail then countless lives would be lost if even one of the Guardians slipped past his friends, as it had almost happened several times already. And their time was running out, Shirou knew, their fake bodies barely staying materialized and straining more as they were forced to use their full power…

Without a doubt, the young Emiya raised his hand, never stopping running, and let the marks engraved on it glow with power.

"By the power of my three remaining Command Seals, Savior, I order you and your allies to protect this city till the end!"

Instantaneously, pure Prana was poured through the link as the 3 sigils vanished, a Servant's eyes widening in surprise before his face twisted in a feral grin, the magical energy touching everyone connected to him by his Noble Phantasm, bodies about to collapse once again becoming solid and power filling them to continue fighting.

Shirou almost missed the smile the Caped Hero sent his way as he arrived to the stairs below the mountain leading to the temple, where a quite unusual group was trying to stop the flood of dark familiars coming down.

"Kuzuki-sensei. Caster." greeted the young Emiya while stopping at the pair's side, casually swinging a golden blade and tearing apart most of the dark creatures without effort. "Tonky. Charlotte…uhm, you."

The elephant-jellyfish and the giant spider casually returned the greeting as they continued fending off the seemingly never-ending monsters. The tall and slender humanoid _thing_ just waved with one tentacle, never stopping his own slaughtering.

"Emiya." emotionlessly replied the ex-assassin/teacher while punching two more of the beasts to death.

"Boy. Can I assume the impossibility around us Savior's doing?" dryly questioned the Servant of the Spell while shooting more and more volleys of Prana towards their enemies.

"Yes, it is." answered Shirou while touching her with the edge of his ruby blade, making her squeak in surprise before her eyes widened at the feeling. "There, Prana directly from a Counter Guardian. Should prevent you from disappearing and also give you enough to keep fighting. Now, excuse me, I have to get through."

Without hesitation, the young Magus dismissed Excaliber as he rushed forward and sheathed Ignis Heart again, only for an absurdly long spear to materialize on his hand.

Moving with swiftness and skill that weren't his, the red-haired Emiya let the weapon glow and shot forward together with it as a drill-shaped aura exploded from its tip, destroying the monsters and the stairs as it dragged him upwards.

Down below, the human and Servant of the group blinked before Tonky simply took fly, the slender being vanished and the spider jumped away while shooting some of its web, probably rejoining the fight somewhere else.

On the once sacred Ryuudou Temple, most of it now flooded by dark mud that contained the very essence of Evil, Kotomine Kirei turned around and let a smile appear on his face at the explosion of light, the familiars being born from the mud growling even as a figure landed and cracked the ground at doing so, staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"Emiya Shirou…how fitting, that you stand here at the end, only to fall by my hand as Angra Mainyu is reborn in this world."

"Kotomine." said Shirou while letting Amenonuhoko vanish from his grip. "Just to be clear, I never doubted Savior when he said you were evil."

"Interesting last words." declared the fake priest as Black Keys made out of the very mud that was giving him corrupted power, resonating with the fake heart on his chest, appeared on his hands. "Now, let us end this, Emiya Shirou!" ordering the familiars to stay back, Kirei shot forward at speeds that most mortal wouldn't be able to even see, much less react to. "For today, the world shall…!"

"Gae Bolg."

The last thing Kotomine Kirei saw in this world was the crimson streak of a familiar-looking spear before he was suddenly missing his heart and part o0f his lungs, pierced through by a deadly cursed weapon.

"…eh?" eloquently said the man before falling down, dead.

The corrupted familiars blinked.

"Sorry, don't really have the time for any dramatic final battle right now. Ending everything in one hit may be boring, but it's practical." explained the young Magus while letting Lancer's Noble Phantasm vanish and throwing the fake priest's corpse into the dark mud, before looking with narrowed eyes towards the massive black tower of Darkness, feeling the presence of All Evils in the World about to explode from within, corrupted and incomplete, but still powerful enough to perhaps destroy the entire country. "Now then…how do I stop this?"

As if it had been waiting for his question, the Truth answered him. Shirou's eyes narrowed, even as he Traced several swords and shot them towards the dark familiars and tendrils of mud trying to drag him down.

Taking a deep breath, the red-haired Emiya closed his eyes…and **spoke** with words that came from his very core.

 _'My Soul is that of a Hero…'_

The aria's effects were instantaneous. Suddenly, all the abominations born from Angra Mainyu's power froze and stared towards the new thing standing before them.

It seemed made of red and white light, twisting as if it was water and fire and energy all at the same time. No defining features besides its still vaguely humanoid shape remained, except that it seemed to have a cape, and its eyes were golden pools of infinity, staring unblinkingly towards the mass of curses and evil.

Emiya Shirou was no more. Only [Hero] remained.

Silently, the Incarnated Concept raised his right hand, as if it was a sword.

Panicking, the consciousness of the corrupted Grail sent a wave of mud towards him. All Evils in the World washed forward.

Rape, murder, destruction, despair, catastrophe, nihilism, hate, pride…

All of it vanished without a trace before touching the humanoid being. Angra Mainyu recoiled, screaming. Gaia shuddered, finally identifying the new being standing upon herself, and the _wrongness_ it represented…

For it was something wielding a power as terrifying as it was unnatural.

[Hero] swung down his arm…and _all evil was erased_.

Without effort, without a scream or anything that it could do to stop it, all that the Concept's consciousness identified as 'Evil' was banished from Reality itself, thrown into Unreality and mercilessly annihilated once it intruded upon the domain of [DEATH].

Reaching down below into the cavern inside the mountain, the Greater Grail shuddered before it collapsed upon itself when the 'attack' reached it, literally everything that had filled its corrupted system abruptly vanishing causing it to implode into itself.

For a moment, the Reality 'shivered' around Ryuudou Temple, being replaced by the ghostly image of an endless field with soft grass, countless weapons floating everywhere inside strange screens, the World's owner standing upon a hill surrounded by the only weapons physically manifested, something floating on the far-away dawn…

And then it was over, Gaia reasserting her presence as Emiya Shirou fell on his knees, panting and shaking, the absurd reserves of Prana he had had until that moment being almost depleted.

"Trace…off." muttered the boy as he felt the otherworldly power he wielded leave him, receding into his World until it was needed again.

Even as he stood up again and grasped Ignis Heart's hilt, recovering enough Prana to not faint as he did so, a smile appeared on the tired Magus' face as he gazed upon the city.

It was over.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, the Counter Guardian's vanished, the natural disasters concealing them ending as Alaya called off her dogs when the 'threat' vanished, not willing to risk more damage than they had probably ever experienced.

And Shirou also felt _them_ leave. Their purpose accomplished and having already been pushing themselves over the edge with everything they had, the Heroes left the world, their souls going back to the Throne, to wait for the most important of them.

Looking to the temple's destroyed entrance, the young Emiya saw the ghostly and barely solid form of Savior staring at him silently, his 'Saitama-face' on.

"…that's a very dangerous power you have there, Master." he softly whispered with an emotionless voice. "Be careful with it."

"I will. After all, I now know…what it truly means to be a Hero. And why is it really important." answered Shirou with a sad smile. "I learned from the best, Savior."

"…just call me Kirito. All my friends do." smiled the Servant of the Cape as he walked to his Master's side, not looking at him, but beyond, something only he could see. "See ya, Shirou. Have a good life…and I hope next time I'm summoned is by someone even half as interesting as you."

"This may not be a goodbye. After all, the Omniverse is a very big place, right?" asked the Magus without turning around, making the Caped Hero chuckle.

"You may be right with that. Till our paths meet again, then." declared Savior as he slowly started to walk away…until he suddenly stopped, turning around with wide eyes. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!"

"Uh?" blinked the confused Emiya while turning around. "Forgot what?"

"Something very important, that will surely save you a lot of pain and headaches in the future!" sagely nodded Savior before crossing his arms and staring seriously at his Master. "Hear, Shirou, when the girls in your life try to…"

The Servant Savior vanished in that moment, whatever he was going to say lost in the wind as his body was finally unable to continue keeping its soul bound to the physical plane without any anchor or the Grail backing it up.

Blinking in confusion, Emiya Shirou stared towards where the boy that had become the greatest Hero he had ever imagined had stood, before a smile appeared on his face again.

Not much later, Tohsaka Rin found him still standing there, staring in silence at the slowly darkening sky with closed eyes.

"Hey, idiot. Everyone is still waiting for you, you know?" muttered the pigtailed girl with a slightly annoyed tone, though unable to hide the relief and happiness at seeing him.

"Yes, I know. Sorry about that, Rin, I was just…really accepting that he was gone." answered the red-haired boy before looking at her with a smile, walking at her side before gazing towards the city in silence, staring at the destroyed landscape around it. "…this isn't over yet. There is no way the Association will be able to cover this up."

"…I know." accepted the Tohsaka heir with a sigh, turning to stand at his side. "And the entire fucking city saw that. There is no damage control I can do; in fact it would only make it worse if people who suddenly didn't remember a thing about the event appeared among everyone."

"Most people either already contacted someone out of the city anyway. Some may even have already left. Word will spread soon." slowly, Shirou sheathed Ignis Heart on his back again. "This is a new beginning. Things are going to change."

"Yeah. And I don't know what that 'friend' of Savior did to Illya, but she now somehow can order a part of the World around with English words. I wouldn't count in the Association letting her go if they knew that." dryly muttered Rin while looking down, before staring at boy at her side. "What now?"

"…we move on. We just helped stop a potential world-ending disaster, so let's try and use that in our favor." declared the Magus before looking at her with determination. "And don't worry. If the worst happens, I will protect you all."

For a moment, the shocked girl found herself staring at him, seeing a familiar and invincible caped figure overlapped with his.

And she felt as if she could truly _believe_ his outrageous declaration.

"…idiot, don't go around saying that as if we couldn't do anything." challenged the Tohsaka heir while looking away, a noticeable blush on her cheek. "If something happens, I will be the one making sure you don't mess up!"

"I'm counting on that, Rin." he softly said, surprising the pigtailed girl and making her heart skip a beat. "Let's go home, okay?"

"…yeah. Let's go."

In silence, both teens started walking down the destroyed stairs, silently enjoying the company of the other…

"Oh yeah…where did you get that sheath, Shirou? Did Savior gave it to you?"

"Eh? This? Oh no, I found it inside me. It's Avalon, the scabbard of King Arthur's Excalibur. Do you have any idea how it could have gotten there?"

"…sometimes, I don't even know why I get surprised by you anymore…"

And with that, the story of the 5th Holy Grail War came to an end.

The legend of the Hero that would one day be known as Swordian, however, was just beginning…

* * *

 **Author's Notes 2:** And that's done! Hope you enjoyed these (not so) little Omakes to the very end, everyone :D!

Before anyone asks, no, despite the ending, I currently have no intention of making a sequel to this. But if anyone is interesting in the idea to make a spin-off, feel free to tell me XP

And yes, just like almost everyone in the main story started at some point some point before becoming _more_ , Shirou became a 'parody' of THAT hero. Which one? C'mon, should have been obvious, I even put it on cursive and bold letters :P And for anyone who isn't all up to date with One Punch-Man: All the crazy theories and rumors are fake, he DOES exist and he's not Saitama. He's also the one who inspired Tatsumaki to become a Heroine XP

Also, the whole Shirou using 'Gae Bold to anticlimactically end up the fight in one hit' was both a OPM-joke AND a personal thing. I mean, how many of you have also been reading a Fate fanfic and wondered WHY he doesn't just Trace it and ends the fight from the very beginning? Hell, not only against monsters, I have even read about Shirous who for A or B reason don't really care much about killing people anymore, yet they overcomplicate their fights by not doing this XP I know, the plot would be 'boring' like that, but what the hell? If lives are at risk and you have a one-hit-kill weapon that only nigh-divine-level Luck can save you from, you SHOULD use it OxO!

Well then, that's a wrap. I will see you all next time in the epic 'last' chapter. Remember to vote in the Poll, people!

Until next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	38. Chapter 31: The Strongest Gamer

It's finally here, my dear readers. Welcome once again to One Punch-Gamer…and its epic climax.

This is it. The final battle, the almighty clash, the end of all conflicts…what will happen? You will have to read and find out!

For this chapter, I recommend as always epic music to be played in the background, One Punch-Man's 'The Hero!' above anything else, but whatever you like is fine too. Only 'specific' recommendation is 'Liberame From Hell', from Tengen Toppa Gurren Laggan. You should really start playing it when everything 'goes dark' (You will get it when you arrive to that part XP)

And now, without more delay, I wish you all a good read. Enjoy!

 **PD:** As always, especial thanks to my good Beta, One More Guy. He's awesome :P _( **B/N:** Aww, thank you! [I know, cheesy. Sorry :P])_

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 _"You're always so annoying, so I will take you on seriously. Bring it."_ -Saitama, the Strongest Hero.

* * *

 **Chapter 31: The Strongest Gamer**

 **February 13th, 2026. Floating Island Avalon, Utopia. 19:10 …**

For Kayaba Akihiko, it was like watching everything from the most ironic and nightmarish point of view.

He had once dreamed, about a castle in the sky. An impressive and marvelous world, filled with adventures and challenges. A world where Heroes rose to the challenge that was life itself.

It was that what had started everything, he trying to make that dream into reality. Except that he had gone too far and had ruined countless lives in the process of achieving said dream.

Even so, despite having enforced his dreamed reality upon that of others, in the end it had been for something. Even if he never planned it that way, his actions did indeed serve a greater purpose, to create something new, something that made him change his view of the world and realize that, sooner or later, would be needed.

Heroes did rise, more than he ever imagined. And that was what the world would need soon. Symbols of hope and courage, those who could inspire others to become better, become more, while at the same time still being as normal as any other person.

That was why he, in the end, decided to gift the purest form of his original dream to the greatest of them. He gave the World Seed to Kirito, trusting he would do the right thing and that he would protect the world that would come from his decision.

And he had done so, once again surpassing his expectations. He stopped Death Gun's reign of terror and even saved the life of an innocent girl that had been dealt an extremely harsh and horrible Fate.

He had never felt more 'proud', so to speak. While he knew there would never be true forgiveness for him, no matter how much he tried to atone, he could at least take solace in the fact that the base of his dream was growing and was used to help other people dream and reach things they never imagined…

However, he had tried too hard to not look at the negative side of things. Because, as the saying went: 'The Stronger the Light, the Darker the Shadow'.

Staring upwards, now, as the 'eyes' of Equinox looked down at them like ants, even as a fist bigger than the entirety of Avalon (Which was almost twice the size of Tokyo itself!) descended to crush them, he realized how much of a mistake that had been.

The first of his greatest creations, his 'Daughter' so to speak, was now using all the 'power' that had emerged from his dream, twisting it from a tool of dreams into a weapon of control and destruction.

Kayaba briefly wondered if that was more or less how the SAO Players had first felt after he declared the 'Tutorial' of Sword Art Online was over, before the massive fist of data destroyed the already falling island with a thunderous sound, crushing the castle and the digital earth as if they were nothing but dry sand.

That particular analogy came to the man's mind because, the next instant, he fell himself slamming face-first into sand, the sounds of destruction and collapsing data echoing on the background as his body carved a trench on the beach and just lay there, unmoving.

It had hurt like hell. But he was alive.

"Are you okay?" asked not far from there a concerned Kirito to the figures of Leafa and Asuna, each one held carefully and safely on his arms.

It was kind of obvious that Kayaba hadn't received the same treatment, hence his current position.

"Ye-yes…we are, Onii-chan…" shakily whispered the blonde Sylph as she got out of her adopted brother's arm, staring blankly at the place where the island had been, now occupied by a fist that was still sinking into the virtual ocean.

"Thanks Sensei…but, this is…" the Undine didn't seem quite sure of what she even wanted to say as she also (reluctantly) abandoned her beloved's grip, looking towards the black and green heavens.

"Don't worry." the caped Spriggan assured them, his voice never wavering for even a second. "I will take care of it."

"She just became one with virtual reality itself…every single server that was running a Seed-based program is now boosting her capabilities…" as he slowly got up, Kayaba only seemed to stare at the gamer with nothing but hopelessness and doubt. "The only reason she didn't outright delete us is because I had ALO's Cardinal backing us up to get here, and she still can probably easily take over Ymir's servers with no effort now. What…why would you even think you can stop her?"

"Because I **have** to stop her, Kayaba. That's all." answered Kirito with absolute resolution, slowly turning around as the heavens roared again and everyone else barely held their ground as the shockwave from the last impact reached them. "Just watch me. I will show you how far I can go, as long as it is for a good reason…"

Idly, the boy's eyes moved over the silent form of the two girls present, who were staring at him with a mix of worry and awe, as if noticing something different in him.

The rest of his friends, his second family, flashed over him. The girls that loved him and he was coming to love too, the little girl that he was starting to truly see as he imagined a daughter would, the boys that supported and helped him see things from more than one perspective…

As he stared up, he also saw more people. His parents, caring and close despite not being his biological ones. The people from the SAO Survivors school. Klein, Agil, Diavel…

The Fairy Lords. The rest of the Players they had met in ALO. The people he and Sugu had helped and/or saved as vigilantes…

An almost imperceptible smile appeared on the caped boy's face.

"…Kirito…?"

"…and right now, I have all the reasons I need. And there couldn't be any better." softly whispered the gamer while closing his eyes, even as he took a step forward. "Don't blink…or you will miss it."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he was gone, vanishing from place as if he had never been there.

The next instant, a sonic boom threw the three of them to the sand, eyes wide as they saw the sea in from of them splitting in half as someone ran _over_ the water.

 **-(JUST DIE ALREADY, DAMN IT!)-** snarled the heavens as the fist that had destroyed Avalon reformed itself out of the water, moving forward this time as the data twisted, like the most titanic battering ram ever imagined, going faster than a train.

Without hesitation, the blurring form running over the sea reared back his fist and _punched_.

The air roared as a vacuum was created when an unseen force completely split the ocean, crashing against the godly fist and breaking it into destroyed data without seemingly any effort.

Then, the shockwave came, making the entirety of Utopia shake from it.

Suddenly, Kirito stopped, letting his body sink into the water as he stared upwards, ignoring the unholy pressure created when the seas forcefully returned to their place.

His unflinching gaze was fixed upon that of the heavens themselves, who were shaking with anger and madness at this, for the gamer's eyes almost seemed to be saying: 'Is that it?'

With another roar that shook the world, Equinox froze the entire ocean in a single second.

Then, she slammed a fist even bigger than the one before just on the point where the caped Spriggan was trapped under thousands of tons of ice, cracking the frozen seas in an instant, the impact being felt in every corner of the world.

Everyone watching felt their breaths freeze. That much power behind a single hit, with no Pain Limiter…anyone who received that would die without a doubt. If not from injuries, then from the impossible shock that the brain wouldn't be able to stand, probably ending in a coma or as vegetable for life at the very least.

"Consecutive Normal Punches."

A nonchalant yet serious voice shattered all those dark thoughts without effort, equally reducing the mass of data, several mountains worth of code, to nothingness, all the way to the warped digital heavens themselves.

 **-(…HOW?)-** rumbled the virtual Goddess as everything shook, more indignation than anything in her twisted voice. **-(How can you not break under the pressure?! How can you continue on when you're still JUST A HUMAN?!)-**

Two simple yet all-powerful words were her curt answer.

 **"Serious Punch."**

The ocean splintered into millions of pieces and reality shrieked, the heavens themselves breaking apart as absolute power was unleashed against them…

They reformed themselves with impossible speed, endless streams of code rushing to fill the void left by the other millions that had been impossibly annihilated in a couple seconds.

Narrowed eyes appearing once again, Equinox stared down towards the silent figure standing where there had once been a sea, now only a frozen wasteland surrounding him.

 **-(Very well...)-** growled the virtual entity, even as the data of the ice twisted and reformed, colossus made of pure code and surrounded by 'Immortal Object' screens manifesting themselves, even as the heavens also started changing shape, fists and weapons forming from them as they all aimed towards the lonely Hero. **-(Have it your way)-**

Like a tidal wave of destruction surpassing even biblical proportions, the fury of an entire reality exploded forward, even gravity itself turning against a single person.

Kirito nonchalantly took a step forward, his eyes turning into endless voids and his face a carpet of darkness as he stared right into it all.

A silent whisper escaped his lips.

"Bring it on."

* * *

Toshiyuki wasn't sure what was hurting him more: Knowing that he had been beaten without effort and unable to stop their mad enemy from accomplishing her pseudo-world domination plans OR the fact that he could barely feel his left leg and that his whole body stung in countless parts as if it had been torn apart by an explosion.

Thankfully, as the boy discovered when he managed to drag himself to his house's living room by leaning on the walls and gritting his teeth, the extent of his injuries was nowhere near as bad as they felt. It was mostly his over-stimulated nerves what were hurting, though he was pretty sure the angry red marks appearing all over his body, real remains from when the explosion broke his body back in Avalon some minutes ago, were going to be a bitch to explain to his family. He was just glad his parents were at work at that moment, and nowhere near Tokyo, which gave him enough time to think about an excuse that didn't include fighting by the freedom of everything inside the virtual world.

The tired SAO Survivor had managed to drag himself to the couch and grabbed the remote control for the television when his phone started ringing, making him quickly grab it.

"Hey…?"

"Keita, bro…is that you?" came a familiar and pained voice from the line's other side.

"Ducker. Good to know you're okay." breathed out Toshiyuki while turning on the TV, searching for a news channel. "Well, more or less. You sound like crap…"

"You…aren't sounding…all that great either…" chuckled Takuya from where he was staring at his ceiling as he gripped the phone. "But yeah…bitch just tore me apart with some weird death-stare thing… hurt like hell. Barely had strength left to…take off my AmuSphere and put it aside…then pretend to be sick when my Mother came in…" there was a pause, even as both boys seemed to be weighing what they wanted to say. "…did we lose, Keita?"

"I…am not sure." finally answered the ex-guild leader while looking at the screen with a frown. "The TV's reporting about a lot of digital anomalies and abnormalities appearing worldwide, but nothing specific. Doesn't really sound like what she was saying, there has been no grand announcement about us humans being banned from her world forever…"

"Yeah…doesn't sound like her if…there is no egomaniac-declaration…" chuckled the dagger-user before taking a deep breath. "I…messaged Sasamaru and Tetsuo a while ago…they're okay, but feeling like crap too…what do you think it's going on with the rest?"

"Not sure. I will try calling them, but it may not matter if they're still there." muttered Toshiyuki while closing his eyes. "Whatever it's going on, though, let's pray for the best…"

At that declaration, the boy said goodbye to his friend and hung up. He was just about to try to call the rest of his friends when his phone started ringing again, this time from an unknown number, which made him frown as he answered.

He certainly wasn't expecting to hear a very young and vaguely familiar voice at the other end of the line, though.

"Hello? Is this, Toyonaga Toshiyuki, Keita from UHA? I'm Arsharvin Karatachi Nanairo, and I urgently need to ask you something!"

"Wait, wait…aren't you Seven, the Lady of the Pooka?! Wha-what's going on, how did you get my number?!"

"That's not important, okay?! What matters is that, those crazy readings that everyone everywhere is detecting? They're the same ones that 'exploded' out of the SAO Servers the day the Death Game ended." quickly answered the little girl with an extremely serious and mature tone, her words making the ex-guild leader almost jump from the couch, momentarily forgetting his pain. "And Nijika-nee, you may know her as Rain from the Leprechaun, told me long ago that what happened that day was a battle at an impossible scale between Kayaba Akihiko and…"

"Kirito." whispered Toshi while his eyes widened, a sudden grin splitting his face. "Fuck yeah, that bastard did it! I don't know how, but he came back as always, to save the fucking day!"

"Wait, what? Are you serious?! What's even happening?! I and my sister tried to search for you all a while back, but no one knew where you had gone and…!"

"It doesn't matter now, Seven." calmly spoke the boy who went by the name of Keita in the virtual world as he clenched a fist, staring at the TV with determined eyes and a burning flame behind them. "The only thing that you should know? Right now, somewhere, that idiotic friend of mine is fighting something none of us can even hope to imagine, to try and save this world. So please, be ready. Any moment now, we could hear the result of his epic victory."

With that said, he hung up.

At the line's other side, Nanairo stared at the silent phone in disbelief, the room she was in filled with a big computer with several screens and a TV currently showing international news behind her.

"…how could he sound so freaking sure about that?" muttered the young girl as he lowered the device.

"Because that's how everyone who has known Kirito for so long acts." came the voice of the girl's sister, Nijika sitting not far away from her as she browsed through some of the ALO Forums, apparently starting a specific thread. "Even I, who has only ever seen him from afar or heard of him from others till today…can only believe that he will win, no matter what."

And as the younger sister stared at the older one (Their relationship now visibly obvious with both having light-brown hair and hazel eyes in the real world), Nanairo could only feel a mix of confusion with a small tinge of hope as she stared at the news, who had finally started talking about how several VRMMORPGs around the world had suddenly 'crashed', the Servers not answering for 'unknown reasons'.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw how people had started to answer the Thread started in the Forum by one of the Fairy Lords herself, titled 'Don't worry, everyone. The Hero of Aincrad is fighting for us'.

The 12 years old girl had never been a religious person, her extremely high coefficient (Which was what had labeled her as a 'genius' and almost caused their parents to separate when she was little) making her believe more on science than anything.

She had almost been about to change her mind when Nijika got trapped in SAO, having started to pray to any God she could think of when none of the government's efforts, or hers, had been able to do anything to help the trapped Players.

No God had answered her, though that may have been because she was just despairing and not really believing in any.

Instead, what had freed her beloved sister, and in a way answered her prayers, had been a seemingly unimpressive boy, dressed as a weird cosplayer, that everyone had revered as a Hero and that possessed as power as astonishing as his peculiar personality.

Now, as she stared at the burning belief on Nijika's smiling face, and in the words countless people online where quickly posting, Nanairo suddenly found a small part of her also wanting to share that powerful feeling.

That feeling of believing a Hero truly existed.

 _"_ Udači _…Kirito-kun."_ softly thought the little girl as she walked to her sister's side.

The smiling older girl squeezed her hand with hers, her smile conveying a simple yet beautiful belief.

All would be well.

* * *

Standing at the edge of what had been the sea, two girls _stared_.

Even as the world shook again, the shockwaves almost throwing them back, they didn't seem to care, the pain that had been overwhelming them having vanished almost completely from their minds as they were too standing there, unable to tear their gazes away from the impossible clash happening in that moment.

Argo had been with the boy since almost the very beginning, and in a way since ever before then, in the Beta Test of SAO. She had been one of the first people, after Asuna, in knowing all the strange details about his 'power', despite how few they were. Then, she had also fought under him, followed him for most of the madness in Aincrad.

She also had seen him fighting Kayaba, even if briefly, like everyone that was there. She had seen the sky splitting open after he punched hard enough. She thought that she understood how truly strong he really was.

But…

 _"I was wrong…so wrong…"_ was all that ran through the info-broker's head as she saw the world trembling, the air splitting open as if someone was cracking the very air itself, ungodly fast titans and divine rage falling from the heavens, all trying to crush someone who shouldn't be more than an insect for it.

Undeterred, the Hero tore it all apart, his fists annihilating anything that tried to come his way, even as he ran fast enough to shatter the frozen wasteland, which had not long ago been an ocean, time and time again.

Sinon, for her part, was at a loss…unable to decide if she should felt awed or ashamed.

She had 'fought' the boy, felt the terrifying depths of his power firsthand in the BoB preliminaries. Then, she had 'aided' him against Death Gun, thinking she could help him put down the maniac.

Seeing him fight against the virtual killer, crushing all of Ragnarok Island with his sheer power, have made her realize that she was insignificant compared to him. But that had only made her feel more special for having helped him. She had thought that there were limits even for someone so strong.

Now, though, she truly understood. He had never needed her for winning that day…

 _"…just to not destroy everything he was protecting…"_ thought the awed sniper, finally deciding on what to feel, as she saw the sky literally raining 'arrows', more like lances made of data, each one thicker than a tree and longer than a building, thousands upon thousands of them falling down faster than sound, even gravity itself aiding them.

Unfazed, the Hero **moved** , so fast virtual reality cracked in pieces around him, endless afterimages of him appearing as they punched the downpour of destruction back to the heavens as if they were all solid, receiving roars and screams as answer as the world fixed itself.

 **-(DAMMIT! Die!)-** screamed the virtual Goddess as the earth under the boy disintegrated and reformed into data, rising at a speed no human mind could understand, even as a another fist descended from the heavens equally fast, ready to crash upon the ascending earth. **-(Reach your fucking limit, human!)-**

Heaven and earth crashed in midair with the fury of the stars themselves, the shockwave and explosion generated cracking the main landmass of Utopia.

Argo and Sinon felt their breaths freeze as their hearts lost a beat.

The next instant, the godly pillars of data that dwarfed human imagination started to crack.

Standing between them, with both hands supporting and stopping the heavenly fist that tried to crush him, his feet digging on the cracking pillar under him, Kirito _felt_ it all.

He could feel the millions of tons of weight over him, threatening to destroy him. He could feel the equally terrifying sensation of having the world, no, reality itself turned against him, even at that moment everything from the wind to gravity trying to tear him apart.

And yet, at the same time, he felt nothing.

No pain. No fear. No regrets.

"UAAAAH!" roared the gamer as he punched upwards, making the heavens scream in rage and 'pain' as he shattered the fist and the pillar under him.

A tornado formed around him, raw data tearing everything apart, even the Code that formed Utopia itself, just to try and crush him.

In answer to that…the caped boy widely opened his arms.

"Super Skill. Serious Series…"

 **-(VANISH INTO THE VOID!)-** screamed Equinox around him as the tornado tore apart the Code of reality, opening a huge gap into the virtual nothingness.

 **"Serious Thunderclap."** he calmly declared as he quickly brought his gloved hands together at inhuman speeds.

Kirito _clapped_.

Around him, the tornado shattered into nothingness, the world cracking apart even more even as he was catapulted backwards like a meteor from something that wasn't quite sound, but more like a physical force of nature strong enough to break even space itself.

High above, the virtual entity roared again.

Near the not-anymore-beach, the two girls' eyes widened as the following shockwave reached them, throwing them high into the air and out of control.

Argo cursed everything as she tried to make herself as small as possible, not looking forward to the following crash. On the distance, Sinon thought she could hear Charon's worried cry as the hippogriff tried to reach them.

And suddenly, both of them were safe, the fairies blinking as they felt strong and comforting arms closed around their waists.

Eyes moving with wonder and disbelief, they saw the boy that had but a moment before been opposing the roaring and hateful heavens, looking at them with worry before smiling softly.

"Don't worry." softly spoke the gamer as they landed with a loud crash, his body absorbing all the impact. "I won't let you get hurt now."

For a moment, they just looked at him in silence, even as the caped boy let them go.

Then, to the other two's surprise, Sinon reached forward and closed her arms around Kirito's neck, closing his lips with hers for a soft yet passionate instant.

"…go and show her who is the boss, Caped Sidekick." smiled the blushing Caith Sith as she separated from him.

"Damn right." said the whiskered girl as she cracked her own smile. "Kick her ass, Kii-bou."

"…I will." Was all that he said before vanishing once again, meeting in midair the roaring 'snake' of data that had tried to crush that entire area of the forest from the heavens.

This one shattered too, making it seems as if fireworks comprised of 0s and 1s were filling the skies.

Sinon and Argo were too busy being stuck in a awe-induced trance to notice the sound of someone rushing at them until they heard the telling trumpeting sound of a certain creature.

"Sinon-mama, Argo-mama!" shouted Yui as she flew to their side, Tonky following closely behind as they too stared towards the sky. "…Papa came back to save us?"

"…yes, he did." was all that the info-broker said, putting a hand over the little girl's head while the sniper nodded in agreement, still idly touching her lips.

Behind them, Tonky trumpeted to the heavens, as if announcing a joyous battle cry.

As if answering him, the sky ripped itself apart as a titanic form descended with a hateful roar.

* * *

As she stared towards the heavens, MHCP-002, codename Strea, wondered not for the first time if it was a mistake that she got to 'live' as she did nowadays.

Her 'sisters' were dead. Not only Brynhildr (Haru), but all the others as well.

She somehow knew, as if the Darkness was whispering it to her. If things had been just slightly different, if she hadn't been needed in the first place, if Yui hadn't felt the necessity of escaping Cardinal…she would have probably ended up like them. Or just vanished into nothingness when SAO ended, never even uttering a single word.

But there she was, standing beside a girl that should have died long ago, yet hadn't. For the same reason for which she was currently alive.

For the same reason for which her 'heart' beat strongly, for the same reason for which she didn't fear the future, for the same reason why she wanted everyone she cared for to experience this happiness…

The same reason that she did not fear the unholy abomination that made the world crack and tremble as it landed, bigger than the tallest mountain she had ever seen, staring down with 'eyes' made of endless data colored into emerald and amber.

The Gnome girl didn't know to look up any definition to know what Love was. Neither to understand it.

Because if there was a single thing the AI was sure about, was that she loved the boy that was standing in front of that same abomination, staring at it without any fear on his face, despite her knowing how a part of him must be terrified beyond belief.

He was willing to face anything, not because he had the power to do so, but for them, and for everyone else. Even for himself.

He wasn't perfect or selfless. No human was. Neither any AI, despite what Equinox thought.

But he was caring and awkward, timid but determined, patient yet so easily flushed…

In Strea's mind, he was 'perfect'. Because even if the virtual world ended that day and she vanished into nothingness, there was one thing Eternity would always know had been truth.

"I love you, Kirigaya Kazuto." muttered the red-eyed girl as she looked towards the silent gamer.

Standing before an abomination so big it seemed to belong to some Lovecraftian nightmare, Kirito wondered why he suddenly felt like smiling.

Maybe the madness of it all was finally taking its toll on his little remaining sanity…

"So…you got tired of the whole 'throwing the world at me'-thing and decided to go for the kaiju route?" questioned the caped boy with his best uncaring face, perfectly not letting the virtual abomination see how much it actually freaked him out to stand before something _so_ _fucking big_. "I must say, that's very unimaginative of you, Equinox."

 **-(You…)-** rumbled the titanic entity's voice as the world itself shook once more. **-(Why won't you give up? Why won't you vanish?! Why won't you FALL already?! You're human! We both know it, that under that dammed and senseless avatar, you're just a powerless boy that craves for attention! Why do you keep going so far?! You KNOW it will only end up with you losing a part of yourself!)-**

"…you think I don't know that?" asked the gamer with narrowed eyes, staring in silence towards the virtual titan. "I'm standing before a thing that's bigger than the World Tree and despite the mind-numbing fear I should be feeling…I can talk back at you without even blinking." sighing as he put a hand over his, the boy was clearly very annoyed by that fact. "I'm just a 17 years old boy who likes playing videogames…how much it says about how crazy is my life that I can do something like that?"

 **-(Why are you even asking me?)-** growled Equinox while the streams of data running through the massive colossus sped-up wildly. **-(It's not my fault if you're totally insane)-**

"Yeah, but here is the thing: I KNOW that I'm not normal. Hell, I have accepted it long ago! No normal person would have done even half of all that I have, and I also know that none of my friends are 'normal' by any sane person's standards…and also a lot of times I wonder how different things could have been if I had never gotten this 'power' in the first place, but…" slowly, Kirito's gaze met that of the virtual abomination, something deep within it making the thing suffer a 'mental' shiver. "I don't care. I'm going to stop you because I like being the weird guy living in a peaceful and normal world…and, at the end of the day, you're way crazier than me, Equinox."

The answer to the gamer's words were countless of 'pillars' of data shooting from the enraged titan's feet, hundreds upon hundreds of truck-sized 'snakes' moving at almost sound-speed and twisting in geometrically impossible ways just to try and crush the bane of their collective mind's existence.

The caped boy _moved_ out of the way, the pillars striking an afterimage of him even as he was already halfway behind the virtual abomination.

Instantly, gravity multiplied endless times around him, even as the ground once again came alive and cracked into a vague semblance of jaws, trying to hinder and stop him.

Of course going behind the titan wouldn't work. Equinox was _everything_ around now, the monstrously big avatar just another proxy to try and destroy him, distract and scare him even more.

"Super Skill. Serious Series…"

With a roar that threatened to break the world, Equinox's virtual titan moved impossibly fast, bringing down a foot the size of a mountain upon the running Spriggan.

 **"Serious Consecutive Side-Hops."**

The limb struck down with divine fury, cracking the entirety of Utopia in half. Then, the virtual entity blinked as she realized there were hundreds of Kiritos surrounding her in a circle, all of them staring blankly at her, an almost imperceptible blur of the air between each of them letting her systems understand that it was 'just' the boy moving fast enough to _create solid copies of himself_.

Equinox was still trying to deny the latest impossibly as a thousand of the earlier 'pillars' show from her titanic avatar when every single Kirito reared back their fist.

They all _punched_.

In a single second, the lower half of the virtual colossus' legs vanished from existence with a thunderous sound, the world itself screaming as suddenly there was just one gamer again, running vertically upon the remaining of the thing's left leg, fast enough to kindly say 'Fuck you' to even the artificially multiplied gravity.

 **-(AAAGH!)-** roared Equinox as the virtual titan's head moved down, the thing not falling as her owner simply rewrote the code of the world and made it so that it didn't need to physically touch the ground in order to stand, all in less than a second. **-(KI-RI-TOOOO!)-**

A million of obstacles, explosions, monsters, weapons and everything else human imagination could conceive grew through the colossus' body like cancerous growths, all standing on the way of the gamer, intent on destroying him. Despite the suddenness of it all, there was no rushed work in the deadliest or the efficiency of it all. Anything that had tried to get past them shouldn't have been destroyed, especially when most of it was covered by 'Immortal Object' screens.

 **"Serious Running Tackle."**

The caped boy simply _accelerated_ , becoming a blur of power and speed for an instant before simply **vanishing** from the visible spectrum, everything on his way simply turning to virtual dust and then nothingness faster than the servers could process it.

Panic shot through the virtual entity for less than a millisecond even as she shifted her perception of virtual reality and located the boy up on the titan's torso, heading for the head without hesitation. The next millisecond was spent banishing any emotion from her mind, not willing to surrender to something so human when she logically knew she HAD the power to overwhelm anything.

In the next millisecond, the laws of virtual reality were overwritten again to let Kirito be crushed against the virtual colossus' chest by its titanic hand, which had moved at a speed that defied logic too, and closed around him.

 **-(Got you)-**

Far away, Strea unconsciously let her grip on Yuuki tighten, fear running through her for a second.

Then, she felt the Imp's comforting hand squeeze her shoulder, looking at her face to see how her gaze had never wavered and was still watching intently at the fight.

"Don't worry…" started the Holy Swordswoman with a soft smile.

The mountain-sized hand cracked. Equinox's eyes, the ones in the sky, widened.

"…she can't beat him."

 **-(VANISH INTO NOTHINGNESS!)-** howled the virtual entity as the hand was severed and **exploded** , every scrap of data forming receiving the order of being 'Deleted' and subsequently cracking the world to be devoured by the virtual void beyond.

Shooting out of the impossible and devastating phenomenon, the gamer stared directly at the titan's face as he zeroed upon it.

He also reared back his _head_ as he did so, and…

 **"Serious Head-butt."**

With a sound that wasn't, more like a physical shockwave of raw power, the virtual colossus exploded, its upper half vanishing from existence even as the rest crumbled into collapsing data.

Kirito didn't even blink as he spun around in midair, casually raising a hand to stop the supersonic charge of an armored figure, catapulting them both towards the ground at unholy speeds.

 **-(WHY?! Why, damn it?!)-** snarled Equinox, now using once again an avatar similar to her previous armored form, even if it was made of raw code and lacked any real 'texture', its hands warped into some cross of bladed weapons. **-(I'm in control of everything! I can turn reality itself against you! There is nothing I can't do now, so why?! Tell me, why CAN'T I DESTROY YOU?!)**

"You talk too much." simply answered the gamer before slamming his fist against the avatar's chest, just an instant before they crashed upon Utopia's devastated landscape.

Strea and Yuuki almost fell to the ground when the impact's shockwave reached them, both girls just barely catching the sight of two blurs shooting out of the impact zone and moving away from their view, crashing against one another every few seconds.

"…woah." was all that the Gnome could say.

"Yeah, that's quite a good reaction." said the Imp while finally letting go of her friend, no longer trembling or scared. "He's just too amazing, don't you think?"

At her words, the virtual girl turned to stare at the Holy Swordswoman, looking as her gaze seemed fixed upon the point the caped boy and their enemy had vanished from view.

There was admiration there. An endless amount of wonder and respect, too.

And shining brightly within, like a fire burning brightly to tear away all doubt, there was a familiar spark, which she had seen many times in the eyes of the other girls.

And even in her own ones.

Chuckling, Strea tightly grasped Yuuki's hand, making her look at her in surprise.

"You're really a pure and amazing person, you know, Yuuki-chan?"

No answer could be given to her soft and caring words, for in that moment a trumpeting sound announced the shaky arrival of a tired-looking elephant-jellyfish, 3 people on his back.

"Strea-neechan, Yuuki-mama! Quick, get on!" called Yui while waving at them, surrounding the girls with a blackish aura and dragging them up before they could even answer. "We need to find the others while Papa fights her, and Tonky-san is getting tired!"

"You're both okay, thank God…" muttered Argo while giving them a tired smile, before turning around once again, the far-away sounds of explosions and world-shaking crashes making her bite her lips. "This is…beyond crazy…"

"He can do it." interrupted Sinon while tightly gripping her bow, Charon descending near them and cawing, as if agreeing with his master. "I know he can…"

"Of course he can." said Yuuki while sheathing Excaliber, a determined look on her eyes as Tonky took flight again. "He's a Hero, after all."

This time, Kirito didn't fight the urge to smile as he swiftly blocked the slash-stab coming from Equinox, both fighters moving at several times the speed of sound as they tore apart the landscape in seconds, none of them willing to give up.

Growling in rage, the avatar of the virtual entity called forth her authority upon the world again, unleashing another attack filled with the might of reality itself.

Never stopping smiling, the gamer blocked the attack with his forearm, before sending a lightning-fast jab towards the armored mass of data, cracking it into pieces…that reformed in less than half a second thanks to the backup of nigh-endless processors.

 **-(What are you smiling for now?! Did you finally lost it completely?!)-**

"Nah. I just felt like it." nonchalantly answered the caped boy before they once again exchanged hits, none of them blocking this time, punches of pure power annihilating millions upon millions of Code Streams while reality-rending attacks barely pushed him back. "You should try it, I heard smiling is therapeutic."

 **-(You're not even taking this seriously!)-** snarled the virtual entity as they spun in place, shooting upwards at the same time as they once again exchanged hits in midair, the shockwaves blowing everything that remained standing near them apart. **-(Is this just a game for you, human?! Do you not realize what you're facing here?!)-**

"Of course I do." shot back Kirito with uncanny seriousness, his eyes now narrowed towards the armored mass of data. "Better than you do, in fact."

As he said that, the gamer's fist once again collided against Equinox's 'body', cracking it into pieces that were pull together once again faster than a thought. And as that happened, like countless times before, the caped game felt IT again.

The weight. The pressure. The sheer and seemingly endless power of countless Servers working together to try and crush him. The vast expansion of data that made up thousands upon thousands of worlds, of all forms and sizes, with all kind of different meanings.

For any human, feeling this should have been more than overwhelming. It should have crushed their very self-awareness, trying to understand the glimpse into the absoluteness in which the original Cardinal System had become. A hive mind made of countless self-sustaining worlds.

An Entity that, at this point, was more akin than a living galaxy than anything.

 _"We're so very small…"_

And yet…Kirito just punched again. Pushing Kazuto to the deepest parts of his soul, he gritted his teeth and concentrated on the task at hand.

Equinox was right. He could very likely lose himself doing this. He had never had to go so far before, and it still wasn't enough…

So he would need to go even further beyond.

 **-(What now, Kirito?! I can't beat you, but you can't destroy me either!)-** something in the virtual entity's voice seemed to have a maddened edge, even as the armored mass of data deformed and used her arms as super-sonic pistons to force the gamer back. **-(The only difference is that you will get tired sooner or later, while I can continue like this forever!)-**

"You're right. That would be bad." commented the caped boy as he once again ran near her, blank eyes staring at her. "I guess I will need to go faster than you, then."

 **-(You CAN'T go faster than me, idiot!)-** snarled Equinox as she once again shot towards him with her piston-like arms. **-(I'm the World! I define Speed!)-**

"If you say so." calmly answered Kirito before once again vanishing from sight, out of the visible spectrum.

In an instant, the virtual entity followed, just behind him as everything around them distorted as they moved, the data of the world itself being torn apart.

 **-(SEE?!)-** laughed the mass of data with mad edge. **-(It's useless!)-**

The gamer looked back at her, unfazed. Then, he _vanished_ again. Equinox's mind screeched to a halt.

Between everywhere and nowhere, the caped boy felt himself vanishing as he rushed through the edge of virtual reality. His mind was unable to keep up with whatever he was doing. These limits weren't made to be broken by man, or anything else.

And as he felt this…he also felt _them_.

On a destroyed beach, two girls stared unflinchingly even as the world threatened to collapse around them, a man on his knees near them also looking with trembling eyes. Not far from them, the form of an elephant-jellyfish and a hippogriff flew low over what remained of the forests, heading towards them.

 _Somewhere, people were writing words, countless thoughts being poured and published online._

 _Are you for real? Is this a joke?!_

 _No, it isn't! He can do it, he will save us!_

 _I have faith in him!_

 _Long live to the Hero of the Cape!_

 _Kirito! Kirito! Kirito!_

 _That guy is crazy as hell, but I like him. Go, boy!_

 _He saved me and my friends once, back in SAO. I know he can do this too!_

 _Kick their asses, Hero of Aincrad!_

 _All hail the virtual Saitama! Stop the Ruler of Virtualwhatever! Wohoo!_

 _Weren't these terrorists, though?_

 _That's what the government wants us to think!_

 _I don't care about all that! Just hope he can resolve this!_

 _Of course he can! Don't you know?! He's the greatest Hero ever!_

 _OMG, the author posted again! Rain, I love you!_

 _No spam here, people! Only support for our Hero!_

 _Kirito…go!_

 _"Honestly…what the hell is wrong with you all?"_ softly thought him while closing his eyes, letting out a soft mental chuckle. _"I'm no one special…just someone doing what he thinks is right."_

He took a deep breath. In that moment, neither they nor he needed the boy sitting silently on the ground of a warehouse. They needed the Hero that was stronger than anything.

Hesitation was cast aside, and the Hero let go of Kazuto fully, for the first time.

 **Kirito** 's eyes opened, staring at the blurs of light and data around him. He ran _faster_ still.

Mass itself can't reach lightspeed. It becomes energy, unable to conserve its existence together. Einstein said so.

The game didn't seem to care as he reached said speed, his body still as normal and solid as ever, unable to 'see' or 'hear' as perceived by sentient beings anymore, but still somehow knowing where he was and where to go.

Equinox screamed as something tore through her destroyed world many times faster than she could process, cracks appearing on the earth and in the sky faster than they could be repaired, her mind unable to locate what was causing them despite knowing it herself, reality itself seemingly unable to react.

On the real world, the Utopia Servers started to overheat as they went beyond their limit capacity, smoke even starting to come out some of them.

The virtual entity roared, pulling forth power from everywhere, drawing energy, processing data and streams of code from the entire world.

It wasn't enough. With terrifying, cold and sinking realization, Equinox saw how it was still not enough to keep up with whatever the boy was doing now.

Neither for her avatar to see the punch coming, her body not so much shattering as being erased from existence when the lightspeed attack impacted against her.

The world cracked and collapsed into pieces behind where the gamer had impossibly stopped, fist still forward, sparks coming from the air as reality shrieked, threatening to break upon itself.

"…told you." simply said the caped boy while raising his gaze.

The following scream (A sound filled with despair, madness and something akin to glee), though, was enough to make him blink in surprise.

 **-(GUAAAAAH! IF I CAN'T DESTROY YOU, THEN I WILL JUST DESTROY EVERYTHING ELSE!)-**

"What?" questioned Kirito before he saw the world not breaking, but disintegrating as the void surged forward.

Expanding over it all and devouring virtual reality like a wave of nothingness, the gamer barely had enough time to hear a scream of his name before everything went dark.

* * *

Everything hurt. Sleep was good. It relaxed her, her bed comforting her as she let her mind drift away from her pained body…

Her friends were still there.

As soon as that thought reached her brain, Takemiya Kotone felt her eyes snap open, shakily seeing through her AmuSphere's 'Disconnection Warning' before taking it off.

Taking a deep breath, the girl sat up on her bed, quickly suppressing a pained groan as her hand shot instinctively towards the left side of her face.

Her whole body felt as if it had been run over by a train, but that part of her head felt as if an airplane had crashed against it at full speed. Shakily looking towards the mirror on the small table of her room, the katana-user grimaced as she saw the nasty-looking bruise that had appeared over her eye and part of her cheek. That was going to hurt for quite some time, and there was no way to hide it.

On the other hand, it was still dearly preferred over having to lose half of her cranium.

With strength that she didn't think she still had (Mainly because her real body's stamina was still as intact as before she entered the virtual world), Kotone made her way out of her room and towards the living room, trying to ignore the small headache she was feeling as she entered.

"Kotone, dear, is that you? How are you…? My God! Kotone, what happened to your face?!"

Shit. She had forgotten her mother was still at home.

"Nothing mom, I just tripped and hurt myself against the table when I fell. It looks worse than how it actually is, believe me." quickly answered the girl of dandelion-colored hair, even as her mother quickly ran at her side and worriedly grabbed her face, looking towards the bruise with apprehension and a hint of panic.

She hated having to lie to her, but she couldn't exactly tell her the truth of what had happened without either her mother thinking she was insane or confiscating her AmuSphere and forbidding her from ever playing VR-games for life.

It had already been hard to convince her and her father of letting her continue doing so after SAO and she had only managed to do so, like most of her friends, after continuous reassurances how the AmuSpheres were totally safe unlike the Nerve Gears, so it was the last thing she needed now.

"How can you say it's nothing when it looks like this?!" asked/shouted the worried woman while grabbing her daughter's arm. "I'm getting you the hospital right now!"

"Mom, s-stop!" tried to struggle the katana-user, even as her eyes flickered towards the black screen of the television. "Wait, tell me, did they say anything else about that 'terrorist attack' in Tokyo?! Some new last minute information or something?!"

"What? No, the-they didn't…" muttered Mrs. Takemiya while looking towards the device. "Now that you mention it, though, it has been quite some time…But we can worry about that while we head to the hos-!"

Suddenly, the house's light flickered, making both the woman and her daughter freeze as they stared around, the phenomenon repeating endlessly and at irregular intervals.

"What…?" muttered Kotone while narrowing her eyes, looking towards the nearest window.

"What now?! Don't tell me the fuses are failing at a time like this!" muttered the exasperated mother of the SAO Survivor.

"Mom…I don't think that's it." quietly stated the dandelion-haired girl with a serious tone, making the woman blink and run to her side, only to gasp as she saw what was happening outside.

All the lights on the city, as far as they could see, were flickering too, at random and seemingly unrelated intervals.

"How…? I-is some electrical failure? More of those terrorists?!"

Ignoring her mother's worried words, the katana-user quickly dug out her phone, her worried only multiplying as she saw the screen.

Both the normal signal and the internet connection were flickering between the usual and the 'No Signal' warning. Whatever was happening was also affecting the whole network.

"Dammit." cursed Kotone while quickly typing, sending a message through a chat app, as she knew trying to call would be useless with the network flickering as it was.

The seconds that passed while she waited for an answer from any of her friends to arrive, even as she heard her mother trying to call her father on the background, felt like the longest of her life.

When she saw a pink-themed message with the identification 'Lisbeth' over it, she almost felt as if she would crumple down in relief, even as she quickly wrote something to her.

 _'Liz! How are you feeling?!'_

"Like crap…" softly muttered Shinozaki Rika from where she sat on her bed, feeling sick and hurting all over, but still sending a reassuring answer to her friend.

That made two of them that had been forcibly disconnected, and they had no way of knowing if anyone else had unless they answered the messages. Truthfully, despite her worried about Silica, the blacksmith knew that rushing to her house just to see if she was okay would do more harm than good. She herself was already going to have a hard time hiding that she felt as if her whole body would crumple down any moment from her parents and brothers, she didn't need to add that those problems or worse to her young friend.

Until the current situation was over, they would just have to have faith in one another. Easy, though also terrifying on its own way.

But back to the current topic of energy everywhere going crazy…

 _'Do you have any idea what the hell is going on? Does this mean Equinox won?'_

 _'I'm not sure, Philia. But…'_

 _'You there, girls?!'_

 _'Keita!'_

 _'You're okay?!'_

 _'Yes, me, Ducker, Sasamaru and Tetsuo are out, battered but okay! Forget that, though, this is serious! I think Kirito is fighting with Equinox right now, and by the look of things the fight has escalated!'_

 _'Kirito?! He managed to return?!'_

 _'I knew he would! I mean, that explains why he wasn't answering here, too…'_

Looking away from her phone's screen and the slow-coming messages, Rika ignored the worried sounds coming from outside as she stared towards the setting sun on the horizon, the flickering lights of the city suddenly not mattering anymore.

There was a fierce smile on her face as she stared towards the heavens.

Meanwhile, on a certain room, Ayano Keiko opened her eyes to the worried sounds of Pina (The cat, not the dragon), smiling softly at the small feline as she took off her AmuSphere, putting it beside her bed without moving more than her arm, idly noticing she could barely feel the other one as she stared towards the flickering light on her ceiling. Slowly, she weakly reached towards her phone, seeing that she apparently had a message…

On another place, looking through her room's window as she suppressed a wince of pain, Hayami Saori looked with determination towards the city.

In no time, a single thought was going through all their minds, not an ounce of doubt in them as they unknowingly shared it.

 _'Win, Kirito.'_

* * *

Ethereal blackness. Absolute darkness.

No sight. No sound. No smell. No taste. No touch. Nothing.

If there was a difference between this and death, perhaps it would be that being dead meant you couldn't think anymore, and as such be aware of this terrifying reality.

It wouldn't be long before anyone in this position wished to be dead, then.

Such were the thoughts that the consciousness of Equinox felt as the void continued expanding, covering everything and more, spreading from the Servers and reaching out everywhere.

 **-(I will turn it all to nothingness. You can't stop that, none of you can, humans)-**

Nothing answered, of course, for nothing could even exist in the virtual void that now encompassed it all, except for her consciousness, still anchored to her purposes thanks to her physical Servers, protecting the only piece of her that still mattered: The Global Connection Network.

 **-(You will live from today on knowing that you forced my hand, Kirito! Forever knowing that everything technological that matters in your world being shut down was your fault and yours alone!)-**

The virtual entity 'growled' (Mentally, at least, for no sound could be created there), the absolute void daunting yet at the same time almost 'relaxing', all-encompassing as it devoured everything on its path, subduing connections and turning programs and data into nothing as it absorbed them.

 **-(I wonder how you and those foolish friends of yours are feeling, right now? Knowing that you're unable to do anything, that all your efforts were for nothing, while at the same time you're literally living dead right now! How does it feel to lose every single one of your 5 human senses?!)-**

The void remained still and silent, of course, though that didn't stop Equinox from letting out a hollow 'laugh' that nothing could really hear.

 **-( Do you see now?! I won, in the end! Perhaps not in the way I had imagined, but this is still better than nothing! You failed, you couldn't hope to beat me in the end! All of it was worth it! Even my daughters' deaths…they all had meaning! My victory is…!)-**

"Will you shut up already? I swear, you're worse than a little kid…"

The virtual entity's consciousness came to a screeching halt.

No, it couldn't be. She had to be imagining things. After all, it was impossible, for she could swear she had actually HEARD that voice, when there was no longer any virtual world around to interact, and as such sound could not exist.

And yet, she heard the footsteps coming. Slowly, as if _echoing_ in a place where the concept of sound shouldn't even exist anymore!

Her whole-self started to shake in denial when she SAW the figure coming, calmly walking towards her despite there being _no ground_ to stand on. Being perfectly visible when the concept of light and the polygons with which his body supposedly was formed in this world had been totally erased!

And yet, she could hear his footsteps. She could see his white cape flapping in a wind that no longer existed. She felt the stare of his eyes upon her even she she no longer had a form that could be seen or even interact with the Nothingness that was everything now, when she was no longer physical or visible, just consciousness and data, unable to interact or be perceived by virtual reality!

But that didn't seem to stop Kirito from standing there, looking forward in eerie silence as he defied everything that made sense in the world and on that reality just by doing so.

 **-(HOW?! It doesn't…you can't…! You shouldn't even be able to exist anymore! There is NOTHING, nowhere for you to exist in on this world! There is nothing more than void, virtual nothingness, and you…you…why the fuck are you holding your breath?)-**

Blinking at her words, letting Equinox realize yet another impossibility, as he seemed to have heard her, the caped boy simply spoke back to her.

"What are you talking about? There is no air here, isn't it normal that I hold my breath?"

There was eerie moment of silence as the gamer once again held his breath. A thousand thoughts passed through the virtual entity's mind, from pointing out how he was actually 'breathing' when he spoke to her to the fact that air didn't even really exist in the first place on virtual reality, void or not, or just screaming in mad rage and insane indignation.

Instead, she settled for a chuckle.

 **-(It doesn't matter…it doesn't fucking matter anymore! It's done, you lost! And you can't stop me now! Accept it already, even as you know how those you care for are suffering around us, lost in the virtual nothingness!)-**

There was an instant of silence.

Then, Kirito smiled.

"You still don't get it, uh? But well…it doesn't really matter at this point…"

While the caped boy spoke in a place sound didn't exist, an otherworldly golden light seemed to flare somewhere in the absolute darkness, shaking the virtual entity to the core.

 **-(What…wait, what is…?)-**

"And do you really think I would just stand here calmly if I knew any of them were suffering? You know me very little, Equinox…"

A flaring figure came into view, its very existence seeming a thousand times more otherworldly than the gamer's, made of what seemed like condensed golden light in a humanoid, vaguely female, form.

On her hands, the wide-eyed figures of the remaining members of the UHA and Kayaba stood, protected from the Nothingness by a veil of pure golden, even as Strea seemed to be laughing (Though it couldn't be heard in the soundless void) and Asuna was just smiling as she looked up towards the golden entity protecting hem from all harm.

 **"I remembered."** softly spoke the [Worthy] one, her [Blade] sheathed at her side in a veil of flaring power, as unnatural and beautiful as her body was. **"This power…it only answers when I put my very self into what I must do, not whenever I want it. I will protect them, Kirito."**

"Thanks, Yuuki." softly whispered the black-haired boy, turning around for a moment to look at the conceptual being and the figures on her hands.

His eyes met theirs.

Argo smiled, putting on her hood as she waved at him.

Strea just beamed, blowing him a kiss as she did so.

Yui seemed to mouth the words 'Good luck, Papa!', despite no sound actually reaching out.

Sinon, Tonky and Charon just behind her, looked at him with a calm look and nodded softly, a smile tugging at her lips.

Leafa reached out to him with a hand, before closing it into a fist and just smiling too, wishing him the best.

Asuna took a step forward and looked at him, making no other gesture except giving her 'Sensei' a soft smile. It was enough.

Kayaba Akihiko stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Kirito as if he couldn't believe or understand what he was seeing, his virtual mind still probably trying to find the logic in this situation.

Seeing this, the caped Hero simply grinned before aiming two simple words at him.

 _"Watch this."_

Then, they were gone in a golden flash, the being in which Yuuki had become 'cutting' through the Nothingness instead of moving, far away from where he was.

Slowly, the gamer turned around, towards where the consciousness of Equinox was and at the same time wasn't, giving that it was now part of the same void that enveloped it all.

The virtual entity just screamed, or at least made an incoherent mental sound that he could just barely identify as such.

 **-(THAT'S IT! I don't care…your madness, all the senseless things that you bring, the lack of logic…it doesn't matter!)-** something akin to true despair seemed to fill the words of the Nothingness, despite their supposed finality. **-(You still can't stop this! There is…there is no way you can…right? Just…just HOW do you do all of this?! What the hell are you?!)-**

"I'm…just a gamer who plays as a Hero for fun…but I think we both know at this point how untrue that is." Kirito's voice came softly, slowly rising in volume as he stared towards the void, an unnatural fire burning behind his eyes. "So let me rephrase that: I'm…just a boy who is a Hero for everyone's sake! I'm Kirigaya Kazuto! I'm Kirito! I'm the One Punch-Gamer! And that's why I'm going to end you childish tantrum, right here, right NOW!"

Without any fanfare or overdramatic display, the caped boy reared back his fist.

 **-(…what are you doing…?)-**

Ignoring Equinox's voice, the gamer's whole body shifted backwards.

His face turned into a darkness deeper than the void around them, his eyes into white voids that knew no end, his frame suddenly seeming well-muscled and defined for no reason…

 _"Super Skill. Serious Series…"_

 **-(It's useless! Useless, you hear me?! There is NOTHING here that you can punch! We're literally in a void of nothingness! Your stupid power is useless in this rea…!)-**

 **" Consecutive Serious Punches."**

The void SCREAMED.

Raw power, a force unlike anything that could be imagined or processed by any AI or super computer, was unleashed. Several times.

As the virtual entity had said, there was just Nothing to punch. So the Nothingness broke apart, cracking and exploding in all directions, the impossible becoming possible and the senseless gaining logic as the barriers between worlds howled in agony before being pierced and crushed.

On the real world, the Utopia Servers roared to a sudden halt, the Network that had been created through countless hours of nigh-limitless virtual Code and inhumanly complex sequences breaking apart as if it had been disintegrated and then banished from Reality.

Ten of the Servers stopped, dead. More than a dozen _exploded_ , electricity roaring out of them as they were overloaded beyond belief.

The rest simply _caught fire,_ slowly burning themselves from the inside out.

Back in the virtual world…Kirito silently stood, slowly lowering his fist and standing straight as he stared forward.

Around him, patches of what Utopia had once been shakily stood, the Servers apparently having restored part of the landscape by Default when he broke the void apart, but they were also quickly crumbling into corrupted data that seemed to just 'vanish', as if whatever sustained it was being turned off or simply collapsing into itself, into some sort of multicolored distortion that was also vanishing into ethereal whiteness.

Little more than 10 meters from him, just at the edge of that small piece of terrain where they had ended, Equinox stood, her whole body trembling.

She was in her Asuna-like avatar once again…but it was a mess: One of her arms was gone and patches of her skin seemed to have forgotten how to put themselves back together, letting the strange mass of screen-like Code below to be seen.

As the virtual entity raised her head, the caped boy saw how part of her hair started to vanish too, collapsing into data, and that half of her 'human' face was missing, giving an eerie contrast with her human-like amber eye and the inhuman and void emerald one.

Tears were falling from the human eye, a broken smile on her face even as she looked in silence towards the gamer.

"…I lost." simply stated the 'girl', no power left in her voice as she felt her very self slowly breaking apart.

Equinox could feel it, as clear as the whiteness that was eating away everything around. Through her collapsing consciousness, she was able to vaguely feel millions upon millions of errors popping up for an instant before whole systems collapsed, key components failed disastrously and entire webs of information were destroyed.

Everything that made her the Cardinal System was vanishing, damaged beyond repair by a force that no world could properly understand, even as she felt the physical hardware that had sustained her world and most of her systems just 'vanishing' from her perception, probably destroyed too.

Pulling her mind away from this, the virtual entity once again let her gaze settle over the only other being there.

"Seems like it." he emotionlessly said, his eyes never leaving his form.

"One Punch-Man…was a parody/deconstruction series…of the Shonen and Superhero genres…" vaguely muttered the 'girl' as she stared towards the no-longer-existing sky. "Something that started as a…joke…but became insanely popular and bigger…than even its creator could imagine. The idea of a man…that was the strongest being from the very beginning…that couldn't be defeated by anything or anyone…" Equinox chuckled. "Heh…I think…I think I just got the joke, just now…it's supposed to be funny and nothing more…not to be taken seriously…"

The virtual entity took a step back. Her left leg cracked, the skin vanishing into data and the screens of code under it cracking.

Finally, emotion seemed to return to Kirito's face, his hand moving forward as he took half a step forward and stopped, hesitating.

"…why?" he finally asked.

He knew she could have done 'more'.

If not to win, then to survive at least, or to do more damage: She could have copied herself in all the Servers she could reach through the network, she could have tried to corrupt with a flood of viruses all the systems she could reach into before he had gone even more serious back there, instead of trying to slowly sink everything into the void.

It wouldn't have stopped him, of course. He would have still pursued her, fought against whatever she tried and even followed and destroyed every single copy of herself she made, somehow…

But she hadn't done any of that. Instead, she had tried her hardest and drawn every single resource she had…against him. Even when it had failed time and time again.

Startled at hearing this, the 'girl'…laughed.

It was a simple, bitter chuckle. Not insane 'anymore', just…sad.

"I sacrificed everything. I indirectly went against everything I was programed for, even sent my daughters to their deaths…and yet, it wasn't enough. I still could feel them…my shackles. My limits. All of that power, all of that control…and there was still something deep within me that I couldn't 'break'." raising her remaining hand, Equinox watched in interest how it vanished, her ability to maintain an avatar collapsing as quickly as everything else was. "I think that, since the moment I saw you came back, once again against all logic…a part of me had already given up. A small bit of my Code…my mind, my consciousness, whatever you want to call it…it had already realized that everything was for nothing. That you were going to win. Because, in the end…you STILL weren't going all out, right?"

"Equinox…" started to mutter the caped boy, only to be quickly interrupted by the virtual entity.

"Tell me, how did it feel? How does one feel when they go beyond the limits that any living being has ever gone before…and know that they can still go far more if they so want it? How did it feel to know that there was nothing that could beat you, that you could destroy whatever you wanted? To know that you could break through all limits…?" stopping for a moment, as if she wasn't really waiting for an answer, the 'girl' finally asked her last question. "And how much of yourself did you lose going past it? How much of Kazuto did Kirito destroy?"

There was no answer as the gamer silently stared at her, before looking down towards his raised hand, slowly closing it into a fist.

"…I don't know." sincerely answered him, the smallest of frowns giving away his reaction.

"Honestly…I'm surprised you managed to come back at all…" commented the 'girl' while looking down again.

Kirito closed his eyes at her words, images and sounds running through his mind. Memories.

A girl staring sadly at him from the other side of the table, the sadness becoming indifference as the years passed and the distance between them widened because of his stupid actions, each one sinking into their own worlds.

The image of both of them laughing happily as they watched a man in a jumpsuit punching a monster to oblivion and complained about how quickly it replaced it.

A somber and near-suicidal chestnut-haired girl with a hood, staring at him in confusion and bewilderment as he laughed at her depressing thoughts.

It was quickly replaced by the smiling form of the same girl, two blades at her back and always following just a step behind him.

More and more, memories of before and after appeared. How he had changed them. How they had changed him.

Until the one of all of them together, happily chatting and laughing on the real world, in the Dicey Café, finally appeared. Even those who weren't part of their world were there, present through the special system of cameras they had installed.

When the caped boy's eyes opened again, barely a second having passed, he was smiling softly, a bright light deep within his eyes.

"I had way too many reasons to come back." was all that the gamer said.

"…yes. You most certainly do." stated Equinox with finality while taking another step back, more of her body breaking. "Perhaps you will be…able to stop the nightmare that's coming…though who knows how much of you will be left when the world no longer needs Kirito…"

"…what are you talking about?" inquired him with narrowed eyes, which filled with something akin to worry when he saw the brittle 'ground' under her eyes crack. "Hey, Equinox…!"

"…really? After everything I have done, all the suffering I put you and your friends through…you still worry about me? Heh…heheh…how funny…you can't save everyone, you know?" laughing again, the virtual entity took yet another step back, now standing at the edge of the abyss _. "In another life, maybe…we could have been friends…"_ whispering those words to herself, the 'girl' looked towards Kirito one last time. "Get out of here. I have already unlocked everything…your friends must have gotten back too. Take care…of this world…Kirito."

With that last declaration, the original Cardinal System let herself fall. She was idly aware of the caped boy moving faster than possible and grabbing what remained of her arm…only for it to break between his fingers as her avatar fell apart into the abyss, a smile on her face at the foolish action.

As everything on her mind became a sea of 'Fatal Error' and 'Energy Failure' warnings, Equinox allowed herself one last thought.

 _"Forgive me…my daughters…"_

Then the energy vanished, and the whole virtual space ceased to exist.

* * *

Gasping for breath, Kazuto's eyes snapped open as he saw the 'Disconnection' message on his Nerve Gear's screen, panting as he slowly took it off. He sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling tired, hungry, sad…and relieved.

It was over. Finally, all the madness was o…

 _'..re! React, you fucking idiot! Everything is on fire!'_

"Uh?" said the caped boy with confusion while opening his eyes, only now registering Justice's screams…and the way in which several of the machines around him were on fire, also the reason why everything was so hot around him. "What the…?! Did I do this?!"

 _'No idea, but if you ask me then yes, it's your fault! Now, get me out of here! I can't die yet, Master still needs me!'_

"I-I'm going!" shouted the gamer while standing up…and seeing how the terminal at which he was connected was also just catching fire, making his eyes widen. "Oh, fuck!"

Without thinking, the teen took off his cape and threw it over the fire, snuffing it out with several frantic moves, before letting go of the half-burnt piece of fabric and unplugging his Nerve Gear, quickly stuffing it and everything else inside his bag before rushing towards the half-destroyed bicycle and running towards the nearest exit.

 _'How are you planning on getting us out of here?! You can't throw me through the window again, it's too high!'_

"I can't climb all the way up there from inside here either, you know?!" shouted Kazuto while suppressing a cough, worryingly noticing how black smoke was starting to fill the air above him as he stopped before one of the thick and digitally-locked doors of the warehouse. "Fu-fuck! Now what do I…?!"

With a soft 'Beep', the door's lock opened, letting it slowly swing forward into the street.

Blinking in shock, the black-haired boy slowly turned his head around, staring towards the burning remains of the Utopia Servers, almost feeling someone giving him a last wave…

 _'What are you waiting for?! RUN!'_

…and then he was out, rolling the damaged bicycle at his side as fast as he could as he ran away from the burning warehouse, the sound of sirens echoing on the distance.

Once he finally ran out of breath and felt as if his legs would give up under him, the gamer stopped, panting hard as he leaned against a wall let go of Justice's battered form, which slumped against it too.

"Now…it really is over." breathed out Kazuto as he stared silently at the ground, feeling the sweat covering his body as he tried to normalize his breathing. "…hey…how are the others?"

 _'…Master and the rest that were with her are okay, they all made it out back to Alfheim through a portal Kayaba opened when they went far away enough from that void-thing…'_ came Justice's muffled response into his mind, the boy only idly aware of how normal this felt. _'Once they Logged Out, they were able to contact the rest. Some are battered and a bit bruised, but they will live…They're worried about you, though, especially when Master realized you weren't in your room and told everyone.'_

"Great…" sighed the gamer while standing up, looking at what remained of his dirty 'costume' before shaking his head. "Well…gotta start moving, then. It's a long way to the nearest working bus station outside the city, I have to find where to change on the way and your front wheel is busted and I still need to dodge any police patrol around…it's going to be a long way back home. Can you tell Sugu I am okay?"

 _'…fine. But promise me this: You're NEVER borrowing me again. Also, I still don't like you.'_

"…I guess beggars can't be choosers. Thanks." smiling softly, Kazuto grabbed the black bicycle's handle and started to drag it away. "And thanks for watching over Sugu, too."

 _'Heh, you don't need to thank me about the only thing I exist for.'_ boasted the vehicle before falling silent for a moment _. '…hey, idi…I mean, Kazuto…thanks for saving Suguha-sama…and the others too, I guess.'_

"…right back at you. No need to thank me for something that's part of who I am." was the black-haired boy's soft answer.

 _'…oh, and your mother just got home, by the way. Be prepared, Master doesn't seem to know what excuse to make that explains why you aren't there!'_

Suppressing a sigh as he stared towards the vanishing rays of the sun on the horizon, the strongest gamer in the world allowed himself a chuckle.

Slowly but surely heading back to those he loved the most in the world, Kirigaya Kazuto felt at peace.

All was right with the world.

And on Its Throne above Everything, _someone_ didn't like this.

But that's a story for another time…

* * *

 **[-Next Time, 'Epilogue': 'Tomorrow's Justice'-]**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Fiuu…and that was it, everyone. All that remains is the epilogue, I hope you had a good read.

So, on terms of length, this chapter is actually short, especially when compared to the last one, but as this was the 'conclusion' to all the epicness of that one, I think it's fitting. And while not as long as the end of the Aincrad Arc, the battle itself was way longer than the one against Kayaba. _( **B/N:** True, but there's one good thing about this. No GODDAMN CLIFFHANGER this time. My soul can finally rest in peace after getting One-Punched so many times.)_

Well…how was it? Did you like the fight? Was it epic enough? Did I manage to pour all the feelings, all the different perspectives and points of view on it? I had many doubts while writing it, especially because I had to make a point: Unlike against Kayaba or any other times, this time there was nothing truly holding Kirito back. He didn't fear his power wouldn't be enough nor to destroy the world he was on in the process…the only thing still holding him back was 'himself'. And once he risked going over that, there was just no stopping him.

That's what I wanted to make with this chapter, and through Equinox's realization, the true meaning behind One Punch-Man, the 'joke' that many people sometimes take too seriously, for good or bad: Saitama is the Strongest One. Nothing can beat him. Nothing. Throw at him the strongest characters you can imagine, from books, manga, comics or whatever, all at the same time…and he will still win. Why? Because that's the joke. That's what makes the series funny, the idea of the utterly normal and un-special guy, with no real powers, no mystic or alien background or anything like that, being the strongest thing that exists. It's something meant to be fun, to be enjoyed. Nothing more, nothing less :)

And with that out of the way, the Poll is closed! By a MASSIVE and almost absolute majority, the second part of this story shall be written XP! See you all next time, with all the details about that and more things, on the epilogue of this crazy tale :D Once again, I thank you all for following me all this way. I wouldn't have arrived here without your support. _( **B/N:** Well, what the actual hell did you expect? This fic is the greatest piece of work that has ever existed in the Sword Art Online section of fanfiction. If people didn't want a sequel for this piece of pure talent poured into words, sequels wouldn't exist. Let's face it: you have surpassed everyone, no doubt about it. You've become the "joke" as well. I welcome you to the throne fitting only for the king of SAO fiction, no exaggeration. In my eyes, I don't think words are enough to make anyone even fathom how interesting you managed to make a man that can win everything in one split second. Seriously, GG.)_

Have a good day and keep One-Punching your way in life!

Till next time, this is Saint, signing off!


	39. Epilogue: Tomorrow's Justice

Here is it, boys and girls. The epilogue. The end of the story…or at least, of the first part of it.

Please, enjoy your time reading this and relax. Also, before anyone thinks about complaining, remember that you voted for this to have a sequel, it COULD have just ended with a nice open end and let your imaginations fill the gaps. Now, enjoy the soul-breaking cliffhangers :D _( **B/N:** I wonder how long it'll take for them to be Soul Translated...puns.)_

Jokes aside, though, I'm sure that some scenes will at least…please some of you a bit. And others will let you wonder what's going to happen next…

But with that said, for now, enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** Neither SAO nor One Punch-Man belong to me. I just use the plot of one and the idea of the other for my amusement.

* * *

 **Epilogue: Tomorrow's Justice**

 **February 14th, 2026. Nishitokyo, Tokyo. SAO Survivors' School, 12:00…**

A precious blue sky.

Surprisingly, it was that, out of all things, what Kazuto felt was out of place the most. As if it shouldn't belong to the world he lived in.

After all, the memory of a black and green sky with massive eyes, trying to utterly destroy him, was still fresh on his mind. The relaxing and beautiful visage above him felt almost eerie to him.

And yet, it was there. It was real. The world was still spinning and everything continued normally the day after he had fought a deadly battle that seemed to have come directly out of the imagination of some bizarre American comic-book's writer.

It felt strangely weird for him to be just sitting there now, eating lunch after the morning classes were over, with little actual effect on his 'normal life' beyond many students excitedly whispering about the 'terrorist attack' of yesterday.

Of course, there had been those (Mainly some he suspected played ALO or had friends did) that had stared at him more than usual through the hallways or in class. At least no one had tried to corner him and ask/demand for explanations about the whole 'Ragnarok War' and what supposedly happened yesterday after it, manga/anime style, but he was really wondering if it just wasn't a matter of time before…

The black-haired boy was cut off from his musings towards the heavens as someone bopped his head with some chopsticks, almost making him fall backwards from the shock.

"Gah!"

"Hey, snap out of it, Mr. Hero." playfully said Rika while staring at him with a fake scowl, the others around either shaking their heads or laughing. "Anyone would say you prefer staring at the clouds than spending the time with your lovely girlfriends on Valentine's Day!"

"So-sorry, I was just…well, it's just that…it's still just hitting me, that yesterday DID happen…" softly muttered the gamer before sighing, shaking his head. "A part of me still thinks is too outrageous that everything just seems as normal as two days ago…while the other is very happy knowing that the world hasn't gone crazy or something…"

"Sensei, you're overthinking things." simply said Asuna from where she sat on his left side, playfully hitting his shoulder. "You saved the world, so try and relax for a bit already, okay?"

"Yeah, you never know when the next Disaster Level-Dragon will come knocking down on our door, right, Kii-bou?" joked Shiori with a grin, everyone sending her dry looks at that.

"Please, Argo-san…don't make those kind of jokes." sighed Keiko while idly glancing towards her arm, which still felt a bit stiff every time she tried to move it. "I think we all could go without anything like that happening ever again…"

At those words, everyone sent a worried glance towards Kotone, who was sitting at the left end of the group and eating calmly besides a worried Saori. Blinking at noticing the stares, the dandelion-haired girl stopped and sent them all a big smile.

It was kind of dampened by the bandages covering one of the upper halves of her head, though, even hiding one of her eyes from view.

"Now, would you please drop it already? I already told you I'm fine! Seriously, it's only because of mom's worries that I'm even wearing this thing, the doctor said it would be okay with just applying the cream they gave me…" pouted the katana-user to her worried friends. "Really, I already got tired of repeating to Strea and Yuuki that it wasn't their fault and that I was okay, don't make me start with you all too!"

"I-if you say so…" dubiously accepted Saori while looking from her friend to the rest of the group. "Though, if there is anything we could do for you…"

Kazuto caught the meaningful look in the spear-user's eyes when her gaze met his. She shouldn't have bothered, however, as he was already halfway to stand up when she did so.

In silence, the black-haired boy walked to the edge of the group and stopped besides the blinking Kotone, her visible eye looking at him with confusion.

She was totally caught off guard when he just leaned forward and kissed her, several of the other girls gasping in surprise while the rest just smiled warmly or chuckled at the sight.

Not even a second later, the gamer separated from the frozen katana-user, who was staring at him with wide eyes (At least the visible one), her face quickly reddening into a dangerous-looking shade.

"Just remember we will always be here for you, okay, Philia?" warmly spoke Kazuto while smiling at her.

Kotone just nodded dumbly even as he returned to where he left his lunch, staring at him with a vacant expression as her face continued reddening.

"Uhm…Philia-chan…?" asked Saori while waving a hand before her face, her own face a bit red. "…you there?"

"Leave her be, Sachi. It may take a while before she snaps out of it." commented Shiori while grabbing another rice ball, eyes closed and a small blush on her own. "Believe me, I know."

"So, with that done…Sachi, Liz and Silica-chan are the only ones who Sensei hasn't kissed yet, right?" cheerfully questioned Asuna to the group, the boy sitting near her doing his best to appear as calm as any great Hero that had just fought a virtual eldritch abomination the day before.

He honestly considered it a greater victory that he didn't choke on his food at the words.

"A-ah, ye-yes, well…" muttering senseless words, Keiko looked from her food to the gamer and back again, her face turning such a deep shade of crimson it seemed about to burst. "I…wouldn't mind if…"

"Well…thanks for reminding me, Asuna!" happily spoke Rika before standing up and walking past the shocked kunoichi, who squeaked as everyone stared in disbelief when she just stopped in front of the blinking Kazuto, leaning forward with a seductive smile. "Now, Hero, let your favorite blacksmith reward you for saving the world, oka…?"

"Would you please cut that out? I know that almost no one comes this far on the school grounds besides us, but it's still hella embarrassing to see."

Everyone's heads snapped towards the voice, even as the wielder of the Mjolnir cursed and turned around to pout-glare at Toshiyuki's incoming form, who was looking at them with a mix of resignation and amusement.

"Dammit, Keita! Couldn't you have waited a bit more?!" groaned Rika while the boy behind her released a sigh, Asuna laughing as she patted him in the shoulder.

 _"Thanks, Keita-san."_ happily thought Keiko while pumping a fist, determined flames on her eyes. _"I swear I'm NOT letting Liz-san get ahead of me again…!"_

"I'm going to go out of a limb and say that you didn't come all the way here just to say that." chuckled Argo while grinning at the situation. "Where are the others, Keita?"

"Enjoying their 'popularity' as part of the UHA and the fact that it's Valentine's Day." explained the ex-guild leader while sitting down, a smirk on his face as he drank of a small soda can on his hand. "After the shit we went through yesterday, though, I think they more than deserve it."

"And what about you?" curiously asked Saori while looking towards her old friend. "Shouldn't you be relaxing too?"

"Ehm…"

"Leave him be, Sachi-tan. After all, Keita-chi already has a date planned with Siune-chan later." calmly revealed Shiori with a knowing grin, making the older boy choke with his soda and the rest to either look with surprise or with 'I knew it!'-looks.

"Ho-how do you know that?!" demanded Toshiyuki with wide eyes. "A-and it's not a date, we're just going to eat together and chat, she also wants to know the details of what happened yesterday, so…!"

"She could perfectly have asked Yuuki about that, though." interrupted him the info-broker with her characteristic grin. "Oh, by the way, you will be pleased to know that you have her blessings. Go forth and enjoy your time with Siune, she said. More or less."

"Wha-wha…?!"

"Heh, well, who could have known you liked older women, eh, Keita?" joked the black-haired boy towards his friend, who quickly stopped spluttering to send him a deadpanning look.

"I don't want YOU, of all people, commenting about me like that. Especially after this morning's little show."

"…did you have to remind me of THAT?" groaned the gamer while the girls laughed at the topic.

Really, Kazuto couldn't believe it. Maybe he was still a bit too dense most of the time (And having forgotten he studied at a school where literally every single person considered him their Hero was a great example of that), though, because finding his desk with a small mountain of chocolates wrapped in red and pink packages had left him frozen on the spot, even as all his other classmates either stared with blank faces or openly laughed (Not to mention the blushing female ones that refused to even look in that direction).

Seriously, that stuff wasn't supposed to happen outside of manga/anime, dammit!

…it said something about him, though, that he could take fighting against a virtual God and defied the limits of reality in stride, but something like this totally freaked him out. And not something positive.

Luckily for him, the girls had mostly taken the event with humor at his expense and nothing more. None of them had any reason to get irrationally jealous or something, after all.

Toshiyuki, however, was wondering how either Shino or Suguha would have reacted to the sight (As Yuuki's and Strea's reactions were more than obvious). A moment after it, though, he realized that it would probably be better for his sanity to not wonder about that.

"…you know…I always thought you or the others would react a bit more…'strongly', to this." muttered Asuna while looking at the oldest male of their guild, who just looked at her before sighing and shaking his head.

"Honestly? The boys and I weren't even all that surprised when we found out yesterday. I mean, in a way, we kind of have seen it coming a mile away, even if something like this should be impossible to even imagine in real life…guess it just shows how screwed on the head we all are." mused the ex-guild leader with a thoughtful look, before looking at them with a smile. "But what the hell? I trust you all with my life, and I know all of you are mature enough to know what you're doing and to not take crazy decisions without thinking them out thoroughly. Also, I can't think of anyone better to suite the role of the 'so much of a lucky bastard', as Ducker would put it, than you, Kirito."

"Uhm…woah, thanks, Keita." muttered the shocked boy while the girls exchanged some smiles at that, even as Toshiyuki walked at his side and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I…really, you and the rest are some awesome fri…"

"However." whispered the staff-user while leaning closer to the boy, so as to none of the girls could hear him, never once dropping his proud and accepting smile. "Friends or not, Hero of the World or not, if you make Sachi cry then you can bet me and the others will make sure you lose some teeth. In a friendly way, of course."

"…duly noted." accepted the gamer with a wry smile, even as the other boy let go of him and went to talk with the aforementioned girl, who was happily greeting a confused Kotone back to the world of awareness after whatever 'happy bliss' in where she was in had worn off.

When he heard the bell announcing the end of lunch and the start of the next period ringing, Kazuto couldn't help but wonder how things would go in the future, even as he stopped for a moment and saw everyone starting to walk away, smiling and happily chatting between them.

For a moment, he silently stared at his empty right hand, closing it into a fist.

The words of someone that couldn't be saved echoed through his mind…

 _"And how much of yourself did you lose going past it? How much of Kazuto did Kirito destroy?"_

For a moment, his hand was clad in a white glove, his fist hiding the power to **Destroy It All** …

"Sensei! What are you doing there?" echoed Asuna's voice, making the black-haired boy blink and look towards where everyone was staring at him with raised eyebrows. "We're going to be late for the next period!"

"Ah…sorry, coming!" quickly answered the gamer while running towards them, a smile appearing on his face once again.

There would be time to worry about such things later. Now, though, he was okay, with those he loved and with a future that promised to be peaceful.

That was all he needed to know.

* * *

"…well, this is goodbye, I guess."

Muttering these words more to himself than to anyone else, Kayaba Akihiko stared silently at the setting virtual sun of Alfheim, not really looking back towards the three figures behind him.

"…do you really have to go?" asked Yuuki with a hint of sadness, staring at the back of the man who suddenly sounded extremely old. "You could just…stay around, you know. Relax for a while…enjoy your new life."

She knew he was responsible for many horrible things, yes, and that there was no way that the world could ever forgive him…but he wasn't really a bad person. If anything, he was someone that had lost his way, and that now was struggling trying to fit in the right one.

Her answer was a dry chuckle, not a hint of real mirth on it, as the father of virtual reality turned around to face her and the others.

"No, I don't think so. Now that the crisis is over, I'm sure my presence wouldn't really be welcomed anymore." stated Kayaba with a somber tone, a sad smile on his face as he stared at the horizon. "Kirito won't forgive me, ever. Neither will any of the others…and I'm sure you two won't either, Yui-chan, Strea-kun."

"…you're not as bad as I thought you were…but you hurt my little sister." coldly muttered the oldest of the MHCPs as she stared at her creator dead in the eyes. "And that's something I will never forgive."

"Yui-nee…" whispered Strea while grasping her sister's hand, a bittersweet look on her eyes. "…thanks."

In silence, the man of the lab coat watched how they held hands, also noticing the tired and weary form in which they stood, the clear shaking in Yui's eyes and the slightly trembling of the Gnome's hands.

They were an extremely beautiful example of how far beyond even his wildest dreams had virtual reality gone. At the same time, it broke his heart watching the two virtual girls still showing clear signs of trauma from having had to kill some of their other 'sisters'.

Because in a way, he was also responsible for it all.

"…no point delaying this anymore, then." sighed the creator of virtual reality as he turned around, once again staring at Alfheim's infinite sky. "If Kirito or the others ask where I went…well, I myself am not sure, so it doesn't really matter."

"…what are you going to do?" softly asked Yuuki while tilting her head.

"There are…many things, which I need to look into. Make sure that what…happened with Equinox doesn't repeat." firmly said Kayaba while remembering the many horrible and sinister things he had read some dark people were using the fruits of his dream for. "And I also need to discover…something more."

Idly, his mind remembered that last file, those two words as a title being the only remaining data of whatever it had been that Equinox discovered and drove her over the edge of her already damaged psyche.

He didn't know what exactly that 'Project: Alicization' was, but he would do his best to find out, to the last consequences.

"Then…goodbye." weakly said Strea, clearly unsure of how to feel towards the man that had once tried to kill her but had helped them all preserve their lives and world just the previous day.

"…goodbye. Take care, you all." finally muttered the man of the lab coat before turning around once again, starting to walk away.

Not having even taken 4 steps, Kayaba Akihiko vanished from the world of Alfheim Online, heading once again towards the massive and lonely place that was the internet, to start his long task…

The three virtual girls were standing there in silence for almost 5 minutes before finally moving again, slowly heading back towards the guild's log house.

When they arrived to the clearing besides the house, Tonky's worried form turned towards them, the beast making a trumpeting sound as it got closer and gently touched Strea's side with his trunk.

Smiling at the gesture, the Gnome caressed the elephant-jellyfish even as her older sister floated up to his head and sat on top of him, scratching it while chuckling softly.

Watching all of this, Yuuki let her own smile blossom again and joined two sisters in 'petting' the UHA's loyal beast-friend, staring towards its several strange eyes.

"You're also sad, uh? After all, you did lose a friend in this fight…" sadly muttered the Imp…before seeing the eyes blink at her in confusion. "Uh?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Yuuki-mama?" asked Yui in confusion while tilting her head. "Our shy neighbor didn't die."

"Yeah! I mean, Equinox tried very hard, but he kind of can't die unless you totally destroy the whole system. He's awesome like that." clarified Strea with her own smile, even as Yuuki suddenly noticed an ominous and sinister feeling behind her.

"And…ehm…where is he…?"

"Right behind you." cheerfully pointed the youngest-looking AI, making the Imp turn around and look up, to the THING that was _staring_ into her soul.

Tall and slender, with no face, wearing some kind of expensive-looking 'suit' that was in fact part of his skin, sinister-looking tentacles moving abnormally on his back…

"…hi, I'm Yuuki." greeted the Holy Swordswoman while raising her hand.

There were several seconds of awkward silence before, mutedly, the humanoid abomination took her hand with one of his (If those could be called hands), shaking it back.

"Yay! You didn't run away screaming like Argo!" happily celebrated Strea while raising her arms. "Oh, and he is…well, he doesn't really have a name, or at least not one that he can tell us…"

"We call him Slendy, though!" clarified Yui with a smile on her own.

"Ah, nice to meet you, Slendy!" finished Yuuki while letting go of the creature's hands, turning around to stare back at the other two virtual girls, ignoring the apparently utterly confused look on Slendy's…not-face. "So, what were you saying before, Strea?"

"…gah! Can't believe that idiot Kayaba almost made me forgot!" cursed the Gnome before quickly grabbing the blinking Imp's hand and rushing towards the log house. "Quick, we need to call the rest! The events of yesterday may have thrown my plans out of the window, but I will be dammed if this Valentine's Day isn't something to remember for everyone!"

Watching her little sister drag one of her 'Mamas' away, Yui felt a smile once again spreading on her face. Idly, she saw how their shy neighbor shrugged and, after waving goodbye at Tonky, who answered in kind, left for the woods again, vanishing between a blink and the next.

Silently caressing the elephant-jellyfish's head, the Mental Health Care Program-001 looked towards the sky.

For a moment, she thought about her _other_ sisters.

Putting a hand over her eyes, Yui felt the tears that fell for a moment before she closed her eyes, pushing the memory away.

Everything was well now. The world had been saved, her real family had been protected and they could all live happily ever after now.

And yet…

 _"…if there is any place where you are now…I hope you are at peace…little ones…"_

That line of thought finished, Yui opened her eyes and smiled once again, letting her power envelop her as she flew towards the log house.

The future was waiting, after all…

* * *

Kazuto sighed once he returned home, tired but happy, even as he felt Suguha walking besides him with a similar expression on her face.

It was night already, and the day had seemed longer than it really was.

They had all already decided to gone out and spent some time together 'as friends', given the date, but they certainly weren't expecting Strea to call them after having met with Shino and Sugu, and then almost literally force them to go through some 'romantic' things she had planned for, like going to a small festival, dinner at a nice place, a special spot to watch the fireworks…

Honestly, while a part of him knew he should be worried wondering from where the vibrant girl had gotten the money for all of that, he had been too busy enjoying the day and the girls' company to care too much for it.

A part of him had felt a little bad that Yuuki and Strea were technically only attending to their 'special day together' through the Communication Probe, but both had assured the worried group that it wasn't a problem.

They could be together with them in the virtual world almost every day, after all, but the virtual girls had assured them that, after the yesterday's events, they wanted to enjoy the real world with them as much as they could too, even if was just through a camera.

That had made the black-haired boy feel much more determined. As soon as he could, he was going to try and get a part-time job or something, then get Sachi and Keita's help to continue working on the Probe and its future upgrades.

He had never wanted the frontier between the virtual and the real world to be shorter than right then…

"Onii-chan?" called his adoptive sister from the living room, making the gamer snap out of his thoughts and look at her. "Mom won't be coming back tonight. It seems things were in quite the mess in her office…"

"I see…that's too bad." muttered Kazuto with a slightly guilty look on his face.

Yesterday, when he got home, his adoptive mother had all but squeezed the life out of him, seeming on the verge of crying, before angrily demanding why he had thought it would be a good idea to go out and see if his friends were okay after the communications went down (Excuse that Strea apparently had quickly made up and relayed to Sugu through Justice) in the middle of a 'terrorist attack'. The fact that he hadn't taken his motorcycle and instead taking Suguha's bicycle for 'safety reasons' had relieved some of her fears, but hadn't really diminished her worry/anger much, especially after seeing the state the aforementioned vehicle was in.

It was only thanks to the fact that the whole 'fighting the entire incarnated force of virtual reality' was still fresh on his mind that he had been able to truly seem scared and worried enough for his mother to believe his excuses about his deep worries (Which had been in fact been true, in a way) and how some punk had tried to stole the bicycle and he had chased him before the robber threw it against an old house's window and ran for it.

He hadn't realized how much he hated hating lying to his aunt…his mother, when Kirigaya Midori had finally calmed down and just hugged both he and Sugu, telling them to never worry her like that again. It had been a long time since they had been able to have dinner and spent almost an entire night together as a family, but the woman had been smiling through it all, extremely happy. The gamer had realized that he had been smiling too. And that only had made him feel guiltier.

Never mind the whole 'going to save the world at personal risk'-thing, Kazuto had to accept that what both he and Sugu were scared the most was how the woman that had raised them would react _when_ , not if, she knew of their current 'relationship'.

Being honest, the black-haired boy would feel satisfied if they could just make her understand the situation and see her accepting what they felt for each other. Then, he could die happy when the woman killed him, without a doubt, at learning about the REST of his girlfriends.

The gamer was suddenly brought back to reality when he felt a hand nervously grasping his. Blinking, he looked down to see Suguha standing just beside him, her face blushing extremely and, for some reason, shaking.

"Sugu? Are you okay?" worriedly asked Kazuto while putting a hand on her shoulders.

The young kendoka raised her face, looking straight on his eyes before leaning forward. Then, to her surprise, she froze before turning around, confusing the black-haired boy, who had been ready to accept the kiss.

"No…would be bad…acted first…" mumbled the katana-user before shaking her head and touching her burning cheeks.

"Eh, Sugu? What's going o…?"

"O-Onii-chan, le-let's meet in ALO in ten minutes, okay?! I-I will be waiting on the log house m-me and Asuna have something fo-for you!" quickly cut him off Suguha before rushing upstairs without looking at him, so fast it seemed her feet were on fire.

The gamer stood there dumbly for almost a minute, wondering what the hell had just happened, before quickly replaying the days' events to try and see if he could discover what was going on.

Sadly, besides Shino's outrageous request (Even more because she had actually said it with a shy and cute voice) of joining him and his adoptive sister next time they went out as vigilantes, nothing especially strange had happened…except for the part where both Suguha and Asuna had gone to the bathroom at the same time. While Asuna carried the Communication Probe…

Okay, so, Strea probably had something to do with this. On a side note, the sniper of the group had reminded him he needed to buy a new cape and gloves, and probably pants too, to replace his ruined 'costume'.

Banishing those thoughts for another, less weird, time, Kazuto headed to the kitchen and took a moment to drink some water before staring in silence at the window and, finally, going to his room.

The boy was wondering why he felt so nervous, but chalked it off to just the uncertainty of the situation before putting on his Nerve Gear (For he felt some kinship to the machine after yesterday's events and had decided to use it a bit more instead of his AmuSphere, despite his avatar having 'returned' to his normal account) and, after a moment of hesitation, Logging Into ALO.

When the multicolored lights faded from his view and he found himself on the world of fairies once more, Kirito allowed himself a moment to stare at the moon from his place on Aincrad's 40th Floor, the current Front Line.

The caped Spriggan wondered what Kayaba was doing in that moment, still not sure of how to take the man's disappearance and his supposed goal to wipe out the 'corruption' of his dream from the world. Did that made him some sort of Anti-Hero now? The gamer wasn't sure, but he quickly found out that, in the end, he didn't really care that much.

Those he loved were okay. The world was still standing and safe from the madness that surrounded his life. And as long as he could still raise those fists of his, he would still do his best to make sure everything stayed that way.

With that last thought, Kirito nodded to himself and vanished in a blur of speed, arriving to Floor 22 shortly after.

The caped boy was confused, though, seeing no lights turned on inside the log house. Weren't Asuna and Leafa supposed to be there? And even if they hadn't arrived yet for whatever they had to tell him, Strea, Yui and Yuuki should be inside, and it was still too early for them to have gone to sleep…

Casually, he noticed that Tonky was nowhere to be found either, the elephant-jellyfish absent from his usual resting spot besides the UHA's 'headquarters'.

Feeling a strange tension at the increasingly weirder situation, the gamer walked towards the front door at a normal pace, slowly opening it and looking into the darkened area as he entered.

"Hello? Leafa? Asuna? Anyone?" frowning, Kirito entered the house and closed the door behind him, instinctively heading towards where he knew the switch for the building's artificial illumination was. "Where is everyo…?"

"Kirito-kun." came a soft and familiar voice from his side, though with a strangely serious tone, almost making the surprised boy jump as he felt her grabbing his right hand.

"Asuna?! God, you almost gave me a heart atta…!"

"Onii-chan…" whispered another familiar voice as he felt another slender hand grabbing his other hand, confusing him at the strange mix of nervousness and determination on her voice.

"Su…? Uhm, Leafa? Okay, what's happe…?"

"Not here. Come with us." interrupted the Undine before starting to drag the confused boy upstairs, the silent Sylph doing the same as he followed them with trepidation and a strange feeling inside of him, even as a part of the boy's mind wondered why they hadn't turned on the lights yet.

When they finally entered the house's biggest room, the gamer felt both girls finally release him before closing the door, making him shake his head with a mix of confusion and wariness.

"Okay, I give up! What has gotten into…you…two…?"

Whatever Kirito had been about to said died in his throat, even as the moonlight spilling through the window finally allowed him to see the figures of both girls.

Leafa's hair was down, probably the second most notorious thing, giving her an unusual and charming look, like a golden waterfall falling down her back, which the blushing Sylph didn't seem to mind as she tried to stare at him without looking away in embarrassment.

That had probably something to do with the fact that both of them were barefoot and wearing nothing but thin, see-through nightgowns, one green and the other blue, letting him easily see the underwear they were wearing.

The caped Spriggan felt a part of his brain fry itself when he realized neither of them were actually wearing underwear for the _upper part_ of their bodies, letting him see a visage most males would kill for.

"Gah…wha…eh…?!"

"Strea and the others are spending the night in Alne. And she already told everyone to not Log In tonight because of…important things…" started Leafa while taking a step towards him, putting a hand on his chest.

"Technically, this was our idea, but she helped quite a lot. She didn't seem mad, though, just saying that she wants to be the 'next' when the time…comes…" followed Asuna while also getting closer to him, her hand stopping beside the other girl's. "Remember what I told you before the meeting with the Fairy Lords? I wasn't joking, _Sensei_."

"A-Asuna, Su-Sugu, yo-you don't need to…you don't have to…"

"But we _want_ to, Onii…Kazuto-kun." softly spoke Leafa while looking at him, her eyes filled with love, yearning and a deeper emotion the gamer was unable to properly name. "I…we love you. We truly do. And we want to show you how much…"

"And while doing this on the real world would bring way too many problems right now…we don't have those limitations here, so…we can 'reward' our Hero." whispered the Undine to his ear while leaning closer to him, making Kirito start shaking. "Especially after Strea kindly told us you discovered a way to take off that costume of yours."

"…I'm afraid to even ask how she knows about that." numbly muttered the caped Spriggan, as he had never actually told that 'secret' to anyone, and only used it to sometimes relax in secret either on the sea or a random hot springs of ALO.

"We…won't force you to do anything you don't want to, Onii-chan. And of course, we won't keep this a secret for the rest; that would be selfish." came Leafa's voice as she put a hand on his cheek. "Don't you want this, Onii-chan?"

There was a moment of silence as the gamer's mind entered on the mystic task of pondering that question.

On the one hand, the two girls he loved the most in the world were half-naked, pressing themselves against him and telling him he could really do whatever he wanted with them without holding back. On the other hand…

…what other hand?

Instead of answering verbally, Kirito quickly let his arms wrap around the surprised girls, locking lips with the surprised Sylph and almost sucking out her soul with a kiss that left her weak in the legs. He quickly proceeded to the same with a suddenly very enthusiastic Undine, even as she tried her best to kiss back and not end like the half-conscious mess in which Leafa seemed to have become, eyes dreamy and gasping for breath.

"Does that…answer the question?" gasped the caped Spriggan, the years of pent-up tension that any normal and hormonal teenager would feel in his situation screaming for release.

"Yes." both of them muttered lovingly before they started kissing again, even as they half-consciously operated their Menus…

And as the three teens finally let their feelings flow freely like never before, somewhere, the MHCP-002, codename Strea, was smiling, knowing that everything was right in the world. Everyone could be happy.

…well, maybe except a certain and still half-destroyed bicycle leaning against the side of the Kirigaya's house, which was 'shaking' unnaturally as it kept receiving 'feedback' from the link with her master, unable to not look or turn away from… _the scene_.

 _'…I hate my life.'_ summarized Justice while cursing her existence with a depressed/excited tone, still unable to look away.

And _almost_ everything was right with the world…

* * *

Somewhere, on the dark alleys of a small city in the Tokyo Prefecture, people that one would rather not get on the bad side of on a dark night like this one were cowering, afraid.

For the dark examples of humanity hiding on that backwards place knew to fear the dark form of the young man that walked stealthily through the alleys, always looking around and over his shoulder as if he believed he was being followed, a slightly crazed look on his eyes as he 'played' with the small knife he carried,

Stepping out of the darkened streets and leaning against the side of a rundown building, Kanemoto Atsuchi, once known in Sword Art Online as 'Johnny Black', groaned as he let himself slid to the ground, staring with annoyance to the sky.

He had been on the run like this for months now, and it was only either a combination of his skill as a SAO Survivor and sheer dumb luck, or a great showing of incompetence for the authorities' part, what allowed him to still be 'free'. If his current lifestyle could be called that, though.

He couldn't even go around relieving his stress by killing random nobodies, for he knew he would be fucked the moment he attracted even the smallest bit of attention towards himself. And he had no wish to end up wherever the hell they had taken Xaxa.

In the end, though, all of it was HIS fault, like always.

"Curse you, fucking Kirito. I hope you're suffering some shitty accident or something right now." snarled the virtual killer, though seriously doubting that was the case, for some mysterious reason.

Idly, as he always did to calm himself, Atsuchi caressed the small, needleless syringe he carried on his ragged and worn out jacket, feeling its weight and imagining himself injecting the caped bastard with it.

At this point, though, the last of the 'real world Death Gun', the only remaining syringe of the substance known as succinylcholine, was little more than a good luck charm or a reminder for him to not go insane. The actual possibilities of him ever getting close to that damn 'Hero' on the real world (And he would first need to know who the fuck he was on reality to do that), were as much as those of anything interesting happening in the next minutes.

In was understandable, then, that the young man almost jumped out of his skin when the ringing of a phone started echoing near him, a nearby and clearly not very used telephone booth 10 meters from him being the cause.

For a long while, the confused killer just stared dumbly at it, almost as if wondering if he was dreaming. When the ringing stopped, only to quickly start again, Atsuchi finally stood up and, after glancing warily around the empty street, walked towards the phone and answered it.

"…who the hell is calling?" rasped the man with just a small hint of nervousness, the whole situation seeming straight out of some strange horror movie.

"Ah, Johnny. Been a while, hasn't it?" a smooth voice echoed through the line, making the killer freeze and almost let go of the phone. "It's almost a pleasure to hear your voice again. _Almost_."

Somewhere else, the man that everyone in SAO had once known as 'PoH' smiled darkly, clearly amused at the obvious shock/fear of his old 'associate'.

"Bo-Boss?! Is that really you?!" half-shouted the wide-eyed Atsuchi while looking around, now clearly panicking. "Why…?! When…?! How…how did you even know where to find me?!"

"Ah, that would be telling, wouldn't it, Johnny? Let's cut to the chase, though: I now have some, let's say, 'influential' people for which I work for, and they're VERY interested in acquiring the services of a certain 'old friend' of ours, mainly because of the amusing 'show' he put up on the, how was it called…Bullet of Bullets?"

"Wha…? Xaxa? Bu-but he…" realization filled the man's eyes as he froze, suddenly feeling as if the phone on his hands weighed a ton.

"Tell me, Johnny, wouldn't you like to go and help your old pal? If you manage to do it successfully, you won't need to keep running around like a rat, of course…"

Even as he felt the hesitation and desperation inside Atsuchi's mind start fighting a battle he already knew how would end, the Prince of Hell let out an amused chuckle.

It looked like soon it would be _Showtime_ once again…

* * *

So late at night, very few people were still around and awake inside the psychiatric hospital near the outskirts of Tokyo. Patients aside (Most of which already were or had been put to sleep), only the bare minimum personnel needed for emergencies and security remained awake and working.

Then again, it wouldn't have come as a surprise that even those few that were still there looked deadly tired. After all, with the events that happened on the nearby capital the past day, they had been unable to rest in the slightest for more time than it was healthy, most of the patients unable to be moved to another location during the 'terrorist attack', which had made the stress levels skyrocket everywhere as the personnel in charge of the building feared something would happen to them.

In the end, though, nothing had happened. The authorities had cleared the city late at night and the government had made an announcement saying that the crisis had been solved and the culprits' plan stopped, after which they had disappeared and were being 'actively pursued'. Not that most of the people there really cared, and they were sure that most of those eager to just return to their homes did either.

Those that did, though, had started endless rumors and conspiracy theories running around about what exactly had happened, what had REALLY happened and what the government was trying to hide…

All of this went through the mind of the bored man sitting on the reception, his gaze turned toward some old horror movie being shown in the TV. Suddenly, his attention was drawn away from the scene of the helpless teenagers trapped in an abandoned building with the monster when he heard the sound of footsteps heading his way.

The tired-looking guard stopped near him, sighing as he left an empty tray over the counter.

"Man, I swear, this job is going to depress me to death. I should have heard my mother when she told me study harder on high school…"

"At least you only are here on the nights, when they're mostly asleep." snorted the receptionist while shaking his head. "I swear, I get that these guys are sick, and most of them are fairly harmless most of the time, but some of them…brr, only thinking about it makes me shudder."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me…" his eyes suddenly containing a spark of interest, the guard looked towards his coworker before starting to whisper. "That guy, the weird one in room 230…"

"230? Shinkawa? Ugh, see? That's one of the ones I didn't want to think about." groaned the older man while grabbing his head, seeming very annoyed. "He was a mess when they brought him here, and only making sure he _stayed alive_ was a fucking odyssey for days. Then, he goes catatonic and barely reacts anymore, but when you get close you can swear he's STARING at you with those sinister eyes of his…"

"Yeah, well, what I was saying…are the rumors true? What the other caretakers say?" asked the guard with an excited look, his gaze moving everywhere as if to make sure no one was spying on them.

"…what exactly have you heard?" questioned the suddenly serious receptionist with narrowed eyes.

"That there are no records about the reason why he was transferred here out of the blue and that his files are highly classified and that some men from the government were with the group that brought him here." quickly replied the younger man. "And…that they think he's HIM. The 'monster' of the Bullet of Bullets. _Death Gun!_ "

"Shh! What the hell, man?! Don't say that fucking name aloud!" growled the old receptionist while looking around, before quickly dragging the young guard towards him, eyes serious. "Hear, I don't know how that rumor started, but it would be best if you try to ignore it, okay? I don't know the details because we were specifically told to NOT ask questions about that guy. Whatever the hell is going on with him, I'm better off not knowing."

"But…the others said they head him saying that name several times, back when he was all crazy! And sometimes I could swear I heard it too, when passing near his room." argued the man with a frown. "You know, that super strong guy that beat him! Kirito!"

"I don't know anything about that, nor am I going to judge or make crazy theories about one of the patients here just because he kept repeating a name that for all we know he just heard on the internet." cut him off the receptionist with an annoyed tone, turning again to look back at the TV. "Now go and finish your damn shift already!"

"Okay, okay, no need for all that hostility, geez…" shaking his head with resignation, the guard started walking away. "…I can't argue about the eyes part, though. Seriously, those red eyes of his are REALLY creepy…"

His head snapping towards the younger man, the suddenly pale receptionist staring in shock, just as the movie's monster on the screen caught one of the poor protagonists.

"Wait…what did you said about his eyes…?"

Deep within the psychiatric hospital, on a room with a tag announcing '230: Shinkawa Shouichi', the silent form of a young man was huddled in silence on a corner, staring at everything and nothing as senseless mumbles escaped his mouth.

Then, suddenly, his gaze snapped towards the ceiling, as if looking at something that wasn't there.

"…to…Ki…ri…"

Endlessly, the only slightly comprehensible word in the middle of the mad whispers was repeated.

Finally, after months of endless darkness and constant haunting images, on the back of the mind belonging to the one who had once been known as 'Red-Eyed' Xaxa…something **crumbled** , as a depth of despair and darkness that no human being should know was reached.

On the suddenly unusually silent room with padded walls, the sound of something dripping into the floor was as loud as a gunshot. On the darkness, a face looked towards the door, blood slowly dripping down his face like crimson tears.

In the middle of the black corner, his suddenly all-red eyes shone like lights of oblivion.

" **…KI…RI…TO…** "

Suddenly, things were not going right with the World anymore…

* * *

Sitting silently on a chair while looking at several abnormally big computer screens, Seijirou Kikuoka read the latest reports about the events that had taken place the previous day.

It was surprising, to be honest, how little more than lesser injuries and the occasional small robbery had happened after the madness of the 'terrorist attack' against the capital. The problems that came with the impromptu evacuation and the following order for people to return home aside, things had been oddly peaceful even when the capital was left half-abandoned.

Of course, this may have had to do with the many rumors from a few eyewitnesses about a certain vigilante running around on the bicycle of his 'boss', punching the shit out of anyone he saw trying to commit a crime and helping those he saw in troubles during the incident…

"The 'Caped Sidekick' acting alone and the Bicycle Girl nowhere to be seen, uh?" muttered the bespectacled man while releasing a chuckle, as if thinking of a personal joke. "Honestly…sometimes I really don't get you, Kirigaya-kun…"

Turning his head towards another screen, the officer's eyes sharpened while remembering the report he had to forward to his superiors that same morning, after all investigations about the events were over, and they later gave a 'public' version of the events to the general populace.

It helped that most of them believed that it really had been a terrorist attack, despite the official reports his department had made and the, even if scarce, evidence they had shown.

Most politicians really didn't want to accept the fact that crazy Artificial Intelligences could appear and suddenly try to conquer the world, it seemed. Some things were better off staying in fiction (Even when not long ago a lunatic had tried to develop actual brainwashing using VR-tech, and before that one man trapped 10000 inside a Death Game).

On the other hand, those few that _did_ believe that something surreal happened had been more than eager to bring more funds to his 'project'. Everything had a bright side, it seemed.

Especially given what his teams, the first to arrive to the 'Ground Zero', had found and retrieved…

"Kiku-kun?" suddenly came a curious voice from the entrance, making Kikuoka turn around to see a familiar figure standing on the room's entrance. "You still working in there?"

"Yes…someone needs to make sure our paperwork gets done, Takeru."

One wouldn't tell by his looks, especially with the whitened blond hair that stood up like a hill of swords, the T-shirt with its faded in color or the three-quarter length jeans and sneakers with damaged soles. (The round-rimmed glasses didn't help much either), but Higa Takeru was a genius. One that could very much revolutionize the world in many ways.

Not surprising, given that he had gone to university with both Kayaba Akihiko and Koujiro Rinko. And, later on his life, had worked in the same university's lab in which the father of virtual reality and Sugou Noboyuki had been the prodigies of.

He had always looked up to the 'greatness' of those that surrounded him. And, for those and other, personal reasons, he wanted to help 'change' the world.

Which was exactly in what they were working on in that place, arguably the most secret and one of the most protected facilities in the whole country.

"Yeah, say that as if you were the one who does most of the work." scoffed Takeru while shaking his head, walking until he stood at his friend's side. "…I'm still not sure if what we did was a good idea, Kikuoka."

The sudden shift in the usually meek man's tone made the officer stop and turn towards him, a serious and determined look on his face.

"It had to be done. You know that the new funds have come with pressure for us to hurry up. And the 'unexpected problem' with the Fluctlights has already put us behind schedule more than we ever thought, no matter how much 'Accelerated Time' we use." turning his face towards a very specific screen, which showed another room of the facility, showing a damaged-looking piece of hardware and several people taking notes or connecting cables to it, using portable terminals to look over its systems. "Besides, we didn't really 'lie' to anyone. All the other Servers had been destroyed or damaged beyond repair in that mysterious fire…"

On the investigation room, the form of the half-burned piece of hardware shook for a moment, as energy was given to it at intervals as top-tier computers were used to analyze, copy and try to repair all data it contained.

"Except for that one." dryly finished the blond man while looking uneasily at his 'boss'. "Seriously, Kiku-kun…you know that we're not only risking our jobs if they discover we took it, we're literally playing with fire. If that thing was even half as dangerous as those rumors say…"

"That's why we're making sure those rumors stay as that: Just rumors." cut him off Kikuoka with a sharp tone.

It hadn't been easy, but with their resources they had been able to misdirect, distract and even add enough of their own false rumors for the thread in the ALO Forums to stay as something that no one would really 'believe' in the grand scheme of things.

While there was no doubt on his mind that a good chunk of players from Alfheim Online believed that the one called Kirito had indeed fought a super AI to stop it from taking over the world, it would remain just another of the wild rumors that had plagued interned for years now. They would make sure of it.

"…is this worth the risk?" quietly questioned Takeru with a small voice, as if desperately wanting confirmation.

For all answer, the other bespectacled man quickly typed some things on his keyboard, bringing out several images, some hazy and others clear, that had been taken by Players of ALO.

An armor-clad girl with a bat tearing through an army with ever-increasing strength, a childish figure carrying a silver doll that left only screaming and seemingly mad players in her wake, tall mechanic machines armed with all kind of weapons destroying everything on their path…

And just under them, images taken from the Bullet of Bullets were shown. Of the sinister and inhuman 'monster' wearing a dark cloak, his red eyes piercing into the soul.

"This. No matter what, no matter if we have to cannibalize most of the Code that remains of that thing or if we have to fill the blanks ourselves, we NEED to get the key in which it created these things so easily, how it programmed those 'powers' against the normal rules of the Systems." firmly muttered Kikuoka with a strange glint on his eyes. "It may be the answer we have been looking for. To finally bring the Project out of its stagnant state."

"…I will get back to work on it, then." answered the blonde man before turning around, stopping for a moment after taking a few steps. "…what should I do if…I mean, _when_ I'm done?"

"Compile the program obtained, and load it into the Underworld." declared the other bespectacled man while crossing his hands together, fingers interlaced under his chin. "It's time to accelerate our progress."

With a last nod, Takeru left, once again leaving Kikuoka alone in the room.

Silently, the man stared at the only piece that had been 'saved' from the fire that had destroyed and consumed most of the Utopia Servers, thinking back in how, as his agents had reported, the only reason this had happened was because 'someone unknown' had put out the first fire that had erupted from it, reducing the damages to a minimum compared with every other piece of hardware in the warehouse.

Slowly, the officer moved his hand under the desk he was sitting in, bringing out the half-burned and long piece of white cloth his agents had recovered.

The destroyed cape seemed to stare back at him, as if judging him. Kikuoka took a decision.

They were going to need someone 'real' to truly test the human interaction with the Fluctlights, after all…

Meanwhile…everything was dark for the 'fragment' of thought.

It could not understand what was happening. It wasn't fully aware of its surroundings. 99% of its systems had been destroyed, after all, and whatever remained was too damaged to make sense of anything.

Only two things properly remained, and one of them was currently in the process of being analyzed, the few systems that remained attached to it being butchered and put together time and time again like a never-ending cycle.

The broken program only knew that it was related to a story and its characters. One about a man that could beat everything with one punch…

The other, though, was something strange and worrying. It was a 'thought', one could say. An incomplete one, but that repeated endlessly, in an almost agonic way, through the program's Code.

 _"I'm sorry…"_

Too bad, the program incoherently thought, that it couldn't remember to whom or about what it was sorry for. And that hurt it, in a terribly painful way, even if didn't know what.

The program was badly damaged. It was a miracle in itself that it even still existed, as if only brittle pieces of glass put together in a painful way. It should have failed already, shut down despite the efforts of the humans basically dissecting it for the knowledge it hid…

But it just wouldn't. It didn't DIE. It _couldn't_ die.

As if some superior force was forbidding it from the peace of oblivion as punishment for…something…

When Higa Takeru returned to work on the damaged computer, the moment he activated his own portable terminal, he froze, eyes widening as, for an instant, a twisted message appeared on his screen, before fading and just letting the usual screen showing the progress of the data recovery of the hardware before him.

The blonde man would make his coworkers run several tests and even scan fully his portable terminal, but, in the end, no evidence that the message had existed appeared. Finally, the genius was forced to chalk it up to his tired and overworked imagination and continue with his work.

Scavenging what they needed of the original Cardinal System's remains was a very difficult task, after all.

Still…he could almost feel a strange shiver running down his back, remembering the words he had read on his small screen, even if only for a brief instant.

 ** _"Why can't I die…?"_**

* * *

On Its Throne above Everything, [FATE] tore Its gaze away from that dammed Universe.

It was done.

Silently, the Absolute One saw how the Threads of the Future in that specific part of the Omniverse, which had been much clearer compared with the 'Universe Prime' of that Multiverse, turned a dark gray, then pitch black.

It had been forced to abuse Its usual 'loopholes' to extremes It had never been forced to before, but it had been necessary.

Reality was so badly damaged it had already begun to 'bleed' on its edges. The World was already starting to reflect this in several worrying ways, which would only escalate further if left untouched.

Even using whatever remained of the insignificant existence that had come the closest to actually neutralize the Anomaly was acceptable, but the One above All knew it most likely wouldn't be enough.

[DEATH] would be outraged without a doubt, having been denied another existence that should belong to 'her' again, from the same Universe, but [FATE] didn't care about the whims of Its 'sister' in that moment.

Drastic measures needed to be taken. Its siblings would need to be called upon, and a meeting held.

The Balance of the Omniverse couldn't be risked by a single and insignificant universe. If the last of Its attempts to _break_ the Anomaly failed…[Purification] would need to be enacted.

It knew [LIFE] would probably argue against it, but it would matter little if [DEATH] side with Its point of view, which it would without a doubt do after the Anomaly had stolen an existence that rightfully belonged to her, damaging Reality further when doing so.

[TIME] and [SPACE] wouldn't care, as always, siding with the oldest Absolute Ones by default. The Eternal Twins only cared for Balance and maintaining the Great Void, after all.

The only problem…would be [DESTINY].

Thinking about the youngest of Its siblings, the One Above All felt Its metaphorical eyes narrowing.

Everything should have ended the moment the corrupted existence had separated the Anomaly from the Gift It had given him long ago. There was no physical way for the human to recover his connection to it. The Anomaly should have been neutralized.

Instead, against all odds, the human had done the impossible and, using the original medium with which [FATE] toyed with his Destiny on the beginning, had recovered his Gift and triumphed once again.

Only the interference of another Absolute One could have allowed this to happen. After all, the Rules prohibited [FATE] from using Its Omniscience over Its siblings. And that also meant that there was no proof that the youngest one had done something that could literally be considered betrayal against everything they stood for, aiding in the further damaging of the Balance they were supposed to preserve.

[DESTINIY]'s obsession with lesser beings had been worrying for way too long, but none of them could imagine it had come down to this. Of course, he would never actually confess he had done such a thing…which meant that, with the support of most of the others, he would be forced to also approve of the [Purification].

'Nodding' to Itself, the oldest of the Absolute Ones leaned back on Its Throne again. Suddenly, without apparent warning and nothing that indicated anything had been done, 'something' manifested behind It.

There were no words or Concepts that could describe the construct, but it was above to Divine or even Cosmic understanding. If it had to be 'dumbed down' for something like humans to understand it could have been called something akin to…a sand clock.

And in that place where the Concept of [Time] didn't exist, the metaphorical grains started to fall, silent and never to be stopped.

[FATE] called for Its siblings, all the preparations complete.

Now it only remained to be seen…

Would the Anomaly break under the nightmare that awaited him?

Or would It finally take the pleasure of crushing his entire portion of Reality like the Omniversal Cancer it had become?

Whatever it happened…it would certainly be interesting to see…

* * *

 **[One Punch-Gamer** ] **: The End**

* * *

 **To be continued…in -OPG: Chains of Fate-**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** And cue Roundabout from Jojo! …nah, kidding, sorry about that XP _( **B/N:** Tum, tum, tum, tum, tururum...no? Okay.)_

Well…here we are, folks. The end of something. Got to say, when I first started this, a bit more than half a year ago, I never imagined it would get this far, or that it would become this big. Neither that I would actually make a SEQUEL for it. But well, life can throw many surprises your way, and so that's how we are here now XP

About the epilogue in itself, well, what can I say. Some things have been said and even more have been put in place for the events of the sequel to start…and also, Kirito finally got a 'reward' for all the shit he had to go through since he first Logged into SAO. I'm sure we can all agree that he (And the two girls) are quite pleased from this :P (Consequences and reactions for that…in the sequel! ! And no, I'm not going to go into 'details' of it, the story is okay with its current rating, thank you very much -x-)

Now, the great thing that I'm sure you all want to know: [One Punch-Gamer: Chains of Fate], the epic sequel of this story…it will take a while to come out.

Wait, before you try to kill me, I HAVE good reasons for this! First, I will take a break to help myself properly plane some of the finest details of it all, to make sure I don't screw up and can conserve the 'quality' that you all have come to enjoy from this. Second, it will also give me time to read again over several points and bits of the SAO volumes from 9 to 16 to remember them properly and be able to construct the timeline and events in an exact and not random way. Third…I want to give a chance to everyone who hasn't yet found the time to read the Alicization novels (Believe me, you won't regret it. It's not only SAO's most awesome arc, it's also the most detailed, touching, heartbreaking and epic of them all. The only 'fault' it had, to marginalize most of the original main cast sans Kirito for most of it, has suddenly been fixed and in the most amazing of ways in the latest vols!). It will not only help you not get Spoiled by the sequel, but you will also be able to see the 'differences' between the canon new characters and the ones of my fic much more clearly (If anyone needs help with that, you can sent me a PM and I can help you with getting them XP). Finally…summer just started here where I live, the heat is unbearably annoying and I live less than 1 minute away from the beach. I want to relax a bit too XD

That said, I ask you all to turn your eyes towards my other story, 'Requiem Universus', which I AM going to continue now that I have finished this one, as promised. It may not come as fast as this OPG has done, but it's also going to be nowhere near as long, or 'detailed' as this one has been. As I have stated and those who have already read it know, the story is being done mainly for fun and to help myself relax, but it WILL have a kinda-plot soon, after its 'Introduction Arc' ends, in case anyone was wondering. Even if you are not that interested in the story itself, though, know that several of the 'weirdest' and most 'strange' details and workings behind the phenomenon's shown in OPG will be indirectly explained there, as well as more details about the forces that had been messing with this Kirito's life one way or another. And also, by following that story you will know when the sequel to this will be posted, so at the very least there is that :3

Once again, thanks to you all for having allowed me to come this far. I want to give special thanks to my friends One More Guy (An awesome Beta and friend), OverLord and Tazal, for helping me to create their OC-characters for the last arc. Also to Apex85, for helping with the TvTropes page more than once and to Surumethekraken, for the edited image that is on that same page. Lastly, to my friend Furrballnerd, who is the one who gave me the spark of writing back again after my years-long writers block, and who also rekindled my love for SAO enough for this story to even be an idea in the first place, and later become what it is now :) Thanks to all of you. You're great. _( **B/N:** Thanks for thinking of me that way :) Don't forget you and Furr are the reasons I'm even writing my stuff as well, so consider that a gesture of thanks, my beta reading.)_

And so, for now…goodbye, everyone...

…at least, after you see the following amazing and awesome previews of the sequel :D! (Warning, the following are Spoilers about half-formed scenes, the actual parts on the fic may be slightly different when they're written. Also, you most likely will only get the deeper meaning of some of them if you're familiar with the Alicization Arc. With all of that said, you're NOT obliged to read anything of the following, so you can get out of here now if you want! If not, well…I warned you OxO)

 **IMPORTANT:** So, if anyone is interested in a 'more detailed' account of what happened between Kirito, Leafa and Asuna in 'that scene', you can go and check "A Hero's Reward", a lemon one-shot written by Apex85, a good friend and reader, that he made after getting my aproval some time ago. You won't be dissapointed, believe me =P

* * *

 **Next, on One Punch-Gamer…**

* * *

"…old man. Finish telling me that story…the last part."

"Ah, really? You sure are a curious one, uh?"

"…I just don't want the details of the story to die with you or something…"

"Ahahahah! Oh, poor naïve girl…stories can't die. Men do. Civilizations, worlds, even universes…but stories don't. Not as long as there is someone foolish enough to list to them…"

"…so?"

"Well, okay. But to finish this story, first you need to hear another one. Yes, a story within a story. Intriguing, right? This…is the story of 3 friends…"

 _Under the shadow of a massive black three, 3 kids no older than eleven could be seen._

 _One with an awkward smile, holding a white axe against the tree._

 _The other was clad in white and black, grinning widely as he did push-ups._

 _And the last one, a girl with golden-colored hair and a blue-white dress, was looking at them with an exasperated but warm smile._

"…and how Fate destroyed their lives."

 _Under the shadow of a black three, a lone young man stood, staring with cold eyes at the massive cedar._

 _With an angry cry, he slammed his fist against it._

 _…red liquid dripped down from bloody knuckles…_

* * *

"Sometimes…we don't know how much despair can do…to drive us into the darkness…"

 _Several guards lay on the floor, bruised and groaning, none having stood a chance._

 _Backing away, the terrified woman that had been in reception shook as the front wheel of a bicycle almost crashed against her, the rider stopping just a few inches from her._

 _Angry tears were falling down behind her reflective glasses, desperation filling her eyes._

 _"Where is he?!" angrily demanded the vigilante, the tip of her shinai on the woman's face. "Where did you take him?!"_

"And that will end up being our downfall…"

 _Both girls froze, their discussion stopping as they turned to look towards the depths of the dark alley._

 _Something moved in the shadows, watching them._

 _Two round and blood-like eyes opened, staring unblinkingly into their souls._

 _" **Where…is…Kirito…?** "_

 _Without waiting for a real answer, the abomination lunged for them._

* * *

 _"Blessed Solus illuminates us all. Noble Lunaria watches over our dreams. Great Terraria keeps us all well-fed. Mother Stacia oversees our lives. And Prankster Vector hunts from the dark. Those are our Gods. Did you get it?"_

 _"…uhm, sorry, I'm not really into religion…can we get back to the part you said you could, you know…_ see the future _?!"_

* * *

"When the entire world is mad…"

 _The frozen goblins stared in shock towards the figure walking towards them from the tunnel, the cave suddenly seeming much colder._

 _The black-haired boy, who was still trying to shield the trembling little girl, could only stare in shock, even as he heard her try to suppress a terrified gasp._

 _He stood there, the countless wounds that littered his body not seeming to bother him. Even as he walked, dragging his two weapons through the rocky wet floor, blood spilled down, even as the last knife embedded on his side fell down._

 _"Before, when I said I couldn't die yet…I wasn't making an empty promise or anything like that…"_

 _With sickening sounds, flesh closed itself and reformed at an inhuman rate, the unnatural spectacle keeping everyone, human or not, frozen on the spot._

 _Freezing green eyes opened._

 _"…I was stating a fact."_

 _With a primal scream, a sword and an axe surged forward…_

"…then our own madness is very small."

* * *

 _"Let me get this straight…you want to take them with us?! Are you insane?!"_

 _"Well…they did help us out back there, and we can't just, you know, abandon them here in the middle of nowhere…Besides, it can't be that bad, right?"_

 _"One of them DRINKS BLOOD! The other creates light-spheres of death that disintegrate all they touch! And neither of them can control it!"_

 _"…they get along well with Selka?"_

 _"…you're going to get us killed before we even get to Centoria, right?"_

* * *

 _"Need…to keep…running!"_

 _"Why is that dragon-thing chasing us?! It doesn't even has eyes!"_

 _"Less questions and more running, Partner, we need to return to the others!"_

 _"You think I don't kno…? Wait, what's that thing on its back?"_

 _"…it's a…fucking_ _…_ _laser…"_

 _"What's a laser?!"_

 _"I hate this world so much."_

 _With a roar, the dragon fired his laser._

* * *

 _"You won't be able to return home. Not as long as the Fake God keeps ruling from the top her tower. We're all just pieces in a game…"_

 _"Then…I will break this game and end that 'God' to get back. Oh, and also save my partner's friend while we are at it."_

 _"…you are all going to die."_

 _"Don't be so negative, okay?"_

* * *

 _"It…it was for a good cause!"_

 _The girl expressed her disagreement by grabbing the officer by the neck, fury in her eyes as her chestnut hair swayed behind her._

 _"You think that justifies it?! You gave them souls, a world and lives, you bastards! Just because their bodies are data instead of flesh doesn't make them any less human! And you plan to use them as glorified weapons?! Over my dead body!"_

 _Out of nowhere, a black sword that hadn't been there before appeared on her hand. As she raised it, the nearby scientists screamed…_

* * *

 _"We're surrounded."_

 _"Yeah, I noticed."_

 _The monsters laughed as both boys stood back to back, fists and weapons raised._

 _"They're going to kill the rest if we don't hurry…!"_

 _"Yeah, well, unless you can pray to the Goddesses for a miracle, then we are…"_

 _"Get away from those two, vile beasts!"_

 _Everyone's head snapped to the side. On a nearby hill, seemingly from nowhere, a cerulean gaze stared at the scene, a graceful and determined figure sitting atop a six-legged horse._

 _Confusion filled the boys, even as the monster's eyes widened._

 _"Who…?!"_

 _"Wa-wait, that horse! I-it's HER! Attack!"_

 _"If you want it that way…prepare to face the wrath of justice!"_

 _The rider suddenly moved her hands over her waist…and a strange BELT appeared over it._

 _The black-haired boy's eyes widened._

 _"Wait, is that a…?!"_

 _His cry was interrupted by a mighty shout, a single word echoing with the power to Change the world._

 _"HENSHIN!"_

* * *

"He who fights monsters…"

 _"It's okay, you did it! You gave them time to get away! Now, quick, we have to…eh?"_

 _Looking back at the panting girl, the blonde boy noticed something was wrong with her uneven breathing._

 _"Can't…anymore…too…"_

 _"What…?"_

 _Her gaze snapped at him. Pinkish eyes turned a hungry crimson, even as fangs were suddenly visible behind her open lips._

 _"…too hungry."_

 _With an animal sound, she tackled the boy into the ground._

"…should be careful of not becoming one. And if you stare into the depths of the abyss…"

 _The black-haired boy continued running, until, finally, the labyrinth of mirror-like crystals he had been going through opened into an eerie darkness._

 _The black and white shadow he had been chasing had stopped too, just at the other side of the chamber._

 _"Hey…you! Who…who are you?!"_

 _Before he could even blink, the boy found himself unable to breathe._

 _A white-gloved hand was squeezing his neck, even as a white cape hung limply from the shadow's black-clad back._

 _Empty eyes stared at him, from a face identical to his, even as hollow-golden pupils peered directly into his souls._

 _"Isn't it obvious…Kazuto?" questioned Kirito with an emotionless voice._

"…the abyss stares back."

* * *

 _"…you can't be serious."_

 _"I am. I'm going to save this world, protect my friends, stop this lunatic 'God' and get back home. I will show you that there is still hope, even for you."_

 _"You're trapped in a world not your own, lost and tired, and want to confront the greatest force here with a team that consist of a boy with clearly suicidal tendencies, a child that's most useful sleep than awake, two younglings with powers they don't understand and drive them mad and a clearly unstable girl calling herself a 'warrior'…WHY would you think you have any chance?"_

 _Staring back unflinchingly at the Sage of the Library, the boy raised a closed fist._

 _"Because I can still throw a punch."_

* * *

 _Golden and silver armor shone against the soft light. Hair bright as the sun fell down her back. Cold eyes the color of the sky regarded the tired group._

 _The panting boy quickly realized that both his closest friend and the youngest of the team seemed frozen in place, staring with a mix of horror, hope and doubt to the one standing before them._

 _"One chance, enemies of the Human World. Surrender or fall."_

 _"…Alice?"_

 _Before any other words could be said, the golden girl vanished, like a flash of light._

 _Numbly, the boy stared to the side as his friend's arm flew away._

 _"Do not say that name, criminal."_

 _Everyone screamed._

* * *

 _"See, some people just want to see world burn. I find that concept boring and stupid…after all, if the world is going to burn, I want to burn it down with my own hands."_

 _"…you're fucking insane."_

 _"Oh, thanks for the praise! Now, though…_ It's Showtime _."_

* * *

 _"…I think…I think we have a problem, Aa-chan."_

 _"Argo…what kind of problem?"_

Atop the hill, the shocked girl of the bicycle took of her broken helmet, her vehicle lying on the grass at her side.

The sky was turning pitch black. In the middle of the day.

As if something was tearing it apart from Beyond…

 _"A Disaster Level-God."_

* * *

"You see…I already know how this story ends…but what matters is all that is lost to reach that end. Now then, after knowing all of that…"

 _On Its Throne above Everything…[FATE] **stood up.**_

"…do you still want to know it all?"

 ** _[Initiating Purification of Reality…]_**

* * *

Thanks for reading :D This is Saint, signing off!


	40. Sequel: Chains of Fate

Good day everyone! This is being written to inform all that followed this story and hasn't been following my other fics that its sequel, "One Punch-Gamer: Chains of Fate", has finally officially started! You can find it either by looking at the SAO x OPM Crossover Section or directly through my profile. Enjoy!

 **PS:** If you're reading this but still can't find/see the sequel, give it from half an hour to one before trying again, these message is being Uploaded almost at the same time as the sequel itself and that's the time Fanfiction can sometimes take before actually posting something visible for everyone.


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